2025 AIRLAB Microsensors Challenge

Registration

Registration is now open until May 31, 2025. Important documents (Rules, Protocol and Timeline) are available at the bottom of the page. 
To register :
- Complete the application form in English version ou French version.
- Submit the required documents via this link.

Project Information

Air quality is a critical health, economic, and societal issue. According to the latest WHO report (7), air pollution – both outdoor and indoor – causes 2018 million premature deaths worldwide each year. Governments, private companies, and citizens increasingly demand high-quality air data to support informed policy-making and implement effective solutions for improving air quality.  

With the rise of connected devices, air quality monitoring has become more accessible through compact and affordable sensors deployed in cities, buildings, vehicles, and even worn by individuals. However, assessing their performance and selecting the right sensor for each application remains a challenge.

To address this, Airparif (the accredited air quality monitoring association for the Île-de-France region) and AIRLAB (its open innovation lab) regularly organise the AIRLAB Microsensors Challenge. This initiative offers an independent, real-world performance evaluation of microsensors to assist potential users in making informed decisions while fostering innovation. So far, four editions have been held (2023, 2021, 2019, and 2018), enabling the evaluation of 176 devices by an international expert jury.

The 5th Edition of the Challenge

This fifth edition will focus on evaluating the impact of new parameters on microsensor performance, particularly: different emission profiles (pollution levels, sources etc.), varied weather conditions (high temperatures and humidity) and confined environments. 

Performance tests will take place in France (Paris) as in previous editions, and for the first time, in Accra (Ghana) and Bengaluru (India), through a partnership between Airparif, Afri-SET and Indi-SET (CSTEP). These new locations were selected for their distinct environmental characteristics and their strong local capabilities in air quality monitoring and microsensor research.

Additionally, in collaboration with Île-de-France Mobilités and SNCF Gares & Connexions, this edition will offer the possibility to evaluate microsensors in underground railway stations, marking a step forward in monitoring air quality in enclosed transport environments.

The 2025 AIRLAB Microsensors Challenge is financially supported by the Clean Air Fund, Open Philanthropy, the French Development Agency (AFD), Île-de-France Mobilités and the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME); and benefits from the expertise of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT); Atmo France (Federation of accredited Air Quality Monitoring Associations); the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA); the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC); the Imperial College London; the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU); the Indoor Environment Quality Observatory (OQEI); the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and South Coast AQMD.

Project Lead

Organization: AIRLAB; Contact: Adrian ARFIRE, Metrology Engineer

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