Performance tests will take place in France (Paris) as in previous editions.

For the 2025 edition, the airlab microsensors challenge offers a more advanced evaluation by inccorpoting two new outdoor testing sites in Accra (Ghana) and Bangalore (India) along with a new underground railway environment in Paris, France.

The expansion will enable a more comprehensive study of the impact of varied climate conditions, high pollution levels, and confined space on micrsensor performance,

This is done through a partnership between Airparif, Afri-SET and Indi-SET (CSTEP).

Sensors manufacturers who wish to participate in the challenge can visit:https://airlab.solutions/actualites/challenge- microcapteurs-edition-2025-225.

Dr Allison Felix Hughes, Afri-SET's Facility Manager, speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, said the inclusion of the new locations was due to their distinct environmental characteristics and strong local capabilities in air quality monitoring and microsensor research.

"The evaluation period will be between September to mid-January and we will be assessing not less than 25 sensors from manufacturers globally," he said.
The challenge, he indicated, would have a jury who would compare and rank the sensors and companies with the best sensors receiving awards.

Dr Hughes, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana's Department of Physics, noted that the fifth edition would focus on evaluating the impact of new parameters on microsensor performance.
Particular attention will be on the different emission profiles (pollution levels, sources etc.), varied weather conditions (high temperatures and humidity) and confined environments.

In Ghana, he said the evaluation would concentrate on the level of gases; Nitrogen oxide, ozone, and Sulphur dioxide.

According to the latest WHO report,air pollution - both outdoor and indoor - causes 2,018 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.

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.

Other sponsors are the Asian Institute of Technology, Atmo France (Federation of accredited Air Quality Monitoring Associations); the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.

The rest are the Imperial College London; the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU); the Indoor Environment Quality Observatory, and the World Meteorological Organization.