This year marks the 20th anniversary of the European Space Agency’s Business Incubation Centre network (ESA BICs).
Whilst the idea for a start-up support programme was already conceived in the early 2000s, it was in 2004 that the programme got its first round of funding appropriated and as such become an official instrument in ESA’s commercialisation toolset.
One important reason was that besides the classical commercialisation method through technology transfer, entrepreneurship was crucial for bringing the advancements in space technology to business and society.
The ESA BICs have been bringing together aspiring entrepreneurs, talented students and professionals, visionary engineers and progressive policymakers. Together, they create promising and intriguing solutions and commercialise space technology for benefits on Earth and in-orbit, as part of the NewSpace Economy.
From the first ESA BIC in Noordwijk, in October 2024 the network has grown to 30 ESA BICs in 21 Participating States, supporting more than 1,450 start-ups. In addition, the ESRIC (European Space Resources Innovation Centre) Start-up Support Programme was launched in Luxembourg in 2021.
As part of an international network, we celebrate 20 years of new business development, with an open and universal mindset, fostering creativity and innovation through cross-sectoral collaboration.
This month, there were two key events hosted at ESA’s headquarters to celebrate its achievements in fostering entrepreneurship through space technologies. The first was an evening reception to celebrate two decades of powering entrepreneurship through space, reflecting on the success of the ESA BIC in supporting start-ups and innovation in space technologies.
This event was followed by a full day focused on “Internationalisation and Economic Development” with the welcome address delivered by Geraldine Naja, director of ESA’s department of Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness.
Now, everyone can look forward to deep dives into the rich history of the ESA BICs and their start-up community, listen to the stories of entrepreneurs – their highs, and sometimes lows – to inspire you, get a glimpse into the future of space business and its technological advances, and learn more about space business by joining the 20 years ESA BIC LinkedIn group.
