“As guardians of cooperation, international space organizations- large and small ones- are essential to share best practices on successful examples of synergism, to develop guidelines for the future of the sector, and to provide a platform to act collectively.”

Dominique Tilmans

Eurisy President, Dominique Tilmans recently attended the third edition of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey (March 1-3, 2024). With the theme “Advancing Diplomacy in Times of Turmoil”, the event gathered heads of states and governments, ministers, diplomats, business leaders, academics, think-tankers, youth, and media representatives for an all-encompassing debate about the future of international diplomacy, with specific attention also to the space sector.

As a speaker in the Panel “Space Diplomacy: Exploring New Opportunities” Ms. Tilmans had the opportunity to discuss the role of international space organizations in promoting dialogue and cooperation in the global space arena with experts and major representatives of the sector, and to present Eurisy mission and activities to bridge space and society.

Moderated by Dr. Ayhan İNCİRCİ the panel was composed by: Ms. Yu Qi, Secretary General, Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO); Dominique Tilmans, President at EURISY, Dr. Christian Feichtinger, Secretary General, International Astronautical Federation (IAF), Mr. Yusuf Kıraç, President, Turkish Space Agency (TUA), ad Mr Alper Gezeravcı, Turkey’s first astronaut, who joined the Axiom-3 mission to the International Space Station in January 2024.Several topics have been addressed during the session: from the growth of the investments in the space sector and the need for an increased access to funding among both established and emerging countries, to the challenges of young entrepreneurs to break down barriers to market in the sector as well as the opportunities offered. A strong focus was placed on the renewed interest in manned space missions, sparking conversations about how this will boost support and public involvement in future space exploration endeavours.

Ms. Tilmans emphasized the role of international space organizations, as core space diplomacy actors. She described how Eurisy managed for more than 35 years now to act as facilitator and matchmaker, enabling fruitful exchanges of best practices on the development and use of satellite applications, thus harnessing synergies of diverse ecosystems to profitably work together, increasing awareness and competitiveness of local communities. She also highlighted the role of Eurisy in stimulating the interest of young generations to discover hands-on the opportunities offered by the sector. Projects such as GIS4School and Geo-Academy as well the recently launched SpaceSuite have been on the spotlight to demonstrate the efforts of the association in supporting skills development, up and re-skilling, focusing on multidisciplinary education paths to establish and promote bridges between space and non-space sectors.Mr. Kıraç provided an overview of the national space strategy, acknowledging the growing interest of the country in space activities and events over the past few years, and encouraging students to seize the incredible untapped potential of this field and to actively participate in building its future. TUA President further emphasized the need to put education at the core of the future vision of the Turkish space sector. In support of this, he mentioned two examples of successful activities which last year gathered students and young professionals in events linked to space and technology in the country: TEKNOFEST, the aviation, space and technology festival, organized by the Turkish Technology Team Foundation (T3 Foundation) and the Turkish Ministry of Industry and Technology, as well as the Space Travelers Program, a collaboration between the Turkish Space Agency (TUA) and Space Camp Turkiye, which last year ensured to 100 students the possibility to participate in a fully immersive training in space technologies, an initiative poised to continue in the years to come.

The panel put space in the spotlight for dialogue and international relations, emphasizing how space diplomacy is also facilitating a broader conversation between emerging and established countries. It was emphasized the shift from a time when space activities were primarily dominated by “space-faring nations” to present, where this domain has evolved into a larger arena that fosters engagement and collaboration among a diverse range of countries. In this light, it has been recalled the discussion held at last year International Astronautical Congress, during a Symposium specifically dedicated to Emerging Space Ecosystems. Ms. Annalisa Donati, Eurisy Secretary General, as part of the IAF ACCESS Committee, actively contribute to this exchange, to strengthen connections and to establish a platform of cooperation to foster engagement, access, and entrepreneurship.With the entry of new countries and new actors into the space industry, transformative are the impacts on economic, political, and technological dynamics. It is thus crucial for international institutions and organizations to foster dialogue and partnership, not only among space actors but, as emphasized by Dominique Tilmans, to expand this vision to include non-space entities as well.

“Our work at EURISY is to share and support engagement initiatives, truly acting as a bridge between organizations and societies, sharing both the capacity building opportunities in the sector, and the role space technologies have in contemporary societies.”

Dominique Tilmans

Focused on U(rban) D(evelopement) E(xplorations) using N(atural) E(xperiments) the project gathers 9 partners, from 6 countries including Tunisia, Turkey, Serbia, Italy, France, and Slovenia, to build sustainable urban environments and address the challenges posed by increasing urbanisation and the effects of climate change.

UDENE’s main goal is to provide urban visionaries and developers with a virtual laboratory to test the impacts of their assumptions. The Exploration Tool (ET), one of the major project results, will provide scenario-based projections derived from Copernicus Earth Observation (EO) data complemented by relevant in-situ observations. It will be complemented by a Matchmaking Tool (MT) that will promote the uptake of European space-based offers and competencies and connect end-users to relevant products, solutions, services and applications from the European space sector.

Setting the bases for the collaboration to come, this three-days meeting was a wonderful opportunity for participants to get to know each other and to exchange on the future developments of the project.

Read and download the press release now!

Funded through the HORIZON Europe 2022 Space calls managed by EUSPA, the project will last until January 2026.

Follow the activities on the project on the dedicated social platforms, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn. 

The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2023 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No 101131190. 

The 16th European Space Conference, ‘Shape Europe’s Future’, took place on January 23 and 24, gathering relevant actors from the space sector, to meet and exchange on the future of the space sector in Europe. Conducted under the auspices of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the conference brought together more than 1,000 participants at the SQUARE Convention Centre in the heart of Brussels. In between heads of space agencies, industry leaders, politicians, researchers, SMEs, and students, Eurisy could not miss the opportunity to showcase its work and animate two sessions on the use of satellite solutions by European regions and the development of skills for the downstream space ecosystem.

© Business Bridge – European Space Conference 2024

Eurisy’s booth was the place where curious minds could come and exchange with the team and discover more on the association and on our missions. The most adventurous ones took their chance and tried the Space Service Hub, Eurisy’s virtual reality experience. Users were able to discover the impact of satellite-enabled solutions on our daily life by traveling around three specific areas – a smart city, a coastal, and a rural area. Catch a glimpse of this adventure on our website: https://staging.eurisy.eu/space-service-hub/

The Village Stage was animated by a variety of talks and breakthroughs, aimed at promoting innovative initiatives and expanding the horizon of the space conference. Topics varied from the interconnections between ocean and space, to the role of communication in the space sector, from satellite applications to monitor deforestation, to skills. Three panel discussions were organised on the Village Stage, including two moderated by Eurisy’s Secretary General, Ms Annalisa Donati.

© Business Bridge – European Space Conference 2024

The European Space Industry Regions Ecosystem session, featured Dr Nathalie Stéphenne, working at the Walloon Public Service and in charge of the WalOUS project, Mr Thierry Cotelle, President of the Network of European Regions Using Space Technologies (NEREUS), as well as Mr Pedro Narro, Policy Officer for Climate, Energy and Green Deal at the European Committee of the Regions. The crucial role of local legislations on disaster risk management, has been fully appreciated though the demonstration of WalOUS. This initiative enabled the creation of high-resolution land-use and land-cover maps of the Walloon region, based on an analysis of business needs and in compliance with regional and European standards. Ms Stéphenne described the key building blocks of the project as: 1) gathering groups of users to collect technical specifications for co-creation purposes; 2) proceeding to land cover and uses data collection and combine results with users data to create the map; 3) updating the map continuously and consolidating the analysis of the needs to provide actionable information to the different services of the Regional administration and facilitate decision-making at the local level.

Regions have a key role to play to mitigate climate change effects and develop evidence-based adaptation strategies and policies to increase resilience for an effective, more sustainable use of the territory. Mr Narro highlighted the need to raise awareness among local administrators on the benefits deriving from the integration of such information in a seamless knowledge infrastructure to fully exploit the possibilities offered. Mr Cotelle in his capacity of Governor of the Occitane region in France shared his experience and the several activities initiated to advocate for a larger understanding while ensuring access to training to up and re-skill personnel.

© Business Bridge – European Space Conference 2024

The spotlight was also put on skills development and education, with a panel discussion on Skills for a Thriving Space Ecosystem. The diversity of the panel highlighted the necessity of having a multidisciplinary approach to the space sector to address the gap between the sector’s needs and the skills shortage. Mr Guillaume de La Brosse, Head of Unit of Innovation and New Space – Space Defence at the European Commission DG-DEFIS, Mr Leo Buchner, President of the Association EUROAVIA, Mr Eric Tschirhart, Special Advisor to the Rector at UNIVERSEH ‘European University’, and Ms Anthea E. Comellini, Guidance, Navigation and Control Engineer and ESA Reserve Astronaut discussed how skills are shaping the future of the space sector and vice-versa under the guidance of Ms. Annalisa Donati. As the space ecosystem evolves at a fast and increasing pace, the industry is finding it harder to employ skilled professionals, especially as current curricula are evolving at a paradoxical slow pace. One major takeaway from the session is the need for increased multidisciplinarity and forward thinking in the space ecosystem, which could be achieved through deeper collaboration with industry and academia, and perhaps through jointly defined curricula. It is worth mentioning that the space sector is not lacking in aerospace engineers, it is lacking specific skills outside the traditional programs, and especially software skills and soft skills. In light of these challenges, Mr Guillaume de La Brosse announced two initiatives carried on by DG DEFIS to help bridge this gap:

• Job Placement schemes: to support students and young graduates in finding internships and job opportunities in local space companies;
• CASSINI Space summer camps: to inspire young people from 14 to 18 to pursue a career in the space sector.

The Commission has launched a survey to gather first-hand insights from industry and academia to ensure an efficient design of the Job Placement scheme. Participate to the online survey:  https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/Skills4EUSpace

The session concluded that it is essential to educate younger generations about the accessibility, needs and opportunities of the space sector. This is particularly true for girls and young women who are often discouraged from pursuing scientific and technical careers. Skills are present in everyone. It is crucial to teach children that they can dream and that the space sector is accessible.

All the stages have been animated by insightful talks analysing from different angles the current state of the European space sector, future challenges, and possible pathways to ensure its sustainability, including the European Union Space Law (EUSL), the increased uses of space and the potential of space-based applications. As a concrete step towards empowering the European space sector, Commissioner Thierry Breton announced that a first draft of the EUSL, envisioned as the first all-encompassing European space law, will be presented by the European Commission by March 2024. Promoting a unified and collaborative approach, EUSL is intended to safeguard safety, resilience, and sustainability of the European space sector. Noteworthily, EU Institutions demonstrated a strong commitment to empowering the private space sector and acting as an anchor customer. This position was clearly announced by Commissioner Thierry Breton during his introductory speech and presentation of the content of EUSL. The issue of access to investment and funding was a recurring topic during the conference, especially because of the increasing gap between Europe and the United States in private and public investment in the space sector that prevents numerous start-ups to thrive in Europe. Conceived as a tool to help bridge this gap, the European Union Space Law aims to improve the competitiveness of the EU by providing a common legal framework that will reduce internal competition and consolidate the EU’s strengths to make it a global competitor and redirect public and private investments.

In accordance with this momentum, the European Space Agency, the European Commission and the European Investment Bank signed a landmark agreement to strengthen their collaboration and enhance the European space sector. This cooperation is set to rely on three main domains:

• Identification and support of European space projects.
• Boost of exchange of best practices in public-private partnership models for space initiatives.
• The Space Finance Labs Workshop to unite EU space stakeholders and address funding challenges.

This tripartite agreement shows the willingness of major space actors to further investments and actions within the European space sector.

From left to right: Josef Aschbacher, ESA Director General, Thomas Dermine, Belgium State Secretary for Science Policy, Recovery Program and Strategic Investments, Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market at the European Commission.  © Business Bridge – European Space Conference 2024

Europe’s future vision, at the heart of this year’s conference, was presented by Commissioner Thierry Breton. He introduced five interconnected pillars to guide Europe’s action:

• Creating a true EU Single Market for space, especially by providing a common legal framework to EU member States with the incoming European Union Space Law (EUSL).
• Establishing an independent European access to space by transforming the launcher policy, allowing more transparency, and financially supporting Europe space capabilities through investment.
• Protecting EU space systems through new capacities by reinforcing the current EU SST consortium by developing a European ‘Space Domain Awareness’ system to protect infrastructures and monitor threats, and by fostering Europe’s capacity to act in Space.
• Unlocking the potential of EU space programmes for defence and boost new services in support of security and defence, such as Galileo’s Public Regulated Service (PRS), IRIS2, EU EO governmental service.
• Ensuring the prosper commercialisation of space through New Space.

These five pillars animated the debates and discussions within the conference’s panels afterwards, but they were not the only recurring themes.

Independence, sustainability, cooperation, and security were the driving subject matter of the conference and were addressed as the main components of the future of Europe, and as key ingredients to ensure a competitive European space sector, with a well-assumed margin of progress from all actors. These topics underlined many discussions such as the Conversations with Heads of Agencies on their Views on the Future of Space Policy, Economic Security and Autonomy, or the discussion on Defining the European Approach to Secure and Autonomous Connectivity from Space, or the panel on Ensuring the Development of a European Ecosystem for Autonomous and Strategic Access to Space.  In line with the IRIS² Secure Connectivity Programme that was announced in 2023, Director for Secure and Connected Space at EC DG-DEFIS Ekaterini Kavvada reaffirmed the necessity and will of the EU to ensure safe and resilient communications to governments, citizens, and -remarkably- to the military. Answering to pressing security concerns due to multiplying cyber and hybrid threats, the IRIS² constellation has been conceived following a “dual-use by design” approach and will provide secure communications to European armies and support space surveillance from space. As the last step of the procedure of IRIS² is ongoing, Commissioner Thierry Breton announced that the EU will be in a position to sign one of the biggest space contract of its history by Easter this year. The IRIS² programme aligns seamlessly with the vision that guided the creation of the 2023 EU Space Strategy for Security and Defence and emphasized the necessity to enhance the integration between space capabilities and the Union’s security and defence mechanisms and materializes this necessity. Acknowledging these growing links and the need to address them in civilian fora, the Conference directly approached space security concerns through the military lens and dedicated two distinctive panels to the topic with unequivocal titles: Navigating the Increasing Links between Space and Defence, and In Conversation with Space Commanders. Both discussions emphasized the importance of cooperation and solidarity between the military and civil society, as well as the need for a shared strategic culture to ensure preparedness and resilience. Indeed, the space industry can only thrive if it is safe, but civilian capabilities can also support defence purposes, as IRIS² illustrates.

One of the most significant events related to the Conference took place after the closure of the main stages, when Ms Hadja Lahbib, Belgium’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Mr Thomas Dermine, Beligum State Secretary for Science Policy, Recovery Program and Strategic Investments, signed the Artemis Accord on behalf of the Belgian Government. Belgium reaffirmed its wish to make space one of the inexorable priorities of its mandate as President of the Council of the European Union.

The upbeat rhythm of the Conference set the tone for the take-off of 2024, and European space actors will have to follow the pace throughout this year, and for the ones to come.

© Business Bridge – European Space Conference 2024

SpaceSUITE is an ERASMUS+ Blueprint project for the development of innovative resources for education and training to bridge the gap between the supply and demand of skills in the ever-growing downstream space sector. Eurisy supports the project mainly through its communication and dissemination activities, with the aim to maximise the project’s outreach, raise awareness and increase stakeholders’ engagement and the engagement of potential stakeholders, to optimise the use of resources by information exchange, to stimulate interest and knowledge about the project outcomes, and to promote the training curricula and programs, both to the general public, to relevant stakeholders and final users. 

“SpaceSUITE will be critical for achieving the objectives of the European Commission on skills development in the space sector, and the project is extremely complementary to existing and upcoming initiatives in this area.”

– Maria Vittoria D’Inzeo, project officer at European Commission Directorate-General on Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS)

Maria Vittoria D’Inzeo

Read the full press release on the SPACE4GEO website, and subscribe to the project’s newletter.

Stay tuned and follow the SpaceSUITE project on X, Facebook and LinkedIn.

The agenda covered various topics – from the overview of major strategic prerogatives in the space domain of the upcoming Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU to the insights into the ESA space accelerators and ESA Scale up Programme. The participants also discussed the critical shortage of skilled workforce in Europe, that eurisy will actively address in 2024 thanks to the Erasmus+ project SpaceSUITE, the role  and activities of the newly established EU Space Support Office (former Copernicus Support Office), the current activities of standartisation related to space downstream segment and how this could support the procurement of spaceborne services. Members were also challenged to brainstorm how to better connect emerging and established space nations revamping the concept of Members’ Corner.  The meeting was an occasion for the Eurisy secretariat to present the yearly results of its activities and projects and give a flavour of new initiatives. The Agenda of the day with the link to download all the presentation is available at the end of the article!

The meeting kicked off with the opening address of Mr. Julien Beclard, BELSPO representative, who introduced the audience with the most recent developments in the European space sector and the priorities set by the future presidency of Belgium in the EU. Acknowledging the importance of space activities as a strategic asset, particularly in domains such as security, defense, climate change mitigation, and the empowerment of New Space actors, the Belgium presidency will aim to advance cybersecurity and secure connectivity and to promote the safe, sustainable, and secure use of space. In dealing with these challenges, including also responsible international cooperation, the commitment to nurturing the EU’s open strategic autonomy will run as a common thread. Mr. Beclard outlined that an increasingly congested orbital space raised the necessity of regulation and development of the EU space traffic management approach to contribute to security, sustainability and protection of space. As a result, the EU Council adopted on 8 December conclusions on space traffic management urging on the Commission, the European External Action Service and the European Defence Agency to work with member states to ensure that defence and security aspects are given due consideration, while stressing the civil nature of the EU space programmes.

Ms. Isabelle Duvaux-Béchon, ESA Senior Advisor from the Accelerator Core Team, presented the ESA Accelerators which is a new concept developed by the Agency to boost the use of space based solutions. With the focus on a user-driven approach, there is a need to build a virtuous circle starting from the needs of the users defining the offer and back. To bring this idea to a new level, this concept of accelerating the use of space has been introduced. Resolution adopted by the Ministers at the Space Summit on 6 November 2023 encourages the Space for Green Future Accelerator and supports Rapid and Resilient Crisis Response Accelerator, as well as Protect Accelerator shielding space assets from debris and space weather events. ESA is currently partnering up with relevant stakeholders to each of the three accelerators. Ms. Duvaux-Béchon mentioned the accelerators’ generic development plan for 2023-2026, with the beginning of full operations going beyond 2026.  She also touched upon the Civil Security from Space Programme adopted in November 2023 and being the first multidomain programme at ESA.

ESA at the last CM22 presented an overarching strategy to support space companies in their commercialisation endeavours in all the possible aspects. The ESA Scale up Programme was illustrated by Dr. Gianluigi Baldesi, Head of Ventures and Financing Office. He gave an overview of European public investments into space estimated at 14 billion euros (3% growth) in 2022 and 1 billion euros (66% growth) of private investments in European space ventures the same year. With the ScaleUp Innovate ESA is supporting the pre-commercialisation and R&D programmes for aerospace companies, while ScaleUp Invest is supporting the development of ventures in new space markets, enabling aerospace companies with a vision to scale up their operations to become the next big European player on the global space market.

Evolution of the Copernicus Support office into the EU Space Support Office was addressed by Mr. Stéphan Ourevitch who before delving into the novelties highlighted the numbers of users of Copernicus Data Store mounting to 200 000 persons in June 2023, passing beyond the 250 000 marker in September and in November. Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem was reported to be a new data access platform launched in January 2023, easy in use and navigation to retrieve data from Sentinel without any particular expert knowledge. Talking about the Copernicus Expansion mission, Mr. Ourevitch outlined that the re-entry of the United Kingdome in Copernicus has played a role in reinforcing the funding of the Programme and its prospects.  He also highlighted that a political agreement on UK participation in Horizon Europe was reached in September 2023 which was an important milestone of the year.  Another achievement was the launch of the first four Copernicus thematic Hubs during the EU Space Week in Sevilla with the aim to improve the user experience and streamline access to key information for different stakeholders, policymakers and users by leveraging the open data and information available from different Copernicus core services and providing thematic one-stop-shops. The areas of interest of the HUBs lanched are health, coastal zones, the Arctic, and energy. In addition to this, Copernicus is expanding geographically, with its Data Centers being launched in Panama, the Philippines and Chilly, thus broadening the range of users across the globe. Explaining the transition from Copernicus Support Office to the EU Space Programme Support Office, Mr. Ourevitch emphasized that the change came from the fact that, following EU regulations, all the components of the EU Space Programme are now under one roof with the Commission trying to promote synergies and mutualise some resources. Since 1 September 2023 the new EU Space Programme Office has been addressing the questions coming from users, citizens and media regarding the IRIS 2, GOVSATCOM, Cassini, Space TManagement, etc.

Mr. Miguel Oriz, Deputy Head of GEOLOC Lab, ISO-TC20-SC14-WG8 convenor at Gustave Eiffel University elaborated on the downstream standartisation services. He enumerated several reasons  why the downstream standartisation is needed as follows:  federation of experts, operators and industries in one domain; development of common international downstream standards to promote the downstream market, enhancement of interoperability and promotion of fair comparison of performances. Ms. Stefka Domuzova, EO Consultant from Climate-KIC elaborated on the PROTECT project – a Horizon Europe project operational for 1,5 year now with the goal to raise awareness and build capacity for the use of pre-commercial procurement in the field of climate services and Earth observation. Pre-commercial procurement is being regarded as one of the many tools that have been emerging over the past years that support the co-creation and co-development of solutions.

Being procurement of EO enabled services one of the biggest challenges currently experienced by public administration the capacity these kinds of projects are building is essential to support a wider uptake of the solutions and services for a multifaced objectives.

Ms. Anna Purkhauser, Senior Consultant at Space.tec partners and project manager at Stars*EU project tackled the issue of the shortage of skills in downstream space value chain in Europe. It was concluded that the space industry does not receive enough qualified applications from graduates, and those applicants who are selected still need training on site. Among the key gaps identified by the research conducted by Stars*EU were fragmentation of skills and education ecosystem, absence of an established accreditation framework, difficulty to attract new talent and limited focus on space for kids, limited activities aimed at fresh graduates and young professionals.

The meeting was concluded by Eurisy President Dominique Tilmans who called upon the participants to discover more about Switch to Space initiative which came about in 2018 as an answer to the lack of young graduates in the space sector. The Switch to Space is seen as a national event that will collect young graduates and students, research centers and space experts under one roof in Brussels. Ms. Tilmans with the support of eurisy has the ambition to internationalise this unique event and to hold similar events in other countries across Europe.

The Members’ Day has also been the stage to present major results from the projects currently populating eurisy’s initiatives. Ms Annalisa Donati emphasised a preliminary overview of the aggregated results of the needs analysis performed in conjunction of the national workshops co-organised with EUSPA on the topic od Disaster Risk Management. To support a deeper awareness of the benefits of satellite solutipons for climate resilience and adaptation a roadmap related to the activities of the project Copernicus Connection was illustrated, the project aims at sharing knowledge and experience among European regions and at promoting the operational uses of Copernicus data and services by local and regional authorities, with a geographic focus on France, Germany, and Switzerland.

2023 marked the end of two major eurisy project e-shape (the flagship EC project Moving away from a data-centric approach to a user-driven era) and GIS4Schools, two others have been kicked off. To delve into the possibilities offered by EO for the monitoring and protection of cultural heritage eurisy joined the consortium led by ICCS for THETIDA.

To address the need to train the trainers, equipping teachers with a set of GEO related skills eurisy also joined the GEO-Academy.

Much more is part of the activities of the association including the members’ corner, the online platform to discuss national activities of our members, our use cases developed to ensure an easy understanding of the benefits of satellite solutions for sector of our society not related to space, we invite all of you to follow our social media to discover what space can offer to all of you!

AGENDA

10:00 – 10:15 Welcome and introduction, Ms Dominique Tilmans, Eurisy President
10:15 – 10:30 BELSPO representative opening address. Overview of major strategic priorities of
the Belgian presidency in the space domain
10:30 – 11:00 Overview of the Eurisy activities during the past year, Ms Annalisa Donati, Eurisy
Secretary General, introduction of new team members
11:00 – 11:30 Isabelle Duvaux-Béchon, ESA Senior Advisor – Accelerator Core Team, Interactive discussion: Outcomes of the European Space Summit. Insights into the ESA Accelerators.
11:45 – 12:15 Dr. Gianluigi Baldesi, ESA Head of Ventures and Financing Office, ESA Scale up Programme: how to boost commercialisation of European space solutions.
12:15 – 12:45 Stéphane Ourevitch, the newly established EU Support Office role and activities to boost users uptake

14:30 – 15:15 Interactive discussion on standardization and PROTECT, the case for pre-commercial procurement
Miguel Oriz, Deputy head of GEOLOC Lab, ISO-TC20-SC14-WG8 convenor, Gustave Eiffel University and Stefka Domuzova, EO Consultant, Climate-KICSkills

15:15 – 16: 00 Ms Anna Purkhauser, Senior Consultant at Space.tec partners, STARS*EU shortage of GEO skills in Europe 
Switch to Space Dominique Tilmans, Eurisy president

Polish administration points to several barriers that make the use of satellite data difficult for them: the cost of high-resolution commercial data, lack of knowledge and talents, lack of availability of products and infrastructure. POLSA has been working to eliminate these barriers and foster the uptake of Earth Observation data in a comprehensive way by building users’ awareness, creating infrastructure and the tools providing satellite data, products and services and analysing the law to ensure no legal obstacles could prevent polish public administrations from making the best and easier use of satellite data.

To tear down those barriers and to smooth the integration of satellite data POLSA created and runs the National Satellite Information System for public administration furnished with numerous Earth Observations products and services delivered according to the administration needs.

To close the gap POLSA is at the forefront to foster capacity building within the country and to integrate more and more national data. The project CAMILA (Country awareness mission in land analysis) designed for civil use will consist of at least three EO small optical and one SAR satellites. CAMILA will be created in the frame of bilateral programme of the Ministry of Technology and ESA with the goal to build the competences of Polish Space Sector in the field of production and integration of satellite systems and to provide high-resolution satellite data for administration, civil security and crisis management. Due to the growing number of hazardous situations related to climate change, promoting crisis awareness and management become crucial. Poland has an extensive experience and willingness to play a significant role in the development of civil security solution based on the satellite data. Moreover, the civil security from space is poised to be a Polish specialisation. In particular, experience of Government Centre for Security in building and exploring the geospatial system GISBN National Security in context of meeting needs of crisis management system, as well as CAMILA project, can contribute to creation of civil security hub in Poland. More details about the project are available here.

Ms. Monika Mierczyk-Burke, Senior Specialist, Earth Observation Department, gave an overview of the NSIS which is designed to increase the user uptake of satellite imagery and satellite products. The premise of NSIS is to create a national interoperable system which works with other national data platforms for receiving, storing, processing and also sharing satellite information products. The main three components of the platform are: Geoportal (web application enabling download and sharing the satellite products), marketplace (provides access to products, services and applications) and knowledge base (contains collection of information about satellite data). For the time being POLSA has prepared 8 satellite products: land cover maps, change detection maps, ortophoto and CIR ortophoto maps, SWIR orthophoto, urban heat islands, agriculture droughts and soil moisture. A live demonstration of the components and uses of the NSIS platform was made during the presentation, which covered such spheres of interest as land analysis, forestry, agriculture, crisis management, water management and environment. It has been visually demonstrated how to navigate among the many datasets and how to immediately draw intelligence from data. More information is contained in the presentation under this link.

Ms. Beata Janowczyk, Deputy Director of the Government Center of Security, presented a GIS system that was created in the beginning of the pandemic as a tool to provide information to society and also to build situation awareness in the context of pandemic. The system was developed further to cover additional domains. Firstly, to respond to the current demand on information needed to make decisions at various level of crisis management. For example, the system provides information on the Ukrainian conflict, like the situational analysis of displaced people, evacuated from Ukraine, current humanitarian situation in the country and more. Secondly, the system provides ongoing publication and monitoring of selected national entities, listed in the national documents which report on threats to national security. Thirdly, the system is used to inform the public about the current development of threats and activities created to counteract them.

Mr. Jakub Ryzenko, Head of the Crisis Information Centre of Space Research Centre (Polish Academy of Sciences), elaborated on the current use of satellite data for civil protection.  “The technologies are ready, but the people, the organisations and the structures are yet not ready to use space data”, he emphasized. During a massive wildfire occurred in Biebrza National Park in Poland, combining images from drones and satellite gave a trustworthy information for rescue operations. As argued by Mr. Ryzenko, in the view of the lack of know-how solutions, the Centre of Space Research suggested to establish a Testbed and User-Support Center to bridge the gap between the space and crisis management sectors, build upon specialists from both worlds working together, focusing on facilitating operationalisation of innovation, as well as supporting the ‘last mile’ of development of satellite solutions, to provide their reality check, verification and validation of solutions. This initiative would also facilitate adoption of innovative solutions through demonstration and pilot activities and provide operational support for early adopters.

During Q&A session the participants and attendees were provided with the floor to better understand how they could further explore the presented opportunities offered by the Polish Space Agency.

The video recording of the webinar is available under this link.

The theme for World Space Week 2023, ‘Space and Entrepreneurship,’ underscores the increasing significance of entrepreneurial engagement in the space sector. The goal is to foster an understanding of the vast opportunities available within the sector and inspiring individuals globally to consider their role in the future of space exploration.

For more information about the event, visit this link.

The IAC 2023 to be held under the theme Global Challenges and Opportunities: Give Space a Chance in Azerbaijan’s capital will extend unequalled prospects for establishing strong collaborations, and will serve as a perfect occasion to reach a diverse international audience through one-of-a-kind exposure both within the region and internationally. Delving into the most recent developments in the sphere of space at the Congress, the guests and participants will also have a chance to experience the authentic culture and hospitality of Azerbaijan.

It should be noted that nation-wide comprehensive and consistent efforts are put into delivering the best IAC experience for the participants and the guests of the country, and a variety of state authorities, government bodies, and other institutions have contributed and are directly involved in the process.

There is a rich history behind hosting IAC in Azerbaijan. In 2023, the IAC is back to Baku exactly half a century after the capital of Azerbaijan hosted it for the first time in 1973, becoming the first and the only city in the region to do so. The 74th edition of IAC is coupled with unique exposure to an emerging market, first-hand experience of the unmatched Azerbaijani hospitality, genuine cultural immersion, and the diverse charms of this beautiful country.

Make sure to visit https://www.iac2023.org/ to stay in the know about the most recent updates and plan your visit to Baku for the celebration of space at the IAC 2023!

Ms. Heather Britton in her presentation highlighted the 3 core strategic lines for the UKSA action:

1. Catalysing investment – by developing funding and resources to multiply the value of non-government contracts and private capital secured by UK space organisations and maximise the space sectors long-term growth;
2. Delivering space capabilities and missions – independently and in partnership with others that use space science, technology and applications to meet national needs to help humanity to understand our universe;
3. Championing space – encouraging other sectors to use space science, technology and applications to deliver better services, tackle the climate emergency, inspire STEM education and lifelong learning and advocate for sustainable space activities

According to the Size & Health of the UK Space Industry 2022  report, 75% of the UK space sector’s income in 2020-2021 was delivered by applications. In order to ensure further growth, UKSA works with private companies in sectors right across the spectrum, including but not limited to:

• Healthcare
• Transport
• Tourism
• Agriculture
• Maritime
• Aviation

The main objective is to exploit space data to bring socio-economic benefit to the UK, its citizens, but to also promote UK capabilities across the globe. The interconnectivity of space applications in the above-mentioned domains should be closely studied and understood.

Through the ESA BASS programme, UKSA aims to achieve its mission which lies in contributing to the growth and expansion of the UK’s space applications industry, generating new value to the economy across the regions, creating jobs and consolidating a global footprint as one Global Britain.

Mr. Jon Hulks, Space Ecosystem Development Manager at the UKSA, underlined that the agency is looking to spread of capabilities, investment and space employment across the whole UK and building a vibrant national space ecosystem. The UK’s National Space Strategy committed to more international collaboration, growing the UK as the science and technology power, developing resilient space capabilities and services by unlocking growth in the space sector. To achieve these goals, the UK Space Agency is investing to build a national space ecosystem through a set of actions:

• Locally led, high impact projects that unlock a new market or address a regional barrier to growth.
• Strengthening local Space Clusters to provide support and advice to space organisations, create local networks, identify common opportunities, and represent the area nationally and internationally.
• Expanding the UK Space Agency Accelerator to give space start-ups the tools they need to grow.
• Developing space R&D infrastructure through the Space Cluster Infrastructure Fund.

The UK is home for a world-leading university sector, such as Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey, which incubates innovative start-ups by providing technical courses, but also business management curricula to support the establishment and scale-up of those start-ups. However more can be done to ensure that they develop into larger businesses which are based in the UK and offer economic benefits such as sustainable, long-term jobs and export opportunities. By taking a holistic approach, the UK is aiming at ensuring a convergence between universities and start-ups to strengthen the already existing connection. The UK will also require a significant increase of the private sector investments into space activities, coupled with combined efforts of every participant in the UK space economy, from businesses to innovators, entrepreneurs, and space scientists.

Dr. William Lovegrove, Director of Innovation Strategy at the University of Surrey, introduced the Space South Central Cluster, the largest regional space cluster in the UK, and plans for future collaborations with the UK Space Agency.

The Space South Central Cluster is one of Largest regional Space Cluster by revenue

It coordinates support for start-ups and early-stage SMEs via existing business incubation support programmes including SETsquared and new Space ICURe. It inspires and engages more SMEs by nurturing start-up innovation culture and by providing structured programmes. The cluster addresses major skills shortfall via closer coordination of existing higher education and further education institutions and industry skills initiatives. Apart from it, the cluster offers unique and significant training provision to build on, such as continued professional development and apprenticeship programmes.

During Q&A session the participants and attendees were provided with the floor to better understand how they could harness the presented opportunities.

The video recording of the webinar is available under this link.

To address issues of response in a state of emergency, public authorities, researchers, civil institutions, private companies and other interested stakeholders gathered on 18 July 2023 at the premises of the National University of Public Service of Budapest to discuss opportunities and challenges related to the use of innovative tools in case of disastrous events. The workshop aimed to highlight the potential of satellite applications during different phases of disaster risk management. National actors dealing with the management of natural hazards shared their needs and experiences with the space community to streamline the process of integrating satellite-based services in disaster risk management. Representative of leading public authority in the domain of space research presented an overview of the Hungarian space strategy and outlined the milestones of its implementation.

Speaking about the workshop, Dr. Orsoyla Ferencz, Ministerial Commissioner for Space Research, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary,  stated, “This gathering is important in addressing the challenges we face in emergency situations. By leveraging innovative tools and satellite technologies, we can make evidence-based decisions and better respond to disasters.”

Rodrigo da Costa, Executive Director of the EU Agency for the Space Programme presented the European perspective on the integrative use of the main components of the European Union Space Programme. “Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus, and GOVSATCOM are powerful tools individually, but an exponential achievement is reached when used in synergy. The Emergency Management and Disaster Response sector is one of the key sectors where this synergy is saving lives”. “As an agency focused on meeting user needs, EUSPA closely monitors this market and actively develops and delivers new space-enabled services to address its requirements” he stated.

The workshop gave an overview of the role of satellite-based services in the event of natural hazards. The value of the main components of the European Union Space Programme was emphasized, underscoring the importance of addressing the needs of users in the disaster risk management lifecycle.

Annalisa Donati, Secretary General of Eurisy declared that “At Eurisy, we make sure that the benefits of satellite-based applications are well-known to help public authorities take quick and informed actions in situations of emergency. We work to understand local users’ perspective and provide decision-makers with feedback to bridge the gap between users’ needs and already available satellite-enabled solutions.”

Representatives from the European Union Agency for the Space Programme elaborated on the outcomes of user consultations on emergency management and elucidated future market trends in satellite navigation, earth observation and satellite communications. The emphasis was put on user experience, crucial for service definition and provision of the EU Space Programme. The topics of Galileo High Accuracy Service and GOVSATCOM were addressed during the first part of the technical session.

Stakeholders dealing with the management of natural hazards were invited to share experiences and identify challenges and opportunities related to the uptake of satellite data. Principle actors from the innovation sector shared best practices on how to apply space-based drones to different phases of disaster risk management and expanded on the current usage of earth observation data in Hungary. Young Hungarian space companies presented their outlook on space-enabled assets in disaster risk management to the targeted communities.

Recommendations on how to improve accessibility to satellite-based services for disaster risk management were made based on the outcomes of the questions and answers session. During the panel discussion, the state of the art in solutions enabled by satellite data was presented by the key actors in the field. Representatives from academia, public authority and service providers explored the possibilities of leveraging space-based technologies in the disaster risk management cycle and bringing customized support to the end-users.

For more information about the presentations of the speakers, please consult the Agenda of the event.

The video recording of the workshop is available below: