Improving SMEs Participation in ESA programmes
On 27 June 2008, the second workshop of the Space4SME1 project was held in Athens, Greece. The workshop was the opportunity to show some of the results yielded by a major study conducted by the project, and to enable representatives of industry, trade associations and other space actors from ESA member states to discuss and identify possible solutions to smooth away some of the obstacles facing Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.
A Space4SME workshop was also held in April 2008, in the Czech Republic. The focus on that occasion was on industries of the ESA PECS (Program for European Co-operating States).
As a complement to the objectives of the April 2008 workshop, the Athens workshop provided a means to reinforce dialogue with ESA PECS representatives, but to also provided a platform for exchange with new ESA member states.
Conducted from June 2007 to October 2008, Space4SME has been underpinned by a panel of SME space associations who, collectively, represent the majority of ESA member states. The prime objective has been to gather, analyse and assess perceptions, opinions, and experiences on how best to facilitate access by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises access to space-related business opportunities.
For further information about Space4SME:
AIPAS website
Contact : AIPAS, Dr. Silvia Ciccarelli
Phone : +39 06 68 69 222
e-mail : silvia.ciccarelli[@]aipas.it
_________________________________________________________ -1) Space4SME is a study commissioned by ESA to trade associations AIPAS and ASTOS, with the specified aims of better identifying and understanding difficulties encountered by SMEs in gaining access to space-related business, and proposing appropriate measures to overcome those difficulties.
