Space System Integrators and Small Medium-sized Enterprises meet at 'Industry Space Days'

This initiative, organised by ESA, fosters exchanges between space Agencies, established space groups and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). In particular, it encourages SMEs to take a more active part in the European space programmes, explaining to them how to do business with ESA.

The first Industry Space Days (ISD) were organised in May 1999. In the wake of the success of the previous editions, the ISD 2001, a "must-do" forum for Industries, gathers all the European players in the space sector and gives them the occasion to generate tomorrow’s business opportunities and industrial strategies for the sector. More than 500 participants representing over 300 European and Canadian companies are scheduled to attend the ISD 2001.

This year, the ISD 2001 proposes a whole range of conferences tailored to inform SMEs and train them in different areas related to space requirements and best practices for successful business in general. ESA programmes and their relatedbusiness opportunities, as well as the business opportunities within National Agencies and some of the large Space groups such as Astrium, Alenia, etc. will also be presented.

At the Space Days, SMEs are given the opportunity to lead thematic workshops on subjects of interest to their business and to present, also by means of exhibition material, technological solutions or processes in which they are experts. Pre-arranged meetings will also be held between SMEs, larger groups' decision makers and representatives from space Agencies, to allow them to present their capabilities and special expertise and to allow larger industrial groups to identify innovative skills in European high-tech SMEs and discuss partnership opportunities with them.

The key objectives pursued by ESA through this event are:

• Fostering innovation: The exchange between SMEs active in different fields of high technology, the large space groups and the different space Agencies
• facilitate further opening of the European space industry to innovative ideas and technologies developed in other fields.
• Fostering competitiveness: Discovery and use of skilled SMEs will help space industries to enhance their competitiveness because this category of industry is flexible and very adaptable.
• Diversification and new markets: Industry Space Days help SMEs to diversify, initiate new co-operations and find new customers for their products and services.
• Benchmarking and discussions: ISD provide the different categories of industry with the opportunity to express their views, to compare their approaches to their industrial challenges and to exchange new ideas and solutions.

Media representatives are invited to participate in the morning sessions of the opening day (Wednesday 9 May - 10:00-12:45). ESA’s Director General, Antonio Rodotà, and ESA’s Director of Industrial Matters and Technology Programmes Hans Kappler, will be among the speakers at the opening session . A lunch will be arranged for the Media attending the event with ESA and industry representatives, who will be available for interviews afterwards.