Start-up opportunity for entrepreneurs

ESA’s Technology Transfer Programme Office (TTPO) has initiated its Business Incubation Centres (BICs) to work with and inspire entrepreneurs to turn space-connected business ideas into commercial start-ups companies.

At the centres the entrepreneurs are supported with technical expertise and business-development support.

At the end of 2017, 18 ESA BICs in 15 European countries support yearly 140 start-ups. More than 500 new start-ups have been fostered creating thousands of new jobs and boosted regional economies. Several more ESA BICs are under preparation.

Many examples are illustrated in the “Our Future in the Space Age” introducing ESA’s technology transfer programme and telling the stories of how some space technologies spin-offs have resulted in innovative applications and smart solutions for citizens on Earth.

Select the individual ESA BICs for information on the specific centre. 

Successful BIC entrepreneurs

Seven ESA BIC entrepreneurs present their companies, the concept and the operation of ESA's Business Incubation Centres, and how they have managed to get their businesses going thanks to the support they have received at the centres,

More about their experience here or select links on right navigation bar for the video interviews.

ESA offers business incubation at:

• ESA BIC Noordwijk located in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.
   
• ESA BIC Darmstadt located in Darmstadt, Germany.
   
• ESA BIC Lazio located in Rome, Italy.
   
• ESA BIC Bavaria located in Oberpfaffenhofen, Nürnberg, Berchtesgadener Land and Ottobrunn, Germany.
   
• ESA BIC Harwell located at Harwell in Oxfordshire, UK.
   
• ESA BIC Wallonie Redu located in Redu, Belgium.
   
• ESA BIC Flanders located in Geel and Mol, Belgium.
   
• ESA BIC Sud France located in Aquitaine, Midi-Pyrénées and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in the south of France.
   
• ESA BIC Barcelona in Spain.
   
• ESA BIC Portugal.
   
• ESA BIC Madrid Region in Spain.
   
• ESA BIC Sweden.
   
• ESA BIC Prague in Czech Republic.
   
• ESA BIC Austria.
   
• ESA BIC Ireland.
   
• ESA BIC Switzerland.
   
• ESA BIC Estonia.
   
• ESA BIC Finland.
   

ESA BICs: How to apply

ESA Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs) have open calls for proposals, which means that applications can be submitted at any time.

Procedures and detailes are specific for each centre, and include both the Call for Proposal and a Proposal Template to be used. National and site conditions specific for each centre is also specified.

For more information, please visit the pages for the specific ESA BICs. 

 
ESA BIC contact person: Bruno Naulais

To know more on ESA's business incubation, please contact:

• Bruno Naulais, European Space Incubators Network Manager, at bruno.naulais@esa.int
• ESA Technology Transfer Program Office, at ttp@esa.int

or contact directly one of our ESA Business Incubator Centres.