The Technology Transfer Programme Office (TTPO) seeks entrepreneurs with innovative ideas for using space technologies or developing applications, to create new products and services in a non-space environment.

ESA’s Business Incubation Centres (BICs), initiated by ESA's Technology Transfer Programme Office (TTPO), work to inspire entrepreneurs to turn space-connected business ideas into commercial companies, and provide technical expertise and business-development support.

Our Business Incubation Centres across European countries support selected entrepreneurs with comprehensive commercial and technical assistance to help them start up businesses that apply space technology to non-space industrial, scientific and commercial fields.

ESA BICs help to create viable businesses and new jobs by providing support to more than 75 companies every year in Europe, and more than 200 start-ups companies have received support to date.

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, and Berchtesgadener Land, Germany.
   
• ESA BIC Harwell located at Harwell in Oxfordshire, UK.
   
• ESA BIC 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 the France.
   
• ESA BIC Barcelona in Spain.
   
• ESA BIC Portugal opens 5 November 2014
   
• ESA BIC Prague to open shortly
   

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 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.