Exploiting space for the Czech Republic

ESA Director General Johann-Dietrich Woerner welcomed this new “member of our Europe-wide initiative to spin off space technology to terrestrial sectors – spin-offs that build on innovations to explore space and offer smarter, better and more efficient solutions here on Earth to improve the quality of life.”

“We promote progress and growth across Europe by making our knowledge and technology available to be used beyond space, and we are happy that the Czech Republic joins with this new centre.

“Through ESA’s Technology Transfer Programme with its Business Incubation Centres we have already helped to create over 400 new companies in Europe, by spinning off Europe’s investments in space research and development and making them available to entrepreneurs.”

Over the next five years, 25 Czech start-up companies will be hosted to explore the use of space technologies for daily life. Housed at the Prague Startup Centre in the historical Palác Adria, the incubator is co-financed by the City of Prague and ESA.

“We consider support for start-up companies to be very important, especially when it involves the use of complicated space technologies,” said Adriana Krnáčová, Mayor of Prague. 

“This incubator is a unique opportunity for Prague entities, because it will help them to obtain financial resources as well as expert consulting and to start doing business based on these technologies.” 

“We’ve been collaborating with CzechInvest on this prestigious project since the beginning. The Prague space incubator is a major victory for everyone who understands the importance of the progress facilitated by use of space technologies,” added Minister of Industry and Trade Jan Mládek.

“This is the first such incubator in Central and Eastern Europe. I appreciate that we finished the project successfully and created a program that promotes entrepreneurial ideas and looks for the use of space technology in everyday life,” said Minister of Transport Dan Ťok.

“Aerospace brings new technologies and processes to innovate and other industrial areas. Practical applications can move forward the whole economy.”

The Prague incubator is managed by the business and investment development agency CzechInvest, set up by the Ministry of Industry and Trade to advise and support existing and new entrepreneurs and foreign investors in the Czech Republic. It brings more than 20 years of experience in fostering new businesses.

The partners in this project are the Ministry of Transport, Prague City Hall and the Ministry of Industry and Trade. ESA’s Technology Transfer Network will also support the incubator through its Czech broker.

Together with the Prague Startup Centre, the incubator will provide entrepreneurs with an ideal base for turning their ideas into viable companies.

Karel Kučera, CEO of CzechInvest, emphasised, “Thanks to the provided resources, completely new horizons will be opened to start-ups focused on space technologies. Prague will become a gateway to space.”

Started in 2003, the incubation initiative has now grown to 13 centres throughout Europe fostering hundreds of new companies with thousands of new high-tech jobs.

Three more centres will open later this year, raising the number of start-ups springing from ESA business centres to 130 every year.