ESA BIC Bavaria: 60 more start-ups will be funded
ESA is extending its successful collaboration with German AZO for its ESA BIC Bavaria. €1.5million has been raised to foster 60 new start-ups in Bavaria.
Every idea shall get a chance to be turned into viable businesses. Many impressive new companies have already been nurtured at ESA BIC Bavaria into successful and fast growing businesses. With the extension 60 more will now be created.
Start-up Lilium raised €103million for the development of their fully electric four-seater aircraft. Their Vertical Take–Off and Landing (VTOL) jet has already completed successfully flight tests and is on its way to revolutionise the mobility sector.
Start-up Mynaric had their IPO raising nearly €50million for their manufacturing of high data rate laser communication technologies establishing long-distance wireless communication between aircraft, drones/UAVs, satellites and the ground. This year their advanced technology and Mynaric was inducted in the Space Foundation`s “Space Technology Hall of Fame”.
Start-up Blackwave now produces highly complex carbon fibre reinforced thermosets components by the advanced carbon Sheet Moulding Compound (SMC) process, components not possible to make with conventional carbon fibre manufacturing processes. Low cycle time combined with a high degree of automation has resulted in a very economical production of lightweight components for high-performance applications.
15 more space start-ups each year
From now until the end of 2021, ESA Business Incubation Centre (BIC) Bavaria will support a further 60 space technology start-ups together with its partners ESA, DLR, Airbus, Fraunhofer, Kreissparkasse and the Free State of Bavaria.
The agreement was signed 4 May 2018 by ESA Director General Prof Johann-Dietrich Wörner and Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen (AZO) CEO Thorsten Rudolph.
“Progress and economic growth are driven forward thanks to support for start-ups that develop new business ideas based on space technologies,” said Johann-Dietrich Wörner at the signature ceremony.
“With our technology transfer programmes and the ESA BICs, we support clever minds who have an idea and develop this to market maturity.”
“I am delighted that we have been able to establish such a successful business incubator thanks to the collaboration with ESA, the state of Bavaria and our partners,” said Thorsten Rudolph.
“We now need to continue pursuing these successes together. This means further developing our sites and promoting new start-ups, which develop new ideas and products based on space technologies that make our lives on Earth simpler, more convenient and safer.”
Also the Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs Franz-Josef Pschierer participated to the ceremony, together with Dr Walther Pelzer (Member of the Executive Board at DLR Space Administration), Dr Franziska Zeitler (DLR Space Administration Innovation & New Markets), Dr Rolf-Dieter Fischer (Director of DLR Technology Marketing), Dr Michael Mittnacht (Airbus D&S), Dr Günter Rohmer (Coordinator of the Fraunhofer site in Nuremberg) and the Deputy Chair of KSK München Starnberg Ebersberg.
200 new start-ups in Bavaria
ESA BIC Bavaria opened in 2009, initially named ESA BIC Oberpfaffenhofen, and today operates at three sites in Oberpfaffenhofen, Nuremberg and Ottobrunn.
Start-ups hosted at the centre highly benefit from the direct access to space technologies, expert advice and technical facilities. The incubation programme provides a comprehensive support programme, from financing to research and development, all the way through to market entry.
Together with its partners ESA BIC Bavaria has supported 96 start-ups to date. These together with another 40+ start-ups supported by AZO business incubation centre prior to becoming an ESA BIC in 2009 have in 2016 generated an annual turnover of around €150 million. This has resulted in more than 1,800 new high-tech jobs in Bavaria.
With the new extension the centre will in 2021 have created over 200 new companies in the German state of Bavaria.
ESA Business Incubation Centres
ESA BIC Bavaria is part of the ESA Business Incubation Centres´ network of 18 centres in 15 European countries, operated under ESA´s Technology Transfer Programme and Business Incubation.
The ESA BIC network is the world’s largest ecosystem for space related entrepreneurship and supports 160 companies per year. More than 600 new start-ups have so far been fostered.
