Building Europe’s Space Commercialisation Networks

The recently launched ScaleUp Book celebrates various pioneers advancing space commercialisation across Europe. It offers critical insights into the evolving space industry, emphasising entrepreneurship and the role of diversity in shaping Europe’s space future.  

The publication showcases the importance of ESA’s commercialisation networks, the ESA BICs, the ESA Technology Brokers, and the ESA Phi-LabNET, as the foundation for developing commercial solutions that help Europe keep abreast of the competition in the current space race. 

The teams behind the ESA BIC Network, which celebrated its 20th anniversary, and the ESA Technology Transfer Network, which celebrated its 35th anniversary, are recognised for their commitments and achievements, including valuable partners in Participating ESA Members States. Readers will also gain an overview of the creation and growth of the ESA Phi-LabNET, with insights into its diverse themes and teams.  

The ScaleUp book also celebrates the opening of ESA’s European Space Deep-Tech Innovation Centre (ESDI) in Switzerland. It highlights the importance of management education and intellectual property, particularly patents, for future growth. Inspirational stories from entrepreneurs and innovators, such as Lens R&D, Descartes Underwriting, The Exploration Company, and Aerospacelab, underscore the sector’s vibrancy. 

Through expert articles, the book highlights a path towards a sustainable financing ecosystem, where the most competitive, innovative, and beneficial entrepreneurs can secure the investment needed for long-term success. In particular, the ScaleUp Book details how initiatives like ESA Partnerships for Commercialisation (EPIC) and the ESA Marketplace are connecting hundreds of start-ups with critical resources, expertise, and networks to overcome barriers and drive Europe’s most innovative space ventures forward. 

With a forward-looking perspective, the ScaleUp book explores the coming in-orbit revolution and how cross-industry collaboration can drive technological breakthroughs and new business models in space. It highlights how start-ups leverage craftsmanship and expertise from other sectors to create unique space-grade components. 

We invite you to take a look: it is an inspiring showcase of what joint efforts across ESA Member States have achieved, and what lies ahead. 

Over 2000 European start-ups have now been successfully incubated through the ESA Business Incubation Centres (BICs) network. With 37 centres across 23 countries, the ESA BICs form Europe’s largest ecosystem dedicated to supporting space-related ventures.