ESA is collaborating with Siemens Digital Industries Software through the ESA Partnership Initiative for Commercialisation (EPIC), strengthening support for European space related startups and scaleups.
Through this partnership, Siemens will contribute advanced digital engineering solutions to ESA supported ventures, with particular emphasis on the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of software.
Geraldine Naja, ESA’s Director of Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness, welcomed the partnership:
“We welcome Siemens’ participation in the EPIC initiative and look forward to the value their technology and expertise will bring to our startup ecosystem. This collaboration aligns with our mission to foster innovation and support the growth of high-potential startups across Europe.”
Strengthening ESA’s Support for European Startups
The collaboration builds on the foundation offered by the ESA Business Incubation Centres (BICs), which operate 37 centres across Europe and form the continent’s largest network of space focused incubators, having supported more than two thousand startups to date.
Siemens will provide a dedicated Incubator Programme Offer for companies emerging from the ESA BICs as well as ventures supported by ESA Technology Brokers and the ESA Phi-LabNET. This offer will allow entrepreneurs to work with industry-leading tools for design, modelling and simulation, supporting enhanced engineering capability and faster development cycles.
The Siemens Xcelerator portfolio will be made accessible through Siemens’ startup licensing scheme, enabling early-stage companies to use sophisticated digital technologies from the outset of their growth.
“Siemens’ engagement in the EPIC initiative brings highly practical value to the entrepreneurs in our Commercialisation networks” said Philip Thomas, Head of the ScaleUp Programme Division, within the ESA Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness Directorate. “Access to advanced digital engineering tools, combined with Siemens’ technical expertise, will help our startups shorten development cycles and better prepare their solutions for commercial markets. This is the kind of collaboration that accelerates real, tangible progress for space‑enabled businesses across Europe.”
Cedrik Neike, CEO of Digital Industries and Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG, commented on the partnership:
“As a leading provider of software for space initiatives, supporting emerging startups through our collaboration with the ESA is part of Siemens’ DNA. Europe does not lack ideas in space. It needs runways to take off at scale. Together with ESA, we are shaping the future of spaceflight: we help startups scale faster and bring their technologies into industrial use. This strengthens Europe’s competitiveness and technological sovereignty in the space industry.”
Joana Kamenova, Commercialisation Officer and EPIC lead at ESA (left) and Yona Baskharoun, Global Industry Manager for SMB, Partners & Academia – Simulation & Test, Siemens Digital Industries Software (right) at the collaboration’s kick-off meeting in ESA ECSAT site.
Accelerating Europe’s Commercial Space Ambitions
EPIC is designed to extend ESA’s support beyond technical guidance and incubation, enabling companies to benefit from strategic partnerships with leading industry players. Siemens’ participation reinforces ESA’s goal of building strong links between space innovators and established technology providers.
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