The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Coordinating and promoting development in terms of European space technology, while ensuring its investment are among the core principles of the agency.

Yet, how can space technology be transferred? ESA runs a Europe-wide space technology transfer initiative with the scientific and industrial world. Raising awareness and encouraging the potential of different industrial sectors within space projects lie at the heart of the initiative. This initiative supports spin-out and spin-in through the usage and exploitation of both know-how and scientific results gained in space realm by companies, research institutes and other players.

For technology recipients, the use of existing space know-how generally leads to the development of new products more quickly and economically than in-house development. As an example, SMEs, which may be affected by a limited in-house R&D, can gain advantages and competitiveness through access to advanced space technologies, thus fostering their market presence.

On the other side, the exploitation of technologies developed for industrial applications can be cost-effectively integrated in space systems for future missions, thus fostering spin-in opportunities.

The success of this initiative is already witnessed by more than 250 successful collaborations. In Italy, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) plays a key role in promoting such relevant technology transfer initiative by supporting this programme through the subscription of the SCALE-UP Element 1 (INNOVATE). The final goal is to support the Italian eco-system in turning great ideas into commercial reality by promoting the innovation process to develop space products or services, particularly in the upstream space area and turn space technologies into commercial opportunities on-ground and vice versa.