The Dutch location of European Space Agency’s business incubation centres (ESA BICs) is home to the unique incubator of ESA BIC Noordwijk. It is situated at the heart of the space ecosystem in the Netherlands – and it is connected to the wider network of 32 ESA BICs. This unique network has delivered significant socioeconomic benefits, solidifying Europe’s position as a global leader in space-related innovation. You too can tap into that inspiring community of entrepreneurs. Join our info sessions to find out how. In this post, we share three things what startups applying to the ESA BIC programme can expect. Apply by the spring selection deadline of 6 March.
ESA’s Dutch business incubation programme is calling for applications from anyone with an innovative and validated business idea based on space technology or data. ESA BIC Noordwijk can exclusively claim that it was the very first incubator of the wider network to be established. Not only that, it also has the unique benefit of being located in the vicinity of ESA’s biggest R&D facility, ESTEC (the European Space Research and Technology Centre). If you apply to participate in the programme, you can undoubtedly expect – and benefit from – invaluable proximity to cutting-edge space research and access to expertise from the community of startups, partners and coaches that support all incubatees at ESA BIC Noordwijk. Read on to find out about three things you can expect when applying to our programme.
1. Discover your space at ESA BIC
First things first, at our incubator, you can expect to discover your place within our ecosystem as you receive all the info you need for launching your space business. ESA BIC Noordwijk offers technical, business and financial support to startups that use space technology for terrestrial applications or are developing a product or service for the space industry.
It you are based in the Netherlands, then this is the ESA BIC for you. The ESA BIC network was first established to empower entrepreneurship and to allow local economies to benefit from space data and technologies. The Dutch incubator, the first in the network, was officially founded at ESA/ESTEC in 2004 and SBIC Noordwijk has been managing the programme since 2011. Find out more about the steps to joining our ESA BIC ecosystem here.
2. Tap into the expertise of our community
You can also expect to benefit from being able to tap into unbounded expertise. We have a vast network of partners and community of startups, including alumni and incubatees, plus coaches and experts in the space tech business – many of whom started here at ESA BIC Noordwijk. Discover more about all of these knowledgeable collaborators in our community among the various pages of this website. We hope you will soon see how we offer comprehensive resources that enable your business to realise its full potential. Our ESA BIC community includes:
- CURRENT INCUBATEES
As of the start of 2025, ESA BIC Noordwijk is home to eleven incubated companies developing and launching their space related solutions. That number is sure to increase in the coming months, with our upcoming selection deadline.
We also hope to see some more startups that were selected in the fall 2024 selection round sign contracts – maybe good to have a reasonable expectation about how long the process of setting up a “BV” company in the Netherlands might take some time (this is required before you can sign an ESA BIC contract). This month, we welcomed to the programme: OpenAtlas and Wyrm Engineering. Watch our socials for announcements of any new startups joining and get an overview of all current incubatees listed here.
- ALUMNI
The 2-year programme at ESA BIC, with startups beginning incubation at different moments throughout the year, means we have a constant flow of companies coming and going. In 2024, a total of seven startups successfully completed the programme. Good to know that once you graduate, you will still be connected to ESA BIC and will receive invitations to exclusive events.
There is also an option to become a technical partner – the most recent alumnus to join being Soilspect – and of course we hope you will want the vital connection of remaining as a community member. Since SBIC started managing ESA BIC, there have been over 100 startups that have received support. See all our alumni here.
- COACHES
The number of coaches signed up to support startups in their entrepreneurial journey is also increasing. They play a vital role in the business support that is provided to the incubatees throughout the programme. There are currently 16 experts in our coach pool, all from a very wide range of disciplines and each with unique experience.
The three most recent coaches to join include: Ufuk Gür, PhD (researcher at Delft Centre for Entrepreneurship at TU Delft); Marlex de Long (independent consultant in geospatial solutions); and René Olie (programme director for Space for Business at Rotterdam School of Management). Each of our ESA BIC startups gets matched to a dedicated coach for support. Every semester they change coach for a new perspective on their business. See all the coaches here.
3. Emphasise your validated space link of your idea
Finally, you can expect to be grilled about your business idea’s space connection in the application process. So, before applying, make sure you have a validated space link. One thing is certain for the ESA BIC programme, you need to make sure the space connection of your business proposal is crystal clear. In some cases, it can be evident what the space link is, especially for those entrepreneurs concentrating on upstream technologies or offering technology transfer innovations. However, for anyone building a business accessing everything that satellites are capable of achieving and looking to use space assets or resources for the development of downstream terrestrial applications, then just stating you will be “using Earth observation data” or “using satellite navigation” just doesn’t cut it. Discover more here.
Please take note: If you are using satellite data in your innovation, you also cannot simply just collect thee data. You need to be carrying out innovative processing to add that extra something to your product. If you are creating an upstream product or service, you must first contact NSO. Discover more by clicking the visual above.
Attend the info sessions & webinars for application tips: register via here
APPLY TO ESA BIC NOORDWIJK
You can apply to the Dutch business incubation programme of the European Space Agency, ESA BIC Noordwijk, if you are an entrepreneur or startup. The programme gives you the best chance of developing your space business idea via a well-established network and community in the heart of the Dutch space industry. You need to be resident in the Netherlands, with a company that is not yet founded or not older than 5 years. Then, the rest is up to you. Share your business proposal in the next application round and you could be joining our space community soon. Follow the pre-steps before submitting your application by one of the two selection deadlines per year. Join for the next webinar to find out more. esa-bic.nl
Prepare your space business idea for lift off!
Discover everything you need to know about the ESA BIC Noordwijk programme.
See also:
Inside the ESA BIC community: What we expect from our startups and why
