A new year brings with it many exciting opportunities, not least the chance to take action and navigate the steps to launch your space business. We are pleased to share that the next selection round for ESA BIC Noordwijk has been announced! The deadline for applications is 17 April 2023. We don’t yet know what innovative ideas will be brought to the table, but we do know that – from the entrepreneur’s perspective – being well-prepared and starting the planning well in advance of the deadline can increase the likelihood of a successful application.
We have all been there. The start of the year crops up on us and we make resolutions – this is the year where we want to make that big change in our lives to make that idea (which we’ve been sitting on for a while) actually come to fruition – but then we see the deadline for submissions is a few months away and so we think we don’t need to do anything yet, right? Wrong! Taking action without delay is always the way to go.
Top tip to make sure 2023 is the year you get your space-related business off the ground? Start the preparations for your application early – and be sure to take up the opportunities offered by SBIC, whether that is having one-on-one chats with our team or by joining the free webinars – take all the invaluable advice you can.
Our current startups recommend taking action!
No matter what stage you are at – whether you want to validate your space business idea and bring it to market or get the push to finish a prototype that is already in the making – the ESA BIC programme will provide support as you advance your business model.
To inspire you to start prepping your business proposal now, don’t just take our word for it. Get insights from some of the current startups who have all gone through this process and are now successfully incubated at ESA BIC Noordwijk:
- Filippo Oggionni, Revolv: “Anyone actively working on a business idea can take this step. The earlier you get going, the better. Once you have an idea and a rough plan to execute it, you are ready for incubation. Don’t wait”
- Noura Hanna, Carble: “The world of startup innovation is exciting. My advice would be to make that leap and take that risk as an entrepreneur. To anyone: give yourself the chance to do what you want. It will feel good!”
- Rahul Sharma, Arceon: “Take the leap of faith and don’t wait for the right time to do things. Just do it. It’s a rewarding process. Whatever the outcome, you will go through some cycles which will teach you a lot for you as a person and as an entrepreneur.”
- Thomas Parry, Spherical: “Things will change more than you think they will; I thought I had a full plan but it’s always going to evolve…I wanted to take action and didn’t see the point of waiting.”
The message is clear: get going already! Head here to start the process.
What industries will be covered by the 2023 cohort?
We look forward to seeing if the trend continues towards more upstream commercialisation ideas – three quarters of the 2022 intake of current startups are focusing on satellite-related space assets. Discover more about the various industrial applications of startups at our ESA BIC, along with the 25+ other incubation centres in the network across Europe, by jumping to the ESA Commercialisation Gateway website.
Apply to ESA BIC Noordwijk
You can apply to 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 this application round and you could join our space community this spring.
JOIN OUR WEBINARS: We recommend joining the series of webinars in 2023 to get more information about our programme: register for the next webinar here.
Discover everything you need to know about the ESA BIC Noordwijk programme:
