The ESA’s incubator of new space economy in Finland

In 2017, the European Space Agency ESA, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and Aalto University signed a five-year agreement to open an ESA Business Incubation Centre (ESA BIC) in Finland, which will focus on space industry startups. 25 companies were incubated in the first six years of activity. The agreement was renewed with ESA and Aalto in 2024 and the target is to incubate 38 new space startups by 2030.

The aim of the incubator is to provide Finnish industry and companies a connection to the application of new space technology through the influencing channels and programmes of the European Space Agency. It also funds startups together with Business Finland. 

ESA BIC Finland is operating as part of Aalto University Startup Center in Otaniemi at Aalto University’s startup hub, A Grid. It works in collaboration with University of Vaasa, Business Tampere, and Business Turku, as well as the cities of Helsinki and Espoo. ESA BIC Finland has also established connections with corporate partners,

The space industry is a rapidly developing industry around the world, and much has also happened in Finland in recent years. The New Space Economy, meaning small-sized series produced satellites that will be launched to low altitude orbit, has brought new companies to the space market. Finland has already generated strong and reliable expertise in the manufacturing of small satellites and the services they provide.

The aim of the space incubator is to provide Finnish industry and companies a connection to the application of new space technology through the influencing channels and programmes of the European Space Agency.

Finland's goal is to significantly increase the turnover of new business generated through space technology, and the ESA BIC Finland strongly supports this goal. 

The aim of the new space applications is to find solutions for issues such as Arctic telecommunications, positioning, shipping operations and environmental control. Services are intended to be scalable and applicable, for example, as solutions to global problems.
    
Finnish companies and research institutes have high-quality reliable expertise that can be used to achieve the incubator's goal of helping space companies in cooperation with research organisations and companies in the field. The incubator is strengthening our links to the ESA and, in addition to our startup activities, it will also support research and teaching in Finland.

Applications can be submitted to the ESA BIC Finland incubator by all Finnish companies that were established less than five years ago and which have innovative technology for the space industry or use space data or technology in their operations. 

The target is to incubate ten space sector companies each year. 

Read more on ESA-BIC's activities!