Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SUN (Space hUbs Network)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-01-01 bis 2023-03-31
SUN (Space hUbs Network) aimed to increase the commercialization of space enabled solutions and growth of European start-ups and scale-ups in space downstream and upstream sectors by implementing a multi-dimensional concept. To increase the number of space applications being developed as well as involve SMEs into space sector, project organized 4 Hackathons and 10 Roadshow events for SMEs (attended by 760 participants). In order to complement (instead of competing with) existing European initiatives, these events targeted stakeholders of specific industries that can mostly benefit from space technologies, for example, telecom, mobility, agriculture. Additionally, space entrepreneurs (at pre-startup stage), start-ups and scale-ups received an opportunity to participate in mentorship programmes. During SUN, 3 types of mentorship programmes based on each participant's IRL & TRL level were implemented: pre-incubation, pre-acceleration and post-acceleration. Main goal the following programmes was to help startups advance their IRL and get access to finance. SUN also conducted extensive ecosystem mapping, aiming to build bridges among current local and international initiatives supporting space start-ups and scale-ups. SUN further complemented existing initiatives by matching them with space entrepreneurs.
SUN consortium has been formed to involve organizations specializing in space technologies and applications, incubation and business support, technical support, start-ups and community building. Project activities took place in 6 countries (Austria, Ireland, France, Lithuania, Poland, Romania) targeting start-ups and scale-ups on pan-European level.
SUN consortium has been formed to involve organizations specializing in space technologies and applications, incubation and business support, technical support, start-ups and community building. Project activities took place in 6 countries (Austria, Ireland, France, Lithuania, Poland, Romania) targeting start-ups and scale-ups on pan-European level.
Throughout the project's lifecycle of 27 months, SUN executed multi-level support initiatives to: increase the applications of space upstream and downstream technologies, support the individual needs of entrepreneurs and startups by implementing 1-on-1 mentorship programmes, handover entrepreneurs to to the follow-up support initiatives such as acceleration or incubation programmes.
During a comprehensive ecosystem mapping activity, the project successfully identified 564 stakeholders, forging partnerships with 33 organizations to support the implementation of SUN finding gaps in existing services and fostering the connection of local and international space initiatives. A common Needs Assessment Questionnaire has been established to better understand the needs and provide corresponding support to Pre-Incubation, Pre-Acceleration, and Post-Acceleration programmes participants. Following the identified needs of the participants 25 startups were matched and 20 were accepted to follow-up initiatives (incubators, accelerators) offering support after the end of the project.
The project continuously engaged entrepreneurs and SMEs in space innovation aiming to increase the applications of space downstream and upstream technologies by organizing 4 international hackathons attracting 126 participants and forming 29 teams to resolve challenges by applying satellite data. 10 roadshow events were organized attracting 760 participants from various domains to build awareness on a variety of space applications. To further spread the awareness SUN partners took an active part in 15 hackathons and 15 industry events conducting 4 workshops and presenting 5 startup stories.
To encourage the creation of new startups, prepare established start-ups for follow-up acceleration programmes and increase scale-up investment readiness as well as access to finance 3 support programmes were implemented: Pre-Incubation, Pre-Acceleration and Post-Acceleration. Overall, 77 European space start-ups and scale-ups took part in tailored SUN mentoring programmes, with 36 benefiting from Pre-Incubation, 29 from Pre-Acceleratio and 12 from Post-Acceleration support. Through the SUN programmes startups received 1326 hours of mentoring support from qualified experts, and participated in accelerator and investor matchmaking activities. As a result, startups managed to:
• Increase their TRL by 1 level on average
• Increase IRL by 1.5 levels on average
• 6 entrepreneurs established startups
• 20 startups attracted funding totalling 7.9 M
• Hire 41 new employees
To ensure the sustainability of the project SUN consortium has identified key exploitable assets including a project blueprint, knowledge of space commercialization, a policy review document (SUN Position Paper), a start-up portfolio, created synergies, SUN LinkedIn group, social media accounts, SUN website which will continue to be utilized after the end of the project. All of the above-mentioned assets are offered on a freemium basis to the groups of interest. The consortium has already started and will continue to promote the established results through events, social media promotion, and existing synergies on a group and individual basis.
During a comprehensive ecosystem mapping activity, the project successfully identified 564 stakeholders, forging partnerships with 33 organizations to support the implementation of SUN finding gaps in existing services and fostering the connection of local and international space initiatives. A common Needs Assessment Questionnaire has been established to better understand the needs and provide corresponding support to Pre-Incubation, Pre-Acceleration, and Post-Acceleration programmes participants. Following the identified needs of the participants 25 startups were matched and 20 were accepted to follow-up initiatives (incubators, accelerators) offering support after the end of the project.
The project continuously engaged entrepreneurs and SMEs in space innovation aiming to increase the applications of space downstream and upstream technologies by organizing 4 international hackathons attracting 126 participants and forming 29 teams to resolve challenges by applying satellite data. 10 roadshow events were organized attracting 760 participants from various domains to build awareness on a variety of space applications. To further spread the awareness SUN partners took an active part in 15 hackathons and 15 industry events conducting 4 workshops and presenting 5 startup stories.
To encourage the creation of new startups, prepare established start-ups for follow-up acceleration programmes and increase scale-up investment readiness as well as access to finance 3 support programmes were implemented: Pre-Incubation, Pre-Acceleration and Post-Acceleration. Overall, 77 European space start-ups and scale-ups took part in tailored SUN mentoring programmes, with 36 benefiting from Pre-Incubation, 29 from Pre-Acceleratio and 12 from Post-Acceleration support. Through the SUN programmes startups received 1326 hours of mentoring support from qualified experts, and participated in accelerator and investor matchmaking activities. As a result, startups managed to:
• Increase their TRL by 1 level on average
• Increase IRL by 1.5 levels on average
• 6 entrepreneurs established startups
• 20 startups attracted funding totalling 7.9 M
• Hire 41 new employees
To ensure the sustainability of the project SUN consortium has identified key exploitable assets including a project blueprint, knowledge of space commercialization, a policy review document (SUN Position Paper), a start-up portfolio, created synergies, SUN LinkedIn group, social media accounts, SUN website which will continue to be utilized after the end of the project. All of the above-mentioned assets are offered on a freemium basis to the groups of interest. The consortium has already started and will continue to promote the established results through events, social media promotion, and existing synergies on a group and individual basis.
SUN project has contributed to the increase in commercialisation of space solutions and the growth of the EU startups and scale-ups further supporting existing European-level initiatives. Mapping efforts helped to aid space community-building actions by facilitating connections of stakeholders and initiatives at the European level for start-up support. The organization of the hackathons enabled to boost awareness-building efforts and encouraged the application of space data, information, resources and tools in allowing to build the pipeline for the upcoming space solutions. Roadshows provided an opportunity to engage SMEs and a wider public showcasing the opportunities available in the space industry through upstream and downstream applications as well as financing options. SUN tailored 1-1 mentoring programmes dedicated to the startups at their specific maturity stage helped to increase the survival rate of startups and increase the number of existing space applications. Matchmaking efforts helped to ensure that support provided to entrepreneurs is a continuous group effort expanding well beyond the end of the project. Knowledge on space commercialization and the key challenges that space start-ups are facing was incorporated into the SUN Position Paper providing recommendations to policymakers on making changes and improving the current landscape for space startups to enable better support mechanisms for the future.