SpaceUp project gets glowing review from Commission

 The European Commission has recently returned its feedback to the SpaceUp consortium regarding the last two years of the project. This report aims to give an overall assessment of the project’s success as well as constructive criticism on how to improve its outputs. In the case of SpaceUp, the report is incredibly positive.
 
One area of strength highlighted is the way in which the project adapted to the impact of COVID-19. Originally five in-person Space Academies were planned but the pandemic soon put a stop to this, with one fully virtual and another a hybrid event. Despite this, huge efforts were made to ensure the Academies would be of huge use to attendees, something the Commission noticed. These Academies were in fact viewed as bigger successes than previous ones, with the way in which lessons were learnt from one event to the next receiving praise.
 
Also highlighted was the role of the project in contributing towards European policy objectives and strategies. The Space Programme of the European Union, adopted in 2021, aims to encourage a dynamic, innovative and resilient European space ecosystem, and SpaceUp’s role in supporting this was noted in the report. The support in scaling up startups and encouraging technology transfer was underlined, as was the way the project “more generally contributes to the European economic growth”.
 
Although it is not easy to quantify the impact of the project, the Commission observed its success in encouraging investment in startups. A considerable number of interviewed investors shared that they were interested in partnering with or investing in SpaceUp selected startups, which was viewed as “a remarkable impact”. Unfortunately, not all Space Academies attendees gave feedback so there is no way to be sure exactly how many accessed funding opportunities, but the Commission is delighted with the impact all the same.
 
The impact of the project will continute into the future thanks to the opportunities for growth and collaboration that came out of the Space Academies, as well as the knowledge gained from them. Ultimately, the Commission says that “the project can be considered as fully successful”. The project consortium are delighted with the feedback and look forward to continuing to support the European space ecosystem into the future. 

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