The Bremen Space Academy held 19-20 November 2019 was a great success. Following a call for startups during the summer, the evaluation committee selected 10 high quality startups to benefit from the personalised services provided by the SpaceUp experts.
This process began with the companies being in contact with the experts (on key topics such as business development, IPR, funding and more) and following discussions each company received 4 personalised feasibility studies. The companies were invited to attend the Space Academy where they join other space tech entrepreneurs in an intensive day of workshops, and got to meet the SpaceUp experts in person, each company benefitting from 6 one-to-one sessions.
The second day of the Space Academy on this occasion was embedded in the large Space Tech Expo event with hundreds of participants and where a panel discussion with VCs and investment experts went over the difficulties companies face in getting funding and how to best address these, the promise of ‘New Space’, how it affects the conventional space ecosystem, and how New Space organisations can be integrated into more conventional ones. The selected SpaceUp companies were then given the chance to pitch to the space tech audience followed by Q&A with the investors and experts.
We look forward to the next Space Academy in Rome, 25-26 March. Call for applications for start-ups and entrepreneurs closes on 12th January! 

The period for submitting applications to receive high-level services for the Space Academy in Bremen has now closed, and we are delighted to share that 51 applications were received from 15 countries.
These applications will now be reviewed by the dedicated SpaceUp Evaluation Committee and successful applicants will be contacted in due course to engage in communication with SpaceUp experts. The customized services provided to the selected companies commence prior to the Space Academy. During the event itself they will have the chance to have one-to-one sessions and consults with experts, in addition to the general workshops.
All of this is back-to-back to the Space Tech Expo Europe. Participation is free for this event and anyone interested can register for the Space Tech Expo and complete this form to attend the Space Academy general workshops (open to all entrepreneurs) up until 18th October.

On 3-4 June the H2020 project SpaceUp launched the first of six ‘Space Academies’, organised by EBAN (European Business Angel Network) in Helsinki, Finland. The Space Academy was a culmination of prior activities, stemming from a Call for space entrepreneurs interested in benefiting from SpaceUp’s expertise and looking to scale up and mature their business.
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The Space Academy gave selected startups the opportunity to participate in insightful sessions on a range of topics given by experts in the sectors. Ranging from how to become investment ready or getting tips on how to succeed in your crowd-funding campaign, to analysing business models, the use of robotics and AI in space applications, to proposal writing (either targeted towards getting European funds or in approaching ESA), these sessions provided entrepreneurs with key tips to be progressing, each in their own field.

As part of the customised services SpaceUp provides, the 10 high level startups, as selected by the independent evaluation committee, were able to have one-to-one meetings with experts on a number of crucial matters, such as going over HR needs solutions, access to finance, or examining cross-technology solutions from space to non-space. All of this was in addition to this Space Academy forming part of the EBAN congress, meaning that the startups were interacting and pitching to an audience of investors and business angels, eager to hear more about the latest in space tech.

Over 500 people attended the international EBAN Helsinki event, with more than 40 delegates participating in the interactive Space Academy sessions and 10 startups selected to get customised services from Space experts and investors.
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The next Space Academy will take place on 18-19 November in Bremen, with the Call for space tech entrepreneurs to open shortly. See www.space-academy.eu for more details and to apply.

Following the successful Space Academy in Helsinki, the SpaceUp project consortium was already keen to move forward with plans for the next Space Academy, to be held in Bremen (18th – 19th November). The partners met in order to review the activities and actions carried out relating to the Helsinki event and discussed ideas and suggestions for the next Space Academy.

The consortium also took the opportunity to go over various administrative matters and discuss progress and new developments in the project.
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SpaceUp partners gained a lot from the Space Academy as well as the space tech participants and the Bremen Space Academy is already an event to be looking forward to.

The Call is now officially closed for applications to join the Space Academy in Helsinki, Finland.
The designated evaluation committee is carrying out their analysis and all applicants will be duly contacted once the final assessment has been completed.

This first Space Academy, held on 3 rd - 4 th June 2019 will be a two-day intensive event, with opportunities for networking and interaction, as well as receiving insight and advice from experts. SpaceUp will be offering selected start-ups an additional range of customised coaching services and advice prior to meeting the experts at the event, supporting them on their road to success.

As well as providing space-specific commercial and technical assistance, experts will also help start-ups to see where or how to apply space technology to non-space industrial, scientific and commercial fields, and vice-versa.

The Space Acdemy will be hosted by SpaceUp project partner EBAN - European Business Angel Network – and is held in parallel with their Annual Congress, is one of Europe’s largest and most international business angel events.

For more information about this Space Academy contact info@space-academy.eu and keep an eye out on this page for more details coming soon on to how to apply for the next Space Academy, to be held in Bremen in November.

On 12th February 2019, the Space Up consortium team joined the EU funded project Astropreneurs in Brussels, where both projects signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) – a formal agreement to establish an official partnership and formalise the relationship between the two H2020 projects promoting space tech based companies and assisting them on their journey of growth and development.

Astropreneurs’ objectives are to turn space-related ideas into viable businesses and promote opportunities for entrepreneurs coming from both space-related and non- space related sectors.

Their aim is to support these by mentoring them on business and technical needs, helping them to access private and public funding and also to overcome the financial, administrative and networking barriers that may be preventing them from higher accomplishments in the commercial phases.

SpaceUp looks forward to collaborating closely with this sister project in the coming months.

SpaceUp aims at giving Europe's innovative start-ups in the space sector the opportunity to scale up and become world leading companies. In June 2018, the kick-off meeting for SpaceUp took place, hosted by project leaders Aviaspace Bremen (Germany).

SpaceUp, with 10 consortium members from 5 different European countries and two Europe-wide business organisations will work together to promote and encourage technology transfer, networking, outreach and matchmaking with business angels, crowd funders, investors, human resource specialists and CEOs from corporates, organising six European Space Academies throughout the project lifetime. The project will establish best practice recommendations for start-ups and SMEs, and will explore the sustainability of offering other space academies.  
 
The initial meeting reviewed and consolidated the project plans for the future as well as establishing the next steps, which will soon include inviting start-ups to apply for the SpaceUp coaching services and to attend the Space Academies across Europe, where they will be offered access to expertise and customised one-to-one coaching, fast-tracking them on the road to maturity. ​