Gravity Gardens has raised 2.6 million euros in funding in a round supported by VP Capital, Brightlands Venture Partners and Graduate Ventures alongside a group of private investors, and follows earlier backing from StartLife and a Rabobank Innovation Loan. The ESA BIC incubatee develops a novel seed activation technology.
A thematic technology transfer challenge is open from Netherlands Enabling Water Technology. Dutch startups and spin-offs not yet having significant commercial revenue can enter by 31 October. SBIC community partner Deltares is a lead partner in the consortium.
The summer of 2026 has brought renewed heatwaves and temperatures above 40 °C in southern Europe. As reported by EUSPA, Copernicus Sentinel-3 data show how space-based observations support decisions on extreme heat and climate resilience.
Airbus Netherlands will build an optical ground station for Eagle-1 near to SBIC Noordwijk on NL Space Campus. The project is a European collaboration between satellite operator SES, ESA and the European Commission. An unveiling ceremony took place at the location on 14 July.
Mid-July saw the publication of ESA’s Report on the Space Economy 2026, The document provides an annual update on the status and trends of the space economy, both globally and on the position of Europe specifically. Download the full report via the ESA Space Economy Portal.
ESA BIC incubatees and participants of ESA Phi-Lab NL visited the technical labs of ESA ESTEC to get insights of the innovative research on space tech to be used on ESA’s missions. Representatives from ESA and NLSA also joined the lab tour.