Space business support from SBIC Noordwijk

The team at SBIC Noordwijk is on hand to support your space business. The programme – or programmes – that you opt for depends on your current situation. Firstly, to join any programmes in our community, you need that all important space connection. Then, your first port of call we would suggest is the Ignition Programme if you still need to validate your business. This means, in short, that you will check if there is demand for your service or product. We can help you to:

• Dive into the space link;
• Investigate if your solution is feasible; and
• Understand whether it makes sense financially.

This is done through the exclusive access you will receive to experts in the space industry. These connections await you at SBIC! The programme manager is Jacobo Domingo and if you have any questions, book a meeting as soon as possible via here.

At the forefront of this course is the product–market fit, go-to-market strategies and understanding of the needs of potential customers, as well as:

• Startup Mindset: Learn all the ins and outs of building a startup with an open mind in order to learn faster;
• Understand Your Value: Define a problem to tackle, see how others attempt to solve it, identify your unique value;
• Business Validation: Identify a market for your product, learn all the do’s and don’ts, define a revenue model.

Inspiration from previous pre-incubation cohorts

The pre-incubation course is supported by the European Space Agency and endorsed by the Netherlands Space Agency. In 2026, we are back to hosting not one but two Ignition Programme editions in the same year – one prior to the spring and the fall ESA BIC selection deadlines to help you prepare a successful application for incubation at ESA BIC Noordwijk.* The last time we had two editions in one year was in 2022, when Spherical Systems was one of the teams that graduated and then went straight on with all the knowledge that was learned to submit a successful application to ESA BIC that led to incubation by Sep 2022. Read about this particular success story here!

There have been many teams that took the successful path of pre-incubation as a step towards incubation – such as Ecosmic, Marmoris, Revolv Space and Soilspect. There is also the success story of one of the graduates of the spring 2026 edition – Earthexplorer – who is now a fully-fledged ESA BIC incubatee since the start of this month, with other graduates of that cohort preparing to apply by the fall ESA BIC deadline.

The course will refocus your mindset and bring your (potential) customers to the forefront:

• “The Ignition Programme helped us mature our idea into a promising business plan. It offered us validation and proof that we can have the desired impact” – Parya Pasha Zadeh, Marmoris
• “The most useful part of the Ignition Programme is the market validation workshop. When you’re very early stage, you’re still potentially assessing if you have a market and what your customers will really need” – Gaia Roncalli, Ecosmic
• “With so many years working as a business developer, one could think that formulating a startup is easy; it’s not. The Ignition Programme forced me to go out of my daily bubble and dive into the client’s user pains.” – Corné van der Sande, Earthexplorer

Encouragement from some recent Ignition graduates

For some of the spring Ignition graduates who still have ESA BIC in their sights and have already joined as SBIC community members, there was also positive feedback about the course:

• “The Ignition Programme is great, withe energetic mentors and a lot of support and motivation to keep iterating on the idea. It is a chance to focus and really dive into your startup.” – Bruno Endres Forlin, Tuentes
• “For anyone who wants to step into building the next era of space technology, SBIC is the place to be. I have never seen such clarity for building the next era of space tech from here in the Netherlands.”– Mohammad Umar, CaptioCorp

The culmination of the programme on the final day is a pitch competition where the teams can present all they have learned to an audience – and jury – this is a true highlight of the course. That and, of course, the pizza night that marks the official end of the programme. The winners of the spring 2026 edition of the Ignition Programme was won by Tuentes. Will it be your team that wins the next edition? You have to be in it to win it, so apply by 6 August!

GOOD TO KNOW:
1. The programme will be in English.
2. There is no application fee.
3. This is the last edition of the programme during 2026
4. The Friday training sessions will all be at SBIC Noordwijk

Before you apply, make sure to read all the terms and conditions (PDF) that you’ll need to agree to before participating.

*The pre-incubation course is not a requirement for applicants to ESA BIC Noordwijk; however, it is highly recommended.

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The next ESA Phi-Lab NL selection deadline will be in fall 2026!

The ESA Phi-Lab Netherlands is part of the European Space Agency’s Phi-Lab network that focuses on maturing technology in response to needs coming from the commercial world. Each Phi-Lab has themed focus areas and creates a sustainable ecosystem for innovation, providing comprehensive support to selected economic operators, including intellectual contributions and a range of services under one roof.

The Dutch Phi-Lab operates an open call for projects and the programme is run by NL Space Campus and SBIC Noordwijk, supported by Netherlands Space Agency and ESA Commercialisation Gateway, along with a dynamic community of partners from the Dutch space ecosystem.

Reducing aviation’s climate impact

This is not the first time Meandair has participated in an ESA commercialisation programme. The company graduated from ESA BIC Noordwijk in 2021 where it focused on developing technology for near-real-time weather forecasting, otherwise known as nowcasting (read the ESA BIC graduation interview). Its nowcasting technology is now a key part of the EO4Contrails project, which is ultimately focusing on predicting – and suggeting routes for planes to avoid – the weather conditions that can cause the contrails to form, thereby reducing climate impact. The trails of water in the form of ice crystals combined with tiny solid particles from burned jet fuel cause a net warming effect that is comparable to that of carbon dioxide emissions of aviation.

“The core focus is to reduce the harmful creation of contrails by operators in the aviation industry. These contrails are only formed when the atmosphere’s humidity and temperature meet certain conditions,” comments Peter Novak, co-founder of Meandair and principal investigator of the project. “We will provide the most up-to-date and accurate weather forecasts about the atmosphere available, so that these aviation operators can easily navigate around these control sensitive areas of the atmosphere.”

EO4Contrails by Meandair and NLR

The project is powered by space data, including satellite imagery and global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) radio occulation and aims to deliver a global, near real-time view of atmospheric conditions at cruising altitude – something not achievable with traditional approaches alone. It builds on Meandair’s Nowcasting Weather Engine and reflects a broader shift in aviation: tackling non-carbon dioxide climate effects with actionable, operational solutions.

Alongside Peter, the Meandair team includes Antonin Komenda (Meandair co-founder and technical lead), André Bos (project manager) and Filip Svabik (meteorologist), who knows how to model the atmosphere in such a way that accurate predictions of contrail-prone areas in real-time.

Research to real-world impact

Contrail mitigation can require dynamic strategies to reroute mid-flight based on prediction of where high-altitude contrail clouds are likely to form and persist. The validation of the nowcasted contrails and impact is carried out by the NLR team of David Engler Faleiros, Liesbeth Wijn and Lukas Söffing.

The teams are developing the EO4Contrails project to go from research to real-world impact in the coming months. Under development is a next-generation, real-time weather intelligence system that:

• Identifies ice-supersaturated regions where persistent contrails form
• Combines satellite data with advanced atmospheric models
• Enables smarter, dynamic flight routing decisions

CONTRAILS BACKGROUND: While most people associate aviation emissions with carbon dioxide, contrails can also significantly contribute to global warming. Contrails are the thin, white clouds often seen behind aircraft. Under certain atmospheric conditions, these contrails can persist and form cirrus clouds that trap heat in the atmosphere. Reducing their formation could therefore play an important role in making air travel more sustainable. Solutions like the EO4Contrails project could help airlines better understand and manage their environmental footprint. Discover more

Embedded in the space business community

On how he feels about joining the Phi-Lab programme, Peter says: “For us, it really is a great opportunity to get connected to the whole network belonging to the ESA Phi-Lab Netherlands community. This really makes it for us much easier to reach out to, for instance, a similar research institution abroad or to organise a workshop with our stakeholders.”

Since kicking-off the ESA Phi-Lab NL contract in March 2026, Peter has been back in the space business community at SBIC Noordwijk. Members of both the Meandair and the NLR teams have attended numerous events on campus, including taking the opportunity for cross-fertilisation among the entrepreneurs from two Dutch ESA commercialisation programmes, ESA BIC and ESA Phi-Lab on a tour of ESTEC (pictured below).

Contracted ESA Phi-Lab NL participants can join as an SBIC community member and play a key role in the space business community.

APPLY TO ESA PHI-LAB NETHERLANDS
ESA Phi-Lab Netherlands has a permanent open call for research project ideas in the areas of: Earth observation; positioning, navigation and timing; and secure (laser) satellite communication. The programme accelerates space-powered innovation for a safe and resilient society. Selected research projects will benefit from an innovation seed funding of €200K and receive extensive guidance, support and coaching from academic and commercial experts in their respective fields. Additionally, teams will have access to facilities, workspaces and a network of experts and partners. The collaboration between research institutions and the market segment can yield radical innovations and new, sustainable businesses. esaphilab.nl

Where research breeds innovation for emerging space market!

Discover everything you need to know about the ESA Phi-Lab NL programme.

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Space tech innovations

Around the same time as the team at ESA Technology was highlighting the innovative work of the bright researchers that are space-proofing ESA’s missions from inside the technical laboratories at ESA ESTEC, a delegation was making its way from SBIC to visit some of those very same labs, and hear about the ongoing research.

The tour was organised by Jacobo Domingo, the SBIC business development manager and programme manager of ESA’s only business incubator in the Netherlands. “It was a great chance for the teams of the two different ESA programmes to connect with each other, fostering cross-fertilisation within the commercialisation umbrella,” comments Jacobo. “Moreover, this allowed the entrepreneurs to discover the infrastructure of some of the labs within ESTEC, the people behind them and see some cool space tech in action!”

Development of space assets

One of the major benefits of ESA BIC Noordwijk’s location – along with all the facilities on the NL Space Campus – is being close to ESA’s biggest R&D facility, ESTEC. Despite the proximity, not all incubatees get the chance to step behind the walls of ESTEC except if taking advantage of technical support from ESA, so this tour was one opportunity that was welcomed.

The uniqueness of ESA BIC Noordwijk as the first ESA incubator can be explained by its origins. Niels Eldering, head of ESA’s Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation in the Commercialisation Services Department, has been there since the beginning of ESA BIC. Niels has previously commented about the early days: “The idea was to set up an incubator that would select promising startups with different application ideas from the space industry. And then support them with business and technical knowledge. Thus was born ESA BIC Noordwijk in 2004.”

As an update, he notes: “What we built over the past two decades is now accelerating before our eyes. We set out to create a home for Europe’s space entrepreneurs. Today, that home has grown into a thriving ecosystem. The ESA BIC network is proving that when we empower innovators, alongside our entrepreneurs, Europe can lead.”

Tour of ESTEC labs

Niels Eldering started the tour with an introduction in the Erasmus Innovation Centre, accompanied by his colleagues: Mercedes Sanchez, ESA BIC country manager for the Netherlands; and Roberto Cossu, responsible for coordinating and providing innovation support services to the ESA Commercialisation Network, including the ESA Phi-LabNET. Exploring the showroom, the delegation learnt facts about the International Space Station (ISS) and space exploration, with time for a photo shoot in the Columbus module demonstration model, stepping into a life-size mock-up of the ISS laboratory.

The tour then took in four of the ESTEC labs, with introductions from their respective representatives (listed in the order of visiting):

• Automation and Robotics Laboraties (link) – where rover models are tested focusing on robot roaming on the surface of the Moon and Mars. Alongside this, tracking of satellites and other space assets in space happens in the in-lab set up.
• Propulsion Laboratory (link) – where methods of controlling the motion of spacecraft are tested. There where live tests were happening during the visit enabling insights of the set ups in action.
• Materials & Electrical Components Laboratories (link) – where there is a myriad of machines and testing facilities for everything from environmental testing and containment pollution, along with a radiation test facility. Jacobo shares: “This is where we got to see how gamma radiation deteriorated a small astronaut figurine.”
• Mechanical Systems Laboratory (link) – where test methods involve thermal cycling and thermal balance in a vacuum or at ambient pressure and vibration testing. The tour visitors were introduced to facilities for cryogenic and thermal testing, as well as the new facilities that are currently in development.

Materials research and engineering

ESA’s materials and process engineer Malgorzata Holynska commented following the tour: “My colleagues and I are from the ESA ESTEC labs dealing with materials and components testing and it was great to welcome the visitors. This tour gave a very good idea of the available capabilities of the ESTEC campus and on-going projects, including demonstrations of specific products and equipment in action, as well as future plans. We will keep in touch for future exchanges and commercial/research projects of common interest.” Malgorzata also highlighted to the entrepreneurs about the need to plan well in advance as the ESA lab schedules are very busy.

It is of interest to note that one ESA BIC startup has already had its innovative materials included in a project at ESTEC. In 2024, ESA BIC alumnus Arceon‘s ceramic composites launched to the ISS for a space-based experiment – the Europe Material Ageing campaign (see filler box). It is a possibility that the researchers in the materials lab visited on the tour have handled Arceon’s material since it returned to Earth earlier this year. And, it is highly likely there will be other ESA BIC startups working with these ESA researchers in the future.

MATERIALS RESEARCH: The Euro Material Ageing (EMA) experiment involved a collection of material samples being exposed to the space environment on the outside of the ISS for 6 months. ESA’s Agnieszka Suliga kindly provided an update on the mission since the materials returned to Earth in Feb 2026: “A total of 63 ESA samples are now at ESTEC for the first post-flight checks. These include high-resolution imaging, mass measurements and tests of surface absorptance and emittance to see how the space exposure has aged the materials. In the next months, the samples will be sent back to the individual researchers for more detailed investigations by each team.” EMA project info

See the ESA Commercialisation Gateway news story by clicking the visual:

Inspiring testing capabilities

Incubated startups are always keen to get their innovations tested within the ESTEC labs. We caught up with one of the current ESA BIC Noordwijk incubatees that was on the tour for post-visit feedback.

Gian Mario Rossi is responsible for business development at ZemQuest. The startup’s solution enables the delivery of emission-free energy for industrial mobility with tech focused on a solid fuel cell where aluminium is the energy carrier.

“The labs tour at ESA ESTEC was a genuinely valuable experience. It gave me a much clearer understanding of the scientific areas relevant to our product and of the testing capabilities we could draw on as we develop it,” comments Gian Mario. “While we are still at an early stage, I can already see how some of this expertise, particularly the chemical studies, could support us further down the line, likely around TRL 6, when we expect to outsource part of that work.”

Interestingly, it wasn’t only the tech and research being carried out at ESTEC that created an impression, as Gian Mario explains: “My own background is more on the business development side, so for me the tour was especially useful in understanding how public funding flows into ESA and the rationale behind it. I was also impressed by the high professional standard of the testing equipment, which gave me a useful reference point in terms of complexity and real-world usability.”

Establishing connections for future collaborations

This was the first such tour organised by SBIC Noordwijk to create awareness of what’s happening next door on campus – and hopefully it won’t be the last. “Having the tour open to both ESA BIC and ESA Phi-Lab participants was a real plus: it created a richer mix of perspectives and made the networking side even more worthwhile,” Gian Mario concludes. “To anyone considering the next tour, I would simply say: go for it! It is well worth the time – you come away with a much better sense of what ESA can offer. Having the chance to connect with the people behind the labs is something you really shouldn’t miss.”

We’ll hand over to Jacobo for his summing up after the tour. “Overall, the visit was a great chance to get to know the people responsible for these labs and to encourage potential collaborations between the companies inside the commercialisation programmes and ESA itself,” concludes Jacobo. “Plus, it’s always fun to see state-of-the-art space technology and be able to ask all the questions you can think of to the people responsible for running it. Great collaboration!”

Thanks to all for the time and giving the curious visitors such a warm welcome!

APPLY TO ESA BIC NOORDWIJK
The Dutch business incubation programme of the European Space Agency, ESA BIC Noordwijk, runs an open call for startups to apply to join as an ESA BIC incubatee and reap the benefit that brings – funding, plus technical and business support – as well as being part of our community at SBIC Noordwijk and being close to ESTEC. In this programme, entrepreneurs work with upstream space tech or space related technologies to create impact on Earth. The next selection deadline is 5 Oct 2026. esa-bic.nl

Launch your space business at ESA BIC Noordwijk!

Got a promising idea? Join the Ignition Programme (pre-incubation) to strengthen your concept and develop an insight-driven, validated business plan. It will help you to prepare a strong ESA BIC application.

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