Strengthening InCubed’s role in commercial Earth observation
Commercialisation is universally recognised as essential for the future prosperity of all aspects of the European space sector, and Earth observation is no exception. The ESA InCubed programme, a co-funding initiative that helps entrepreneurs bring their innovative ideas to market, has enjoyed enormous success since the launch of its first activity in 2018 and continues to make a prodigious contribution to commercial Earth observation. The InCubed portfolio includes around 60 activities, with an impressive €63 million invested so far.
At the upcoming ESA Council at Ministerial Level, Member States will have the possibility to further empower InCubed in its far-reaching efforts to foster commercial innovation. The programme proposal makes the case for a wider remit, including a set of new ‘Invest Actions’ designed to help boost the European Earth observation economy and reinforce relationships with the private investor community.
InCubed and commercial Earth observation in Europe
ESA’s long history of space infrastructure development has made Europe a worldwide leader in Earth observation, with European industry supplying satellites and ground technologies for both the Agency’s missions and the broader global customer base.
ESA’s Agenda 2025 strategy recognises the need for not only supporting commercial space companies and improving access to capital but also faster innovation. However, most space-sector private investors are located in the US, and public investment in Europe has traditionally not focused on promoting entrepreneurship in Earth observation.
It is against this backdrop that ESA InCubed was conceived as the Agency’s sole Earth observation commercialisation programme. It aims to stimulate and develop European commercial Earth observation by providing investment opportunities, together with technical and business mentoring, for both start-ups and established companies.
The most recent InCubed co-funded activities, SINERGI, FIbEO and BulletInSAR, illustrate the kinds of market needs that commercial Earth observation is responding to, with customers in sectors such as agri-food, forestry, environmental protection, mining and insurance.
Mining was also the target of another InCubed activity launched during a visit to ESA’s Centre for Earth Observation establishment, in Italy, by the Irish National Delegation to ESA. Commenting on the event, Irish Minister of State Damien English TD commended InCubed for its contribution to the entrepreneurial space sector.
MiRAGE, Aggregated Marketplace and KappaOne are activities from InCubed’s portfolio that demonstrate the breadth of business cases that the programme supports, from space assets and the ground segment through to applications for Earth observation data users.
Michele Castorina, InCubed Programme Manager and head of the Φ-lab Invest Office, said: “For both upstream and downstream products and services, InCubed has shown over the past five years that it provides a significant opportunity for developing the European commercial Earth observation sector.
“But we should also bear in mind the societal context, as InCubed affords a unique chance to formulate real answers to market demands that are emerging from European policies and economic and social developments."
Subscription to InCubed by ESA Member States is voluntary but has seen an enthusiastic take-up since the programme’s launch. The original 13 participating states have now grown to 19, with Poland the latest to join the InCubed family.
InCubed-2: the next generation
At next week’s Ministerial Council, a proposal will be presented for a new incarnation of the programme. InCubed-2 comprises a suite of enhancements termed ‘Invest Actions’, added as a result of lessons learnt during the previous InCubed phases.
The Invest Actions will create a framework of partnerships and collaborations that will strengthen the InCubed offer and further support the evolution of European commercial Earth observation.
As well as reinforcing relationships with the private investor community, other examples of proposed activities include research on promising markets for Earth observation, awareness campaigns, creating InCubed ambassadors, start-up coaching and a new faster route for rapidly delivering proofs of concept using emerging Earth Observation technologies.
“The Invest Actions will transform InCubed into a proactive and even more powerful mechanism for nurturing innovative space commercialisation,” commented Giuseppe Borghi, Head of the Φ-lab Division. “InCubed will also strengthen the relationships with private and public investors, thereby lowering the barrier to risk capital that many of our European space entrepreneurs have traditionally experienced."
Simonetta Cheli, ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programmes, added: “Since its inception, InCubed has unlocked an abundance of investment funding, enabling an extremely broad range of European players to enter the world stage of commercial Earth observation.
“The InCubed-2 proposal has already been approved by the Programme Board for Earth observation and represents a new chapter in our efforts to both bolster entrepreneurial innovation in the sector and provide tangible returns for Participating States and Europe’s economy.”
Applying for InCubed funding
Pitches for innovative ideas in Earth observation are always welcome, and applicants are encouraged to contact the InCubed team through the dedicated website.
