The European Commission announced 10 September that it has signed an agreement with SPACE AISBL to co-manage the European Partnership for Globally Competitive Space Systems initiative. Referred to simply as the Space Partnership, the initiative aims to identify key priorities to invest in to accelerate the development of the European space industry.
SPACE AISBL was officially formed in 2023 as a partnership between SME4SPACE, Eurospace, ESRE, EASTRO, and EASN, organizations that represent a large slice of the European space supply chain. In March 2024, the partnership presented the Space Partnership which, after consulting industry stakeholders, identified key challenges for the future of European space industry competitiveness. The proposal was then presented to the European Commission for consideration as part of the 2025 Horizon Europe Work Programme.
On 10 September 2024, the European Commission signed a memorandum of understanding with SPACE AISBL agreeing to co-manage the Space Partnership under its Horizon Europe programme. The Commission agreed to invest €100 million in the initiative, which will be allocated to topics proposed in the domains of satellite communication, Earth observation, and new space transportation systems.
According to SPACE AISBL president Jean-Charles Treuet, the agreement is a “positive signal for the competitiveness of the European space sector as it officially recognises the value of the inputs from the actors whose products are actually facing international competition.”
In addition to the €100 million from the European Commission, SPACE AISBL partners have committed to providing €120 million in in-kind contributions. The full €220 million is expected to make an immediate impact with the funding being used for calls in 2025, 2026, and 2027.
According to the European Commission, the Space Partnership initiative is a “pilot case” that represents “a new way of working with industry and research institutes in the field of research and innovation.”
