TURIN, Italy (ASI PR) — The incubator linked to space supported by ESA and ASI and born from the synergy between the Incubator of the Polytechnic of Turin I3P, the Polytechnic of Turin and the LINKS Foundation, inaugurates in Turin the new node of the European network, the ESA Business Incubation Center Turin, with the aim of supporting innovative companies in the space sector.
The start-up and technological and business development of new innovative companies in the Space Economy sector is the main purpose of the ESA Business Incubation Center Turin (ESA BIC Turin), which officially inaugurates the works with an opening ceremony at the Politecnico di Turin and with the launch of the first call dedicated to the most promising startups in the space sector who want to receive support from this new incubation center and become part of its ecosystem.
ESA BICs are incubators for startups connected to space, the result of an initiative funded by National Agencies, in Italy by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), with co-investment by the local partner, integrated into the European network of ESA countries.
The ESA BIC Turin was born thanks to the synergy between the Incubator of the Polytechnic of Turin I3P, the Polytechnic of Turin and the LINKS Foundation, which together won the selection made by ESA, on a mandate from ASI for the construction and management of the new center.
The activities, carried out in coordination with ASI and ESA, aim to offer the selected startups opportunities for technological development, business coaching and mentoring, legal advice for aspects relating to the protection of intellectual property rights, access to capital for growth and integration into the Italian and European industrial system. In Italy, ESA BIC Turin will join the already operational ESA BIC Lazio.
The center will be able to count on the consolidated experience of I3P in the world of innovative startups, on the strong scientific skills of the technological partners and on the support of a large team of local subjects in the institutional, industrial and financial sphere. In particular, the funding will be integrated by local Partners.
The Piedmont Region will provide grants for new startups generated locally or attracted to the territory, the Turin Chamber of Commerce will provide financial support for the management of the center and the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation will operate as the main support entity for operations by contributing both with a multi-year contribution aimed at covering the operating expenses of the ESA BIC Turin program, and by activating innovative investment tools to support the technological development and the growth phase of future startups.
The center will also see the involvement of numerous financial operators active in different stages of startup development, with the aim of offering investment opportunities from seed money to capital for growth and internationalization.
The Investors Club, LIFTT, RedSeed, the Primo Space Aerospace Fund, NEVA Sgr, RIF-T, Finpiemonte Partecipazioni, CDP Venture Capital and Intesa San Paolo Innovation Center have chosen to support the project. In particular, the Intesa San Paolo group will make specific credit lines available for new businesses incubated in the center.
“The Space Economy represents an area characterized by very significant potential repercussions in various industrial sectors through the development of new products, services and business models based on the use of space data and infrastructures. New startups can contribute significantly to this process. ESA BIC Turin’s goal is to create value for incubated startups, through strategic support and connection with industrial, financial and research organizations ”, explains Giuseppe Scellato, President of I3P and coordinator of ESA BIC Turin.
“The aerospace sector constitutes one of the fundamental themes of the Polytechnic’s action in the coming years. Our goal is to create development and innovation districts in Turin, in its metropolitan area and in the entire Region on key issues, such as aerospace, based on the co-presence of public and private entities, from start-ups. up, to SMEs, to large companies. In this context, the ESA BIC Turin project will be essential to stimulate innovation and help give new impetus to the entire sector”, adds Guido Saracco, Rector of the Polytechnic of Turin.
“We are proud to have been involved in an initiative with such a high strategic value for our country and with a strong impact on the development of the territory” continues Marco Mezzalama, President of the LINKS Foundation. “LINKS, through its researchers, has always worked in the space applications sector, sinking its experience in over 20 years of activity at national and internal levels.
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