The European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre Turin - in short, ESA BIC Turin - is the incubation program for innovative start-ups based on space technologies, with both upstream and downstream applications, run by I3P with scientific and technological support from Politecnico di Torino and the LINKS Foundation.
The initiative is supported by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), the European Space Agency (ESA) and, locally, by Regione Piemonte, Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo and the Turin Chamber of Commerce. The program was launched in 2021 and to date has incubated more than 25 start-ups, with a growing community of space entrepreneurs supported throughout Italy.
The offer of the path
ESA BIC Turin's incubation program offers a tailored path based on the technology and business model development phase of the start-up. The pathway provides financial incentives, strategic advice, scientific and technological support for product and service development, and direct access to a wide network of highly qualified industrial, financial and scientific partners.
Access to the program guarantees:
- funding: all incubated start-ups receive a €50,000 grant (zero-equity) to be used for product development, intellectual property rights, and other purposes directly related to achieving the goals of the ESA BIC incubation program;
- business development support: up to 100 hours of consulting on topics such as analysis of the target market and competitive scenario, customer discovery & validation processes, definition of a minimum viable product (MVP), development of business plan and business model, drafting a financial plan, and more;
- technical support: incubated start-ups have up to 80 hours of specialized support from experts at Politecnico di Torino and LINKS Foundation to address the technical challenges posed by the entrepreneurial project, with access to research infrastructure of excellence and laboratories equipped for prototype testing;
- support for intellectual property rights (IPR) management: up to 10 hours of legal advice on aspects of patent registration, analysis of innovative trends, definition of IP exploitation strategy, and accompaniment in consulting external specialized firms;
- capital raising support: contacts with a wide network of investors, preparation activities for fundraising stages, validation of pitches and investor decks, analysis of termsheets, due diligence activities, and advice in negotiating investment terms;
- national and international connections, including through the Italian Space Agency and the European Space Agency, to take full advantage of the opportunities for entrepreneurial growth created by the space innovation ecosystem;
- direct contacts with large companies and scientific research centers;
- training sessions for the start-up team;
- fully equipped workspaces within the I3P headquarters.
Requirements and perspectives
Applications to join ESA BIC Turin are open to space-related companies which are no more than five years old and to founding teams willing to launch a new start-up if admitted to the incubation program. Either individuals or companies from all ESA member countries can apply to enter the incubation program.
The program's call for start-ups is open permanently, but has periodic cut-off dates after which applications received will be reviewed and processed. The next cut-off date has been set for April 29, 2025.
The official ESA BIC Turin website has the complete application guide to access the path, the references to make contact with the program team, the application documents to download and the application form to fill out in order to submit a business idea to the evaluation committee. If successful, the start-up - which must already be established as a company in Italy - signs an incubation contract in I3P and becomes part of the ESA BIC Turin program for a standard duration of two years.
At the end of the journey, the start-up is considered “graduated” and included in the roster of ESA BIC Turin's Alumni. Having reached this point, the relationship does not end, but rather evolves: the now-mature company can remain in contact with the incubator team and continue to take advantage of opportunities for involvement in initiatives, participation in events and candidacy for calls and tenders in line with its own projects, as well as begin to put its experience at the service of the new levers of innovation, sometimes taking on roles as mentors or sector experts, to make a concrete contribution to the growth of the entrepreneurship ecosystem supported by I3P.
