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The second ESA BIC Poland Demo Day brought together startups, partners, investors, and industry representatives for an inspiring showcase of space innovation. Eleven teams presented their progress and ambitions, highlighting the growing capabilities of Poland’s space startup sector. The event also featured thematic sessions, networking, and the presentation of annual ESA BIC Poland Partner Awards.

Join us for the 2nd ESA BIC Poland Demo Day — an event showcasing the most promising space innovations developed within our ecosystem. This year’s edition will feature startup pitches, expert insights, and opportunities for matchmaking and networking with partners, industry representatives, and investors. The event brings together key stakeholders shaping the future of space technologies in Poland. We invite you to take part and connect with the teams and initiatives driving the growth of the Polish space sector.

ESA BIC Poland has awarded its first Incubation BOOST to CleverHive Space, providing an additional €100,000 to support the startup’s next steps. The BOOST is designed to help incubated startups scale their technology and bring innovative solutions to market. CleverHive Space will use the funding to advance their mission control software for Lunar rovers and mobile robots, moving closer to commercialization.

The third edition of the ESA BIC Poland Bootcamp closed with a final event at the Rotunda PKO in Warsaw. Over the course of two weeks, 10 ambitious teams took part in an intensive pre-incubation programme designed to help transform bold space-related ideas into business-ready concepts.

Mobile Monitoring, an ESA BIC Poland graduate, developed an autonomous water quality monitoring system that integrates satellite Earth Observation data with drones and smart buoys. During incubation, the team built and field-tested in-situ monitoring hardware, validated satellite data sources, and advanced a real-time monitoring platform toward commercial pilots in environmental protection and critical infrastructure monitoring.

Attention, innovators! We’ve made crucial updates to the ESA BIC Poland Open Call documentation. For the upcoming deadline on October 10th, all submissions must use the new document templates to be considered. These changes include important new rules on company nationality, a strict non-military activities policy, and guidelines for reapplying. Please visit the Apply page to download the latest versions and ensure your application is compliant.

Congratulations to Orbital Matter on successfully graduating from the ESA BIC Poland programme! During their incubation, the team transformed their concept for in-space manufacturing into a flight-ready 3D printer, secured a €1.1 million in pre-seed funding, and signed a pilot agreement with industry leader Thales Alenia Space. Now poised for their next stage of growth, Orbital Matter is focused on refining their flight model and moving closer to demonstrating their technology directly in orbit.

Liftero is set to make history in March 2025 when its RED5 satellite, carrying Poland’s first domestically developed satellite propulsion system, launches aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-13 mission. The in-orbit test of the BOOSTER engine will mark a major milestone for the young Polish company and its rapid-developed, market-ready technology.

Extremo Technologies has wrapped up its incubation at ESA BIC Poland with a breakthrough innovation — a microalgae-based bio-panel that captures CO₂, produces oxygen, and supports life in space. Building on research selected for Poland’s first technological mission to the ISS, the startup is advancing sustainable solutions that could shape both future space missions and Earth-based environments.

As ESA BIC Poland marks its second anniversary, the program celebrates two years of empowering startups, fostering collaboration, and building Poland’s space innovation community. In that time, 12 startups have joined the incubation program, over €600,000 in support has been committed, and dozens of partnerships and events have strengthened the country’s growing space ecosystem.

The first ESA BIC Poland Demo Day, held on December 9th, 2024, at Warsaw’s iconic Rotunda PKO, brought together space startups, investors, and industry leaders for a day of pitches, networking, and collaboration. Ten incubated startups showcased their innovations to 17 venture capital representatives, celebrated key partnerships, and explored new opportunities to accelerate Poland’s growing space ecosystem.

Liftero has completed its incubation at ESA BIC Poland, emerging as one of the country’s most promising space startups. In just over a year, the team transformed its BOOSTER propulsion system from concept to market-ready, secured major ESA funding, and prepared for its first in-orbit test on SpaceX’s Transporter-13 mission — positioning the company to become a key player in the rapidly growing space mobility market.

The ESA BIC Poland Demo Day brings together startups, industry leaders, partners, and investors to showcase the achievements of companies completing and currently undergoing incubation within the program. Held on December 9, 2024, in Warsaw, the event highlights innovative technologies shaping the future of the Polish space sector and fosters collaboration across the ecosystem.

Astroteq.ai, a graduate of ESA BIC Poland, is developing an earthquake forecasting system that combines cosmic radiation sensing with Earth Observation data and AI-driven analytics. During its incubation, the team integrated SAR and thermal satellite imagery into its models, secured strategic partnerships and funding, and advanced its technology toward commercial pilots and global deployment in high-seismic-risk regions.

ESA BIC Poland is hosting an online workshop to support applicants preparing submissions for the second call, with practical guidance on application criteria, documentation, and financial aspects. The workshop will take place on September 10, 2024, and will provide step-by-step insights to help participants navigate the application process effectively.

ESA BIC Poland will take part in the European Rover Challenge 2024, a major international space and robotics event held on September 6–8 at AGH University of Krakow, bringing together academia, industry, and young engineering talent from around the world. As part of the event, the ESA BIC Poland team will host an Ask Me Anything session and participate in a panel discussion with incubated startups, creating opportunities to connect, exchange insights, and explore collaboration within the space innovation ecosystem.

ESA BIC Poland incubatee Liftero is poised to demonstrate its paradigm-shifting green propulsion system aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-13. This pivotal in-orbit validation challenges industry bottlenecks with a high-thrust, scalable solution, heralding a new age of agility and efficiency in satellite mobility.

ESA BIC Poland is set to foster synergy between cosmic innovation and terrestrial industries at the SPACE.CONNECT.Local event in Lublin. This pivotal gathering offers businesses in Eastern Poland a prime opportunity to explore space-derived technologies and funding avenues. Our representative will be on hand to demystify the path to building a successful space-tech startup and forge new cross-sector collaborations.

The second ESA BIC Poland Bootcamp has successfully concluded, preparing a new cohort of space entrepreneurs. The intensive programme guided ten teams through bespoke business workshops and mentoring, culminating in a dynamic Open Day. Participants refined their ventures and forged key connections, setting the stage for future Polish space-tech innovation.

ESA BIC Poland has introduced changes to its Incentive Scheme, expanding the eligible use of funds to cover all costs directly linked to achieving the objectives defined in the Incubation Contract. The updated rules apply to all startups in the ongoing call and include revised reimbursement conditions, explicit exclusions, an adjusted payment schedule, and updated application document templates.

ESA BIC Poland is organizing an Open Day on April 10, 2024, bringing together programme partners and finalists of the ESA BIC Poland Bootcamp II at the AEROPOLIS Science and Technology Park in Jasionka. The event will include a Demo Day concluding the Bootcamp, followed by networking sessions offering direct access to ESA BIC Poland partners and support opportunities.

INNOspace Masters 2024 is an international innovation competition organised by the German Space Agency at DLR in cooperation with ESA, Airbus, and OHB, supporting technology transfer between the space and non-space sectors. Open to companies, startups, research institutions, and individuals worldwide, the competition offers funding, expert support, and access to European innovation networks, with submissions open until April 23, 2024.

ESA BIC Poland Bootcamp II is a preparatory programme designed for teams planning to apply to the ESA BIC Poland incubator, with a focus on business development and space-connected products or services. The bootcamp includes online workshops, mentoring, pitch training, and an Open Day in Rzeszów, supporting startups in refining their ideas and preparing for incubation within the ESA BIC framework.

ESA BIC Poland marked its first year of operation in 2023, following the launch of the programme in January after several years of preparation. During its first year, the incubator built a network of over 30 supporting partners, organised pre-incubation and outreach activities, assessed nearly 30 applications, and selected nine startups for incubation, awarding the first tranche of funding and establishing the foundations of the Polish space startup ecosystem.

Orbital Matter, a company incubated at ESA BIC Poland, has secured over €1 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Sunfish Partners, with participation from Dhyan VC and angel investors. The funding will support the development and demonstration of the company’s in-space 3D printing technology, advancing its plans for microgravity testing, in-orbit manufacturing, and strategic collaboration with industry partners such as Thales Alenia Space.

SPACE.CONNECT: ESA Technology Transfer is an event presenting selected space-sector innovations with potential applications in terrestrial industry, supporting technology development and commercialization. Held on December 7 in Warsaw, the event will offer insights into ESA-supported technology transfer, funding opportunities, and direct matchmaking with companies developing advanced space technologies.

The ESA Technology Transfer Competition is a call for SMEs, startups, researchers, and individuals to propose commercial applications of space-sector technologies outside the space industry, with a total prize pool of PLN 160,000. Organised by ESA Technology Brokers, the competition supports the transfer of ESA patents, software, and verified space technologies into new markets and business applications.

ESA BIC Poland served as the Strategic Partner of the Polish edition of the NASA Space Apps Challenge, the largest space hackathon in the country, held on October 7–8, 2023, in Stalowa Wola. The event brought together over 250 participants to develop solutions using open NASA data, with ESA BIC Poland representatives actively engaging through presentations and networking throughout the hackathon.

Six startups have signed their Incubation Contracts and officially started incubation within ESA BIC Poland following the first call, in which 6 projects were selected from 18 applications. As part of the programme, each company will receive up to €50,000 in financial support along with business, technological, and legal mentoring delivered by ESA BIC Poland partners in Warsaw and Rzeszów.

The DES Earth Observation Industry Day took place on September 20, 2023, in Lublin as part of the ESA Direction Earth/Space initiative, highlighting the business and innovation potential of satellite Earth observation data. Representatives of ESA BIC Poland participated in the event, presenting how startups can build and scale Earth observation solutions within the ESA BIC framework while engaging with local entrepreneurs and the regional space ecosystem.

ESA BIC Poland was a partner of the 9th edition of the European Rover Challenge, an international space and robotics event held on September 15–17, 2023, in Kielce, Poland. As part of the event, representatives of ESA BIC Poland took part in expert discussions and Ask Me Anything sessions, engaging with academia, industry, and participants of the planetary robotics competition.

ESA BIC Poland organized an online workshop to support applicants preparing submissions for the second call, offering practical guidance on application criteria, documentation, and financial requirements. Held on September 12, 2023, the workshop provided step-by-step insights into the application process, with a particular focus on the space connection and common formal mistakes.

Startups incubated at ESA BIC Poland benefit from extensive support in Earth Observation and cloud services through national partnerships and ESA’s EPIC initiative. This includes access to satellite data, cloud infrastructure, and technical and business mentoring provided by partners such as ESA, OVHcloud, Planet, ICEYE, Sinergise, and the Institute of Geodesy and Cartography.

Six startups were selected for the ESA BIC Poland incubation program following the first call and will start incubation after signing their contracts in the coming months. As part of the program, they will receive financial support, business coaching, technological assistance, and access to the ESA BIC Poland and ESA international networks, supporting the growth of Poland’s space startup ecosystem.

Details on what, where, how and when to submit in the Permanent Open Call for ESA BIC Poland