On 27 November, Network & Drinks returned to the Space Business Innovation Centre Noordwijk for the final edition of 2025. This time the programme followed the finale of Space Meets Manufacturing. Several manufacturing companies joined, along with more than forty business students from the Rotterdam Honours Programme and many familiar faces from across the Dutch and European space ecosystems.
Short updates from NL Space Campus and SBIC Noordwijk opened the evening, covering upcoming events, funding opportunities and local developments. The programme then moved to the three pitches from EIT Manufacturing, Geoversity and Anthura before everyone continued conversations during the networking part.
Updates from NL Space Campus
NL Space Campus welcomed everyone and highlighted the broad mix of people in the room. We saw attendees from companies such as VDL, Serco and several ESA BIC startups, together with students from Rotterdam School of Management and the Leiden Instrument Makers School.
The updates that followed gave a quick look at what is coming up in the next weeks and months.
NL Space Summer School 2026
Pre-registrations for the NL Space Summer School 2026 have opened. The first online information webinar will take place on 14 January at 19:00. The session will introduce the six-day programme, which includes site visits, lectures and group work across the Dutch space sector.
Industrial research call for dual-use defence innovation
Holland High Tech published a new call aimed at SMEs working on dual-use projects in the areas of space, quantum and smart materials. The total budget is 5 million euros. Submissions open on 5 January 2026 and close on 9 January. An online information session will take place on 3 December.
Gulliver start-up competition
Applications for the 2025 to 2026 Gulliver competition are open. Participants submit a one-pager and can receive feedback, support and the chance to win up to 10,000 euros. A separate All Innovation category is available for non-life sciences startups.
Stronger national investment in European space programmes
During the ESA Ministerial Conference in Bremen, the Dutch government announced a higher contribution for 2026 to 2028 than initially planned. This follows concern about a historically low budget earlier in the year. The updated decision means more opportunities for organisations working in and around the space sector.
With the updates shared, the floor moved to the three-minute pitches.
Pitches
EIT Manufacturing
Silvia Kretz from EIT Manufacturing opened her pitch with a look at how manufacturing and space have been connected for decades. Using the Apollo programme as an example, she showed how major space missions activate suppliers across optics, materials, semiconductors and mechanical engineering.
She linked this to Space Meets Manufacturing, the challenge that concluded earlier that day at NL Space Campus. Ten finalists worked on challenges from ESA, ArcelorMittal and Technoport and ESRIC, with Sidewise and Unsharded AI selected as the main winners. EIT Manufacturing positions this approach as a way to speed up the adoption of new technologies in European industry.
ITC University of Twente – Geoversity
Nona Gaies from the ITC faculty at the University of Twente introduced Geoversity, a platform that aims to make geospatial education and knowledge sharing more accessible.
She described how geospatial data and Earth observation are used in fields ranging from disaster response to agriculture and urban planning, yet education in this area can be fragmented or technically difficult to organise. Geoversity is being designed as a place where learners, educators, storytellers and partners can connect, build courses and exchange experiences without having to set up their own technical infrastructure.
The aim is to bring together people who work with geospatial knowledge and want a practical way to share it.
Anthura – Orchids and Experiments in Microgravity
Maurice van Veen and his colleague Erwin Koopstra from Anthura shared a different perspective. They introduced their work in breeding orchids and anthuriums using controlled environment techniques.
Their idea for a future experiment focuses on orchid flower stalks. These stalks are almost always supported by plastic sticks to keep the flowers upright. Anthura would like to explore how the stalk forms in microgravity and whether this can lead to varieties that no longer need support sticks. With around 800 million sticks used per year, this could significantly reduce waste.
They are interested in working with organisations that know how to test plant growth in space environments and also see potential for robust ornamental plants to support wellbeing during future long duration missions.
Updates from SBIC Noordwijk
Martijn Leinweber, COO of SBIC Noordwijk then took the stage for a few final updates.
New antenna test facility
A new antenna test facility will be installed at SBIC in the coming week. It will be available to innovators who want to test antennas and related technologies on site.
SBIC Demo Day 2025
On 9 December, SBIC Noordwijk will host its first Demo Day. ESA BIC startups, alumni, Soft Landing participants and ESA Technology Broker cases will present what they are working on. The event is invite only and offers a concise overview of current space related developments happening at and around SBIC.
ESA BIC selection round 2026
There was also a short note from the stage that the next ESA BIC selection round is planned for 2026. The dates will be shared once they are final.
A Look Ahead: See you in February 2026
The first edition of Network & Drinks in 2026 is planned for February at SBIC Noordwijk. If you want the invitation directly in your inbox, you can sign up for the NL Space Campus Community Updates. If you would like to pitch at a future edition, you can apply through our pitch registration form. Each pitch is three minutes, with the possibility to show slides, and due to the number of requests, we may assign a different date than the one selected.
