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Business

NL Space Campus’ members, strategic partnerships and network of experts, institutes, entrepreneurs and investors provide fertile ground for startups, scale-ups and other innovative companies. At the Campus new ideas develop and grow, and value is created by efficiently translating research into new services, business opportunities and products.

NL Space Campus houses key players from the Dutch Space sector. The campus is centrally located in the Zuid Holland region that is home to a complete chain of academic research and knowledge institutes, first, second and third-tier suppliers and end-users.

By facilitating the optimal environment and stimulating the sharing of knowledge and cross-sectoral thinking, NL Space Campus adds value for our members and network, for the commercialisation of ideas and for regional economic development.

Business Incubation Programme

SBIC Noordwijk is a space business innovation centre on the NL Space Campus. Its main activity is managing ESA BIC Noordwijk - the business incubation program of the European Space Agency in The Netherlands. This program helps entrepreneurs to realise their innovative business ideas based on space technology and/or data, by offering business, financial and technical support. It was the first BIC in Europe and as such, it has helped over 120 space based businesses to date. Since 2011, this program is managed by SBIC Noordwijk. The program has an extensive partner network both inside and outside the space industry, including coaches and investors.

Furthermore SBIC offers two more support programs for space based businesses:

The Soft Landing Program helps you move or relocate your space business to the Netherlands. Whether you want to join the ESA BIC Noordwijk program or just want to have a Dutch expansion or establishment, SBIC ensures a smooth transition within 6 months.

The Ignition Program is a pre-incubation program mainly designed to improve specific ESA BIC applications, resulting in a higher chance of acceptance. It can also be used for businesses to improve their model for it to fit the space industry.

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Business Initiatives

GNSS Centre of Excellence

Applications for Global Navigation Satellite System possibilities or threats

GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) is the default standard service for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) applications.

Societal dependence
It is so easy to use that we sometimes forget how much we rely on the service. We have now come to such a point that GNSS is being readily applied in applications for autonomous transport, the electrical power grid, international money transfers and mobile communication networks. All critical applications. As a consequence, failure of the GNSS service may have a severe impact.

GNSS - Centre of Excellence (CoE)
The GNSS-CoE brings vast collected experience and expertise to help develop critical applications that exploit the GNSS' ease of use and correctly compensate for possible shortcomings. The EGNSS Centre of Excellence (CoE) is one of the initiatives on the Campus in cooperation with NSO, the Ministry of I&W, CGI, S&T and NLR.

InnovationQuarter

Assisting foreign companies in setting up operations in the Netherlands

The regional economic development agency - InnovationQuarter - assists foreign owned enterprises in setting up or expanding their activities in the province of Zuid-Holland. These services are confidential, non-binding and free-of-charge.  

InnovationQuarter offers advice and support to international companies on topics like:

  • tax, legal & financial affairs like incorporation procedures and tax incentives 
  • HR, recruitment, staffing, hiring international employees
  • banking, payrolling & accounting
  • visa & work permits
  • introductions to (space) networks, clusters & potential partners
  • introductions to relevant service providers, business and government contacts
  • housing options and (inter)national schools
  • and any other questions that may arise

For more details and information please contact:

Niels Krol
Account Manager Aerospace / Team Foreign Investments
niels.krol@innovationquarter.nl
+31 (0)6 2475 6664
https://www.investinrotterdamthehaguearea.org/industries/aerospace/space/

Avatar VR/AR Lab

Optimise engineering processes using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).

Virtual and Augmented Reality for Space. AVATAR is a knowledge and R&D centre that is focusing on the development and use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). The Lab is focused on optimizing engineering processes.  This is a development centre of knowledge partners (TU Delft, NLR) and business partners (ATG and RHEA).

FabLab

The ESA ESTEC FabLab initiative that will soon be launced on location at NL Space Campus

The European Space Agency (ESA) proposes to establish a new prototyping workshop (a so-called FabLab) close to one of its sites, ESTEC (the European Space Research and Technology Centre), in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. Open and accessible. The FabLab will be an integral part of the NL Space Campus in order to make it accessible to the space industry, academia and local community on the one side, and to facilitate and stimulate the inflow and outflow of new ideas and open innovation within ESA on the other. To this purpose, the FabLab tools and facilities span from electronics integration benches and 3D design and machine interface software, up to 3D printing and CNC machining, a small clean room and a modest shaker facility. FabLab will be one of the first initiatives soon to be placed in the modular Basecamp.

Groundstation DotSpace

Awareness, innovation and valorisation of earth observation technology.

DotSpace supports potential end-users of satellite applications by leveraging its network to make experience and expertise available. The foundation creates awareness in value creation of new satellite applications. DotSpace provides feedback based on fieldwork to policymakers regarding innovation and valorisation of earth observation technology.

ESA Technology Broker NL

Got a real-world problem that needs a solution? Maybe space tech can help…

In September 2022, SBIC Noordwijk and NL Space Campus jointly began operating the ESA Technology Broker for the Netherlands to facilitate technology transfer solutions. The broker acts as the intermediary partner to stimulate collaboration between the space and non-space industries.

The first objective of the brokerage is to solve industrial challenges using innovative and advanced space technology. The second is to support innovative companies to bring their terrestrial innovations into the space domain.

Linking space solutions to industrial challenges is of particular interest in the following four sectors with a high socio-economic impact:

  1. Agri-food
  2. Energy
  3. Logistics & transportation
  4. High tech

Boost your business at NL Space Campus

We are working on innovation lines to boost your business and we have facilities and opportunities for talent, start-ups, scale-ups and businesses to work at or locate to the campus. When you are interested in the benefits of being part of NL Space Campus, let’s talk and discuss your wishes and needs.

Raoul Voeten
Raoul Voeten

Commercial programme Manager

We are here to facilitate, stimulate, connect and strengthen others

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Available facilities and physical space

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+31 71 203 2000 info@nlspacecampus.eu