On 30 April 2026, NL Space Campus hosted Network & Drinks at PLNT Leiden, with a focus on climate and space. The programme combined a Space Quiz, pitches, campus updates, and ended with the first rooftop networking event of the year at PLNT. The space quiz winners went home with (also the first) a 3D printing workshop at Cometlab!
Space Quiz
The evening started with a Space (Entrepreneurs) Quiz, organised with PLNT and supported by SGAC Netherlands. 5 Teams gathered around tables, answering questions about everything from planets and space missions to reusable rockets and everyday satellite applications, with a full round on space in pop culture, and competing for a 3D printing workshop at Cometlab. The winners get to create their own spacey 3D visuals and, with a course from the Cometlab experts, learn to print them themselves and take their own design home. This Workshop is also possible to book through the Cometlab facility yourself (info@cometlab.nl).
Pitches by Gravity Gardens and CASSINI hackathon winners
Gravity Gardens, an ESA BIC startup, showed how space-derived technologies can be applied in agriculture to improve crop development, increase resilience to environmental stress, and reduce input use. They are currently seeking €16 million in funding to further develop and scale their solution.
Solum, a winner of the Dutch edition of the 11th CASSINI Hackathon, presented a satellite-based platform to detect manure-related pollution risks. By combining Sentinel data with parcel and soil information, the platform helps authorities identify high-risk areas and supports farmers with compliance insights. The team brought prior hackathon experience, with some members having placed second in a previous local CASSINI Hackathon edition.
Updates from Campus and PLNT
NL Space Campus presented about the opening of three new facilities on 12 May: an antenna testing facility, a space simulation chamber, and the Cometlab MakerSpace. The event is intended for potential users, with guided tours and the opportunity to speak with experts. Participation is limited, and an invitation can be received by sending an email to d.kerkvliet@nlspacecampus.eu.
Come to PLNT if you want to become/are an entrepreneur!
This edition took place at PLNT Leiden, where events, workshops, and startup programmes bring together founders, students, and professionals working on innovation and entrepreneurship.
Next Edition of Network & Drinks: data & cloud sovereignty
The next edition of Network & Drinks will take place on 28 May at SBIC Noordwijk, focusing on data and cloud sovereignty. The event is organised in partnership with dotSPACE Foundation and follows a dedicated invite-only session earlier that day at Cometlab.
The session will focus on practical use cases and current challenges related to working with data across organisations, particularly where sensitive data needs to remain under the control of the data owner. This includes applications in areas such as environmental monitoring, infrastructure, and agriculture, as well as questions around implementation and regulatory frameworks. Further details on the dedicated session will be shared soon.
Read more about Open DataSpace Lab
During Network & Drinks, selected participants will share short reflections from these discussions.
Read more and register for the Network & Drinks 28 May edition
