The 19th Italy4Innovation event on 28 February 2022 focused on the New Space Economy – new companies, products and services in the field of space science and technology.
The panel included representatives of the British and Italian and European space agencies, the CEO of Telespazio UK, Luigi Pasquali, academics and experts. The event was co-organised with Telespazio UK, which has been operating in the UK for 44 years.
In his opening address, Ambassador Raffaele Trombetta observed that in recent years space has increasingly been an area of research, development and industry. It is a crucible for new businesses and a driver of innovation and technological transfer, with applications in a wide range of disciplines, attracting significant investment, both public and private. He also highlighted Italy’s introduction in 2018 of a space regulation redefining powers and governance in the sector, and the institution of National Space Day (14 December).
There is growing awareness among both public and private actors in Italy and the UK of space as a catalyst for development and innovation and its consequent potential to power economic recovery and growth. This presents opportunities for growth in bilateral collaboration and economic exchange between Italy and the UK. In this regard, there are already numerous programmes of cooperation and research, as well as established companies in both markets, which are being joined by new ones. Representatives of two of these Italian companies, D-Orbit and Kayser, participated in the discussion, during which they testified to the successful internationalisation of Italian businesses in this sector.
The space economy is thus showing itself to be a vibrant context for generating, developing and commercialising solutions to everyday problems and for tackling present and future challenges. It is an engine of economic growth and high-added-value employment – hence the pressing need to identify ways to encourage young people, particularly women, to enter the field. Space thus presents an unmissable opportunity, with its potential to catalyse trans-sectorial solutions and its extraordinary capacity for bringing together diverse scientific, technological and economic fields.
