Please address any questions related to ESA BIC Valencia Region to esabic-coord@aeroportcastello.com or explore our web and social media.

Each startup receives incubation services for a minimum of 1 year and a maximum of 2 years. The length of the incubation period is proposed by the applicants and is finalised after discussions with the ESA BIC Valencia Region team upon selection. Based on the specific strengths and weaknesses of the startup, each incubated company receives a custom incubation programme consisting of various sprints. ESA BIC Valencia Region supports incubatees in increasing their Technology, Business, Customer, HR, IPR, and Funding Readiness Levels through the monitoring and completion of specific milestones.

ESA BIC Valencia Region will select a total of 12 startups in 5 years, from March 2024 to February 2029.

ESA BIC Valencia Region has a broad network of partners who support the initiative. These are partners at the ESA Space Alliance, the Investor Network, and the Local Supporters. More specific: The ESA Space Alliance offers significant perks to startups from Airbus, AWS, IBM, OVHcloud, etc. This Partnership is expanding. The Investor Network is an initiative to increase the relations among space startups and potential space investors and includes among others Plug and Play, Conexo Ventures, Starburst, JME Ventures, DraperB1, BigBan, Adara, Inveready, Beable Capital, First Drop VC, Demium, Kibo Ventures, Expansion Aerospace Ventures, Archipelago Next, Big Sur Ventures, KFund, and Seaya. The ESA BIC Valencia Region Local Supporters provide a variety of benefits, such as business coaching, technical support, mentoring, IPR/legal advice, and various perks. Supporters from the local Industry include Comet Ingeniería, PLD Space, Espai Aero, Fentiss, Aciturri, Abionica, BP España, Brok-Air, UBE, Cuatroochenta, and Primecor. Supporters from the local Academic ecosystem include RUVID, Red Institutos Tecnológicos, Universidad Jaume I, Universitat Politècnica de València, Universitat de València, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Universidad de Alicante, AIMPLAS, Instituto Tecnológico de Energía, AIDIMME, Colegio Oficial de Ingenieros Aeronáuticos de España, and others. You may find all the ESA BIC Valencia Region Support Partners here. 

ESA BIC Valencia Region provides an extensive support package focused on technical, business, legal, and financial support as well as networking. It includes: 

• 60.000€ in cash (non-equity funding); 
• 80 hours of technical support; 
• 50 hours of business coaching
• 10 hours of IPR/legal advice
• Access on favourable terms to office space and business facilities located at the three sites of the ESA BIC Valencia Region
• Access to the international network of ESA Alliance and Investors Network
• Access to the extensive Network of ESA BIC Valencia Region, and ESA BIC support partners 
• Access to participate in a variety of ESA events and networking opportunities 
• The right to use the ESA BIC brand

Incubation may take place at any of the three locations, established in the Valencia region: Aeropuerto de Castellón will be the main focus of the incubation program and is where the technical support, business coaching and legal advice will be carried out. Other facilities of the ESA BIC Valencia Region are located at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia and in the Technical Hub in Alicante Port.

Aeropuerto de Castellón SL, is tasked with operating and growing the ESA BIC Valencia Region. This is accomplished in collaboration with a number of supporting organizations, including Ministries and Public Agencies, Universities, Research Centres, Associations and Networks, other ESA BICs, and ESA Member States.

The objective of ESA BIC Valencia Region is to strengthen the community of successful space-related startups in the region of Valencia by supporting 12 startups over an initial  period of 5 years under the ESA BIC scheme so that they can develop their business and their technology until they are ready to leave the incubation phase and continue operating and growing on their own. ESA BIC Valencia Region provides high-quality business incubation services to ESA BIC Valencia Region incubatees in full compliance with the ESA common framework. ESA BIC Valencia Region is not only essential in supporting entrepreneurs and startups from the development of a business idea to full commercialisation but also underpins the creation, growth, and strengthening of the space cluster in the region of Valencia, contributes to the national innovation and space strategies, encourages further uptake of space-based services, supports the transfer of technologies from or to the space sector, and creates jobs and economic growth within the Valencia Region.

ESA Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs) are the largest network of incubators supporting space-related startups in Europe. Their objective is to support entrepreneurs with space-based business ideas and help them develop their product while getting their company off the ground. In the process, ESA BICs also contribute to the growth of space clusters across Europe. Each incubation centre is managed by local champions who connect their ESA BIC to local industry, universities, research organisations, government, and investor communities. All ESA BICs are embedded in local communities but also have strong regional and national links. The network provides excellent opportunities to connect startups with new business partners across Europe. The ESA BICs seek entrepreneurs who develop applications that use space-based systems (such as navigation, Earth Observation, or communication satellite systems); use space technologies in a non-space domain; and/or develop innovative products and services for the space sector. This European-wide network fosters annually the creation of more than 200 startups across Europe. To date, ESA BICs have supported about 1450 companies. The ESA BIC Alumni contribute to an ever-larger part of the space economy, attracting funding that in total exceeds what many European countries invest in Space. ESA BICs create the future of space!

No, there is no Technology Readiness Level as a strict prerequisite. During the TEB, the technical feasibility of each application is studied case-by-case. As the scope of ESA BIC Valencia Region is to support startup businesses, the startups are expected to be able to reach a TRL6+ by the end of the incubation. Considering the maximum duration of the incubation (2 years), a starting TRL3+ may be a proper initial status.

Yes, a University spin-off company can apply, provided that it meets all other requirements and the founding team holds the majority control of the company.

Yes, all individuals participating in the TOB and TEB and having access to the applications sign a secrecy and confidentiality agreement.

Yes. However, interested parties cannot apply more than twice, unless they are otherwise prompted by ESA BIC Valencia Region. Upon rejection, ESA BIC Valencia Region usually encourages applicants to reapply if there is potential to become an ESA BIC Valencia Region startup in the future.

The evaluation process takes less than 2 months, and an incubation can start with successful applicants 2 and a half months from the application cut-off date.

There is a permanent Open Call for 2024-2029, with various application cut-off dates and evaluation cycles per year. Check for the next cut-off date at our web.

Please send your question to esabic-coord@aeroportcastello.com and we will contact you.

ESA BIC Valencia region will provide feedback and advice related to the next stages accordingly. Contact by email to: esabic-coord@aeroportcastello.com. For fairness purposes, the feedback and advice received will only be related to the Formal Aspects of the application and the Space Connection assessment of the idea.  

The evaluation criteria are the following: a) Formal Aspects (ON/OFF); b) Background and Experience (25%); c) Technology/Service (20%); d) Value proposition & Market (20%); e) Business Modelling and Risk (15%); and f) Activity Proposal (20%). The evaluation criteria and their descriptions are provided in full detail in the Open Call Documents.

The TOB consists of ESA and Aeropuerto de Castellon representatives and has to ensure that applications fulfill the formal criteria set out in the ESA BIC Manual. The TEB consists of ESA, Spanish Space Agency, Aeropuerto de Castellón representatives, and other experts, and conducts the evaluation of the applications. Every applicant presents the content of the application in person to the TEB to allow the TEB to raise clarification points in a questions-and-answers session. After the evaluation, the results are communicated to the applicant within a few weeks. Applicants require a minimum overall weighted score of 60 to be selected for contract negotiation and over 40 for any specific criterion.

The evaluation of all applications received is managed by ESA BIC Valencia Region and follows the common ESA BIC scheme and procedures. Once a published submission deadline has passed, the ESA BIC Valencia Region Tender Opening Board (TOB) first assesses the formal aspects of applications received before the submission deadline. If a non-compliance of a minor nature is found, the applicant may be asked to address it in an updated proposal within 48 hours. If the proposal is found non-admissible, the applicant will be informed, and the reason will be explained. In such a case, an applicant is eligible to submit a revised proposal at a later date. If the application is compliant with the formal requirements, applicants will be invited to hold a presentation to the ESA BIC Valencia Region Tender Evaluation Board (TEB). The evaluation will typically take place a few weeks after the submission deadline. The TEB consists of representatives of ESA, ESA BIC Valencia Region, and the Spanish Space Agency, as well as, depending on the nature of the application, other experts. The evaluation board will also have the opportunity to ask the applicants questions related to their proposal. The application and the presentation will be marked against criteria, taking weighting factors into account. All applicants will be notified in writing about the outcome of the evaluation. The applicant may require an oral debriefing explaining why the application was successful or not. ESA BIC Valencia Region will enter contract negotiations with successful applicants, taking the comments of the evaluation board into account. ESA BIC Valencia Region has the right not to place a contract if, three months after the notification to a successful applicant, no contract has been signed. Additionally, ESA BIC Valencia Region has the right not to place a contract if the (intended) legal entity presented in the application is different from the actual established and registered legal entity. The period between receipt of a proposal and contract placement is less than 2 months.

Applicants are required to closely follow the instructions provided in the Open Call Documents when producing and submitting their proposal and follow the information channels of ESA BIC Valencia Region. The proposal consists of a) a Cover Letter, b) an Incubation Proposal, and c) a Business Plan. Templates with further instructions are provided in the Open Call Documents. Only those Applicants who fulfill all formal requirements, as listed in the Requirements Checklists of the Cover Letter Template, will be accepted for evaluation. Applicants should also carefully read the contractual documentation in the Draft Incubation Contract (also included in the Open Call Documents).

To successfully apply to ESA BIC Valencia Region, aspiring entrepreneurs have to fill in the Cover Letter, Business Plan, and Incubation Proposal documents strictly based on the corresponding templates provided as part of the ESA BIC Valencia Region Permanent Open Call Documents. Further instructions about the expected content and methodology to be followed for the completion of these documents are provided in the form of guidelines within these templates. All relevant information regarding the application process can be found at our web.

No, you will, however, need to have one in the Valencia region of Spain before signing the incubation contract. During the proposal submission, the applicant shall demonstrate readiness for the establishment and registration of a legal entity.

Legal entities established in the Valencia region of Spain (not older than five years) and natural persons who are residents with a working permit within Spain are eligible to submit applications. Natural persons are required to demonstrate readiness for the establishment and registration of a legal entity at the time of submission of their application. A contract with an applicant can only be signed when the establishment and registration of the corresponding legal entity have been completed and the legal entity has acquired full legal capacity. Furthermore, the product/service of the application needs to have a valid space connection. This means that the Applicant’s product or service must be based on a transfer of space technology to, and/or utilisation of a space system in a non-space environment (spin-off), or exploitation of non-space technology in the space market (spin-in). In case of doubt, applicants shall contact the ESA BIC Valencia Region Team for further guidance. A full list of the applicant requirements is included in the Open Call Documents (Requirements Checklists of the Cover Letter Template).

To be accepted for incubation at ESA BIC Valencia Region, the applicant must present a business idea with a valid Space Connection. Your idea should be about supporting or utilising space systems or exploiting space technology in a non-space domain in one of the following areas: a) Downstream applications (based on satellite systems for Earth Observation, Navigation, and Communications); b) Upstream/New Space (exploiting new technology in the space domain/supplying the space sector); c) Technology transfer from space (Hardware or Software, Knowledge or IPR). The space-related solution must be central to the business and show a high degree of innovation. Further information regarding the assessment of the Space Connection may be found in the Open Call documents of the ESA BIC Valencia Region.

No, the incentive funding shall be spent by the startup in Spain, unless the product/service is not available in the territory or is only available at a significantly higher price. Even in this case, prior approval by ESA BIC Valencia Region is required.

The incentive funding can be used for direct labour costs directly related to the development of the prototype. The Incentive can be used only to cover salaries for personnel hired by the start-up but not for entrepreneurs (applicants/founders) own wages.

The incentive can be used for any purpose directly linked with achieving objectives of the ESA BIC Incubation Programme. More specifically, the incentive funding shall be used for activities described in the contract between the startup and the ESA BIC Valencia Region. Any major deviations will require a CCN (Contract Change Notice) at the latest a month before the end of the contract. For example, the incentive can be used by the startup for product development (e.g., components, prototypes, software, third-party expertise, market research, and validation), and for Intellectual PR (e.g., rights in copyright, patents, know-how, Confidential Information, database rights, rights in trademarks and designs, and applications for registration).  The incentive funding should not be used to pay for office rental costs or incubator service fees, or to pay for return on capital, interests, losses, debts or similar. It is left to the ESA BIC Valencia Region’s judgement whether using a significant part of the incentive to pay for certain items/ fees/ service is reasonable and acceptable. For example, using 50% of the entire incentive value to pay for administrative expenditures (e.g., fees) linked with running a startup, may be deemed questionable.

No, ESA BIC Valencia Region does not take any equity in the incubated startups.

No, it is up to the startup to propose the length of the incubation required. This can range from 12 to 24 months.

Yes, the start up company must carry out its activity in the Valencia Region, the start up should take into account that the training offered, together with a number of meetings will be held at the innohub with physical presence.

Yes, it is mandatory. ESA BIC Valencia Region incubated companies must operate from one of the official ESA BIC Valencia Region locations of their choice. ESA BIC Valencia Region startups are required to establish their company in the ESA BIC Valencia Region premises, which includes having an office or desk and utilizing the ESA BIC Valencia Region business centers. This ensures they can take full advantage of the support and facilities provided.

No, the applicant and startup own all Intellectual Property Rights arising out of the activity performed during the evaluation and incubation periods. IP rights are described in detail in the Open Call Documents, Article 11 of the ESA BIC Valencia Region Contract template.