Space Innovation Forum gathers space stakeholders to intensify collaboration and promote growth

Deeper collaboration and continued investments in the north and its satellite value chain could strengthen Sweden’s competitiveness says Space Innovation Forum delegates.

Hundreds of representatives from academia, space companies, social actors and enablers gathered for two days on the theme of Norrbotten’s future space sector. The conference is organized within the project RIT (Rymd för Innovation och Tillväxt – Space for Innovation and Growth).

The audience got the latest news on the northern Sweden space business – industrial partnerships, the development of commercial test operations for space applications in Kiruna, innovation support and cluster building. At the same time, the need for deeper collaboration and stronger business community and societal services are top priorities to attract companies, capital and talent. This was iterated on and off stage on several occasions, not least when LTU Business, SSC and Luleå University of Technology presented the new pre-study Space Capacity Building. The report has identified strengths in Norrbotten’s space industry, but also exposed weak links that need to be addressed in order for northern Sweden to be competitive in the fierce global space marketplace.

The conference offered an exciting program of innovation workshops, study visits and, not least, interesting lectures by prominent players such as the Swedish Space Agency, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Swedish Armed Forces.

– I am so proud that we have the knowledge, the system, the competence in Sweden and not least up here in the north. When we talk about space, it easily gets crowded – but when we get together, with all the knowledge in the industry and start collaborating and talking about space in a wider perspective, more and more companies and organizations can see the possibilities of space, Anna Rathsman, director general of the Swedish Space Agency, concluded at Space Innovation Forum.

The RIT project is run by LTU Business, Luleå University of Technology, IRF and Arctic Business, with support from OHB Sweden, SSC, GKN Aerospace, Isar Aerospace, Region Norrbotten, Kiruna Municipality, Luleå Municipality, Sparbanken Nord and the EU. Read more