Since the establishment of Flanders Space, an annual Space Labs call has been published by VLAIO. Space Lab projects are feasibility studies or demonstrations in which Flanders Space members can use their products and services in new applications that they develop together with companies that need this new application, either as part of a new product or service, or for operational reasons.
The Space Labs offer a unique opportunity to allow space actors to collaborate with non-space actors – companies that are still unfamiliar with the numerous possibilities of space technologies such as satellite communications, navigation and Earth observation. This often involves the use of data generated in the space sector, for example with Earth observation satellites.
The interdisciplinary nature of the Space Labs is an added value for both actors: the demand side that is not yet familiar with the space sector and its technologies, and the supply side that is getting to know new markets. For the 2024 call, the maximum grant per project was fixed at €255,000. For SMEs, especially for starters, the Space Lab projects offer an opportunity to join the space ecosystem with the additional advantage that the project work is 80% financed at the start.
More information can be found in the call for Space Labs from VLAIO (in Dutch language). You must use the pink ‘Aanvragen’ button for the actual submission. This button is operational between 01/06/2024 and 15/09/2024 (12 PM).
Anyone interested in writing a Space Lab proposal can request a project pitch template from Flanders Space (from the writer of this article or click on the ‘contact’ button). Candidates who provide us with a completed pitch template before May 15, 2024 will receive useful feedback on their proposal and thus maximize the eligibility of their final proposal (to be submitted before September 15, 2024).
Companies that are awarded a Space Lab project together with their consortium members are expected to become members of Flanders Space for at least the duration of the project.
Testimonial from Véronique De Laet, project manager of Space Lab ‘Bi-Night Flanders’ at GIM: (call 2023)
“Thanks to the Space Labs, we can further expand our expertise in the very rapidly evolving field of GeoAI and satellite sensors. Moreover, it also offers the opportunity to grow and accelerate to the market with solutions for important societal challenges such as climate change and energy optimization. For example, we have started working with utility companies and local governments to develop AI models using orthophotos and satellite images to map land cover and public lighting. The short turnaround time, the expertise network you can fall back on as well as the support from VRI/Flanders Space have been an important support for us.”
Image: ‘Copernicus CO2 Monitoring Mission’ by ESA/Mlabspace
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