The ESA BIC Bavaria, based in Oberpfaffenhofen and supported by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, is one of the most successful and active ESA BICs in Europe. Since its launch in 2009, the program 178 startups were supported, which created over 3,300 jobs and more than 150 million euros in sales in 2021. Therefore, the program was extended in 2022 for another four years until 2025. Alumni include startups such as Isar Aerospace, Ororatech, Dcubed and many more Munich spacetech startups.
“The ESA BIC Bavaria programme is an excellent example of how public-private partnerships can drive innovation and create economic value,”
says Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency.
"We are proud to have supported this program and its startups, and we look forward to seeing more success stories in the coming years. Overall, the future of Earth observation, space exploration, launch vehicles, and other space technologies looks very exciting, and we can expect many new developments in the coming years that will expand our knowledge of the universe and improve our daily lives here on Earth."
ESA BIC Bavaria as an example of “successful Bavarian start-up support”
Bavaria's Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger explained:
"Since the establishment of the first European space incubator with significant financial support from the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs over 20 years ago, the successful ESA Business Incubation Centre (ESA BIC) model has not only proven itself outstandingly, but has also become a 'brand' in the ESA member states. ESA BIC Bavaria proves that continuous commitment and good cooperation lead to great success. This impressive number is an important reason to continue Bavaria's successful support for start-ups with innovative ideas in the field of aerospace. Our shared goal of transforming innovative, space-related business ideas into commercial companies is thus being implemented in an outstanding manner."
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, DLR Chairwoman, adds:
"The ESA BIC Bavaria program is an important part of the Bavarian and German innovation ecosystem. It provides a platform for startups to develop their business ideas and gain access to our world-class space technology and infrastructure. We are committed to continuing to support this program and contribute to building a thriving space industry in Germany."
The ESA BIC Bavaria is managed by AZO Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen, an incubator for innovative solutions in the field of space technologies. Thorsten Rudolph, Managing Director of AZO, and Stefanie Herrmann, Chief Financial Officer of AZO, say:
"You, the institutional and political partners, with your belief in this program and in the strength of AZO, the incredible AZO team, the investors with your financial support for the innovative startups, and finally, you, the founders, with your ideas and perseverance in taking them to the next level, have made all this possible! Together, we have achieved remarkable things, and I look forward to continuing our work together. The success of the ESA BIC Bavaria program underscores the potential of the space sector to create value and further drive innovation in Europe."
