The ESA ‘Prepare for Space’ programme has been created to help UK companies break into the space sector. The programme streamlines the on-boarding process by providing tailored training to help businesses outside of the space sector to understand and respond to ESA’s calls and opportunities.
Prepare for Space supports businesses in creating strong proposals and business cases, speeding up the contracting process, and enhancing commercial viability, technical strength, and programme coherence.
The programme creates better engagement with start-ups and SMEs, leading to an improved return on investment and, ultimately, a more robust space industrial ecosystem.
As the ESA Technology Broker for the UK, TWI / The Welding Institute has invited applications from businesses that would like support to enter the space industry, providing a range of business and technical services to help companies navigate the complexities of the space industry and maximise their potential.
One such organisation that received support was DZP Technologies, who felt their multi-functional graphene sensor for monitoring composite materials could find ready applications in space.
A strategy to progress this opportunity was created, which included providing DZP with access to TWI facilities for prototyping purposes. Demonstration samples were created to show how the graphene sensor technology could be used in the space sector to monitor the curing process of composites during manufacture and for monitoring the structural health of composite parts in service.
The trials not only showed how DZP technology can be introduced to real-life manufacture, providing functionalities which are impossible by other means. The prototyping provided confidence and credibility for future commercialisation, while TWI / The Welding Institute also located relevant funding opportunities to aid further technical development and the creation of strategic business partnerships to commercialise the innovation.
Zlatka, CEO of DZP Technologies, said, “The support from TWI was very useful and helped our company understand better the business opportunities in the space sector; as well as understand better how ESA works. The support was very professional and TWI clearly had the capabilities, knowledge and skills to provide high quality and high impact advice and support specific to our company.”
You can find out more about the Prepare for Space programme, here: https://www.esa-technology-broker.co.uk/prepare-for-space