Come pitch your startup at the challenge launch event on 9 October 2025
Meet the manufacturing startups from Italy, Germany and other countries connected to the EIT Manufacturing Ecosystem, that want to connect and do business with space startups from our ecosystem.
Join us to connect with the ecosystem – whether you represent a startup, an established company, an association or cluster, a university or a research organisation, you will benefit from new contacts and get to know new technologies. After the launch event we invite you to join the Network & Drinks XL with more networking opportunities and additional pitching sessions with a focus on the space industry.
There are 6 spots for startups to pitch their space initiative to the European manufacturing ecosystem.
The principle is simple: there will be real-life industry challenges from the space and manufacturing sector and startups from both the manufacturing and space sector are invited to submit their solutions.
- Manufacturing challenges → space solutions
- Space challenges → manufacturing solutions
Startups can present their solutions to companies and companies get to know new technologies that can solve their challenges. If it’s a match, it can result in a pilot project.
Programme 9 Oct Launch event
13:30 Walk in
14:00 Welcome by EIT Manufacturing
14:20 Presentation by Technoport (Event sponsor)
14:30 Competition Challenges presented by Challenge owners
15:00 Pitches by 6 Manufacturing startups
15:30 Break
16:00 Pitches by 6 Space startups
17:00 Bus to Space Expo for Network & Drinks
About the Competition
Let’s tap into the potential for synergies from the space industry and the manufacturing sector – based on industry challenges that span both space and manufacturing, the space meets manufacturing startup competition will shed light on multi-market solutions and accelerate their application in cross-sectoral environments.
space meets manufacturing is collaboratively organised by NL Space Campus, SBIC Noordwijk and EIT Manufacturing.
The challenges
Challenge 1: Predictive tool for weldability – Development of a predictive tool that quantifies both operational weldability (the likelihood of producing acceptable welds without critical defects) and technical weldability (properties of the weld zone after the thermal cycle: hardness, toughness, phase composition) for (C-Mn) steels and provides process parameter recommendations.
Challenge 2: Multi-purpose structural optimisation tool – Development of a software solution that couples parametric CAD models with automated FEA and multi-objective optimisation (e.g., stiffness vs. weight, payload vs. cost), including material selection and manufacturing constraints, to generate manufacturable design alternatives systematically.
Challenge 3: Non-destructive inspection (NDI) methods – Reduce cost and lead time of Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) for (large-series) spacecraft manufacturing.
Challenge 4: Serial production technologies for hardware and (space) electronics – Reduce cost and lead time for space electronics Hardware, to support trend towards larger series commercial spacecraft.
Who is space meets manufacturing for?
Startups
If you are from a young, innovative company with relevant solutions for the European space or the manufacturing industry, take the opportunity to broaden your reach, convince companies of your solution and start a pilot project!
Corporates
If you are from an established European company from the space or the manufacturing industry and seek innovative solutions to improve your company’s resilience, efficiency and sustainability, talk to us!
How does space meets manufacturing work?
- SBIC and EIT Manufacturing collect challenges from space and manufacturing.
- The challenges are launched with reverse pitches by the challenge owners during NL Space Week in Noordwijk, the Netherlands on 9 October 2025.
- In the evening, challenge owners and startups are invited for a 300+ attendee NL Space Campus Network and Drinks XL session.
- Startups can register to compete and pitch their solution on 27 November 2025 during the space and manufacturing edition of the Network & Drinks event at NL Space Campus in Noordwijk.
- In the run-up to 27 November 2025, the SBIC and EIT Manfactuirng teams will coach the startup teams.
- On 27 November 2025, the startups compete and the winners will be awarded.
Timeline for the competition
25 September – challenge preview + application opens for startups
9 October – challenge launch at NL Space Week in Noordwijk, the Netherlands
16 October – application for startups closes
up to 16 November – selection and mentoring of startups for competition final
27 November – competition final and award ceremony