Space tech in focus as astronaut Marcus Wandt visited Skåne
In January, astronaut Marcus Wandt made history as the third Swedish astronaut to visit space and spent 18 days on board the International Space Station (ISS). Last week, as part of his Post-flight Tour, the Swedish National Space Agency and Marcus Wandt visited Skåne to share his experience from his journey and to highlight the importance of research and technological innovation connected to space.
Hosted by the regional government, Region Skåne, the visit began with an open lecture for over hundreds of university students at Ideon Science Park. The lecture was held together with the European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre (ESA BIC) and two start-ups, Mantis Photonics and Admant Quanta. The start-ups are part of the ESA BIC program, that supports companies to turn their space tech ideas into successful businesses.
During the lecture, Wandt talked about the importance of taking advantage of start-up ideas and keep moving forward.
”If you find a new technology, a new product or research path that you instinctively believe in, trust the competence you have built up and go for that. It will probably lead to something and even if it doesn't lead exactly to what you had in mind, you will learn things along the way that you will benefit from", he said.
Strong innovation environment in Skåne
Skåne is home to many companies working on groundbreaking innovations in deep tech, technology based on in-depth research in fields such as biotechnology, nanotechnology, AI, quantum mechanics, materials science, or other advanced technologies. It's no coincidence that Sweden's fourth space incubator ESA BIC, tasked with supporting companies with space-related business ideas, ended up in Skåne. Here, you’ll find a large pool of entrepreneurs and a strong ecosystem of key players such as universities, major companies, and research facilities.
Favorable conditions for a European deep tech hub
Region Skåne, is working to create an even stronger innovation environment in Skåne to facilitate companies' transition from basic research to production, with the vision of establishing a European hub for deep tech and semi-conductor research at Science Village in Lund.
“Skåne has very favorable conditions for a physical hub for semi-conductor research and development at Science Village in Lund. There are many players here who, through research and development, are adept at developing entirely new materials and using the smallest components," says Daniel Kronmann, Unit Manager, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the department for Regional Development, Region Skåne.
