Global Space and Technology Convention: highlights by Space Ambition
Our highlights from the conference: grant opportunities, insights into the perspectives of heads of space agencies, space internship opportunities, and new research about human reproduction in space.
The Space Ambition team attended the Global Space and Technology Convention (GSTC) which was held in Singapore in February. While numerous press releases are available on the internet, we would like to highlight the most noteworthy aspects that impressed us. The conference organized by Singapore Space and Technology Ltd (SSTL) was truly global, with close to 1,000 thought leaders, industry insiders, and investors across 42 countries with a focus on real use cases and B2B opportunities. It provided excellent networking opportunities, with many influential figures, including top investors, ambassadors, and senior executives from industry and government in attendance. The general consensus among attendees of previous conventions was that this GSTC, the 15th edition, was the best one yet.
New era: international collaboration in Space
The panel discussions and presentations highlighted a step towards a refreshing collaborative spirit among countries and entities within the space industry. There are now a greater number of countries with space sectors, and they are choosing to collaborate in order to share research and development (R&D) efforts. A great example of this was during a panel between heads of Israel and UAE space agencies. Prof. Dan Blumberg, Chairman of the Israel Space Agency, remarked that such a dialogue would have been unlikely five years ago, and this is a positive sign of progress. UAE Space Agency Director-General, H.E. Salem Butti Salem Al Qubaisi, further emphasized the UAE government's commitment to collaboration by establishing The National Space Fund of USD 800M and also looking at partnering with other countries.
During the conference, several countries signed framework agreements to promote international collaboration. The UK played a prominent role, with H.E. Kara Owen, the High Commissioner of the British High Commission, delivering a speech about the UK-Singapore agreement. She highlighted the significant delegation from the UK, comprising representatives from 24 organizations.
Kara emphasized the three-year agreement that was signed between the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council and Singapore Space and Technology Limited during the conference. This agreement recognizes the importance of the space industry for the UK, which is a 16.5 billion-pound economy and employs 47,000 people. The signing of this agreement is a testament to the UK's commitment to developing and advancing its space sector by increasing deal flow and collaborations on R&D with Singapore.
To further support co-innovation, Space tech companies that have a presence in both the UK and Singapore also apply for the Innovate UK – Enterprise Singapore joint collaborative R&D grant, provided they meet certain eligibility criteria. For details refer to the UK-side grant program and Singapore-side program, applications are now open till 3 May 2023.
It was also announced that Mangata Networks, a UK-based company specializing in satellite-enabled network and edge computing services, will be opening its Maritime HQ in Singapore. The company has secured total funding of USD 134.6M.
Another noteworthy instance of collaboration was an investor workshop, co-organized by Singapore Space and Technology Ltd, Israel Space Agency, and Earth and Beyond Ventures, an Israeli fund that recently announced the closure of a 125M fund to invest in pre-seed and seed deep tech, aerospace, and satellite engineering. During the presentation, Doron Zauer, a General Partner of the fund, drew attention to the similarities between Israel and Singapore. Both are small countries that lack natural resources and therefore rely heavily on human capital. As a result, they prioritize STEM and innovation and foster a "can-do" attitude and collaboration between the two countries.
New research and educational programs announcements
Although the space industry in Singapore is primarily focused on commercial applications and grounded in terrestrial pursuits, it is far from lacking in vision and ambition. The key thought leaders in the Singapore Space Ecosystem including Jonathan Hung, Executive Chairman, and Lynette Tan, CEO of SSTL, led panels on regional corporations, global forecasts, and diversity and sustainability in the space industry.
An excellent example of long-term vision is the partnership announced at GSTC for launching new research into human reproduction in space. Despite our progress in building rockets and developing plans for Mars colonies, it may take decades to fully comprehend the intricacies of human reproduction in space and there is not much research that has been completed to date. Singapore has decided to take the lead and invest in this critical area. In partnership with SSTL, A/Prof Mahesh Choolani, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) will lead the research, which will focus on the placenta. Preliminary research shows that low gravity slows down cell division by up to 80%, but what does this mean for the placenta? Will pregnancy last longer, or will there be a higher rate of miscarriages? What is the effect of radiation on pregnant bodies? Could investing in artificial uteri be a solution? (Interestingly, Space Ambition already met a start-up pursuing this technology.) With so many questions and so few answers, it's encouraging to see someone taking the lead on this crucial and strategic issue for humanity.
Another major announcement was the launch of the STEM 2.0 program, which aims to further enhance Singapore's STEM education by focusing on space, deep tech, and advanced robotics. Lynette Tan, Managing Director of Space Faculty, announced the program's pillars, including the Space Internship Programme and International Space Challenge 2024, which will focus on space mining. Although the eligibility criteria for the space internship will be announced soon, in the meantime, you can watch this inspiring 80-second video. Registration for the International Space Challenge 2024 will be open on the 4th of May, you can monitor their website.
The sight of young children dressed as astronauts and the 2nd Minister of Education taking a selfie with them was one of our favorite moments. At Space Ambition, we strongly believe that we need to inspire and educate the next generation of SpaceTech engineers so that they can meet the demands of the industry in the coming decades. We hope that these children and their peers will be motivated to pursue careers in the aerospace sector. Who knows, perhaps one day they will be the ones taking the stage at a future GSTC, sharing their own incredible achievements and inspiring the next generation.
Other highlights
We enjoyed attending several engaging presentations that covered a wide range of topics, including space sustainability, space cyber security, and space solutions for climate change. One panel discussion that we loved was titled ‘Is Big Space Data the New Big Data?’ which highlighted the potential for space technology to address many pressing issues facing humanity today and stressed the importance of investing in this field. Another inspirational panel discussion was on Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) to explore space technology-based solutions for current and future challenges like recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
Overall, the GSTC conference was an enjoyable and memorable experience. During one of the panels, a participant remarked that visiting Asia feels like a glimpse into the future, as the region has tremendous potential to drive space technology forward. Based on this year's experience, we highly recommend attending next year's conference for those interested in thought leadership, investment, business development, and collaboration opportunities. There were plenty of investors in attendance, as well as start-ups pitching their ideas and businesses seeking to connect with potential customers or network with organizations such as NASA and ESA.
If you're a startup seeking investment, acceleration, or application for grants, feel free to contact alexandra@spaceambition.org for more information or check out our previous post about Singapore's deep tech and space tech ecosystem. We wish you all the best in building a solid international SpaceTech business and picking the right partners for that. Good luck!
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