> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://barna.news/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Catalan Government Boosts ESA BIC Barcelona with €590,000 - URL: https://barna.news/catalan-government-boosts-esa-bic/ - Published: 2026-11-03T21:48:34.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T21:52:05.000Z - Description: The Catalan government has allocated €590,000 to extend the ESA BIC Barcelona business incubator’s mission to support space-tech start-ups over the next three years. - Author: Barna.News News Desk - Tags: Economy & Finance, Catalonia The Catalan government has committed €590,000 to sustain and expand ESA BIC Barcelona, a business incubator dedicated to space technology start-ups, as part of its Catalonia Space 2030 Strategy. The funding will support 20 innovative companies over the next three years, reinforcing Catalonia’s growing aerospace sector and contributing to European technological sovereignty. ESA BIC Barcelona, located in the RDIT building at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya’s (UPC) Baix Llobregat Campus within the Parc Mediterrani de la Tecnologia (PMT) in Castelldefels, is one of 33 European Space Agency (ESA) business incubation centres worldwide. The initiative is led by the Secretariat for Digital Policies of the Department of Business and Labour, in collaboration with UPC and PMT, and with the support of Barcelona City Council through Barcelona Activa. The financial support will provide 18 companies selected between 2026 and 2028 with €60,000 each, €30,000 from the Catalan government and €30,000 from ESA. Additionally, two companies selected in 2026 will each receive €60,000, with €25,000 from the Catalan government and €35,000 from ESA. Start-ups benefit from non-equity financial incentives, mentoring, technical and business support, legal and intellectual property advice, and access to sector-specific events and seminars. They also gain opportunities to locate within the dedicated ESA BIC Barcelona space at the RDIT building, which hosts the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC) and PhiLab Spain. ## Continuity of a Key Innovation Hub This new agreement continues a collaboration first initiated in 2021 and formalised in a management agreement signed in December 2022\. ESA BIC Barcelona was the first ESA incubator established in Spain, initially launching in 2014 and supporting 27 start-ups in its first phase. Reactivated in 2022 by the Generalitat, UPC, and PMT, the programme aims to transform space-based business ideas into viable enterprises. --- ## Support for Twenty Start-ups The programme targets start-ups developing products or services using space technologies or data, or creating solutions for the space sector. Participating companies join UPC’s innovation ecosystem, the Digital Catalonia Alliance (DCA-Espai) Space community, and the wider ESA BIC network, enhancing their visibility and collaboration opportunities. > The continuity of ESA BIC Barcelona strengthens a key instrument for consolidating the Catalan space ecosystem and fostering its economic growth, according to the Generalitat. ESA BIC Barcelona remains a central pillar of the Catalonia Space 2030 Strategy, designed to position Catalonia as a leader in Europe’s space innovation landscape. --- *Sources:* [*Govern de Catalunya*](https://govern.cat/salapremsa/notes-premsa/887868/govern-destina-590000-euros-impulsar-incubadora-dempreses-espacials-esa-bic-barcelona?ref=barna.news)*,* [*diaricatalunya.cat*](https://diaricatalunya.cat/en/barcelones/barcelona/government-boosts-esa-bic-barcelona-space-business-incubator?ref=barna.news)*.*