From May 20 to 22 in Venice, discover Veneto’s space companies with Space Meetings Veneto, an international event at the Venice Passenger Terminal
From May 20 to 22, Venice will be the global aerospace hub: the leading global operators in the space economy and emerging technological sectors will gather to discuss the latest developments in the world of satellite applications, innovative technologies, supply chains, and investments.
Space Meetings Veneto, an international event from May 20 to 22 at the Venice Passenger Terminal, is made possible thanks to the commitment of the Veneto Region and the AIR Regional Innovation Network – Aerospace Innovation and Research, which have mapped and connected the region’s excellence, creating an ecosystem of public bodies, universities, research centers, and companies, making Veneto one of the leading regions in Italy in the aerospace supply chain.
The aerospace industry in Veneto has a turnover of 1.5 billion euros, with 52 companies employing 5,000 people: “We are third in Italy, but we will become first. We want to invest in aerospace and in the RIR, the regional aerospace innovation network, involving young people,” says Luca Zaia, President of the Veneto Region.
The space economy is a growing sector for Italy: in addition to international manufacturers such as Thales Alenia, Leonardo, Airbus, and Ariane Group, the Italian Space Agency and the European Space Agency will be present in Venice. The three days will be divided into four thematic areas: investments in space and aeronautics, the supply chain in the modern space economy, applications for agriculture, viticulture, and environmental monitoring, and the relationship between sport and space. Topics such as “Space Technologies in support of the green transition,” “Food in Space and Psychophysical Health” with Marta del Bianco from ASI, the Italian Space Agency, will also be covered, followed by the presentation of the Space Athletics Federation, and “Space is in fashion,” featuring a dialogue between manufacturers of spacesuits and winter sports gear.
The Investment Forum will take place at the Procuratie Vecchie in St. Mark’s Square on Monday the 20th, and on the afternoon of Wednesday the 23rd, the highlight of this edition: the meetings of the Festival of Ideas, an event also open to the public.
The second edition of the international Veneto Stars Challenge, promoted by the Veneto Region and a key initiative of the Veneto Digital Agenda, for the launch of a permanent open innovation laboratory dedicated to young Europeans to give them the opportunity to propose innovative ideas based on the use of space data, which will reward the generation of ideas aimed at the protection, conservation, and enhancement of the UNESCO heritage of the Veneto Region using space data.
Veneto, a leader in the Space Economy for technological innovations and applications in sport, agriculture, and tourism
Focus on cutting-edge space technologies and civil applications in various sectors such as agriculture, with projects to reduce water consumption and safeguard bee pollination, tourism, and major events: “From telecommunications to weather forecasting, from the management of climate and environmental emergencies to precision agriculture,” says Roberto Marcato, Regional Councilor for Economic Development and Energy, “several Veneto companies are internationally recognized as highly specialized in the aerospace industry.”
The creation of AIR, the ‘Aerospace Innovation and Research’ Regional Innovation Network, concretely demonstrates that we are entering a new space age, with Veneto at the forefront.
The aerospace industry in Veneto
The event, in addition to providing the opportunity to explore the latest frontiers of the sector, highlights the importance of the Space Economy as a driver of economic development for Veneto.
“In Veneto, there are 38 highly specialized entities linked to the aerospace industry, creating direct employment for 764 people and generating indirect employment for 4,000-5,000 professionals,” continues Roberto Marcato on the occasion of National Space Day.
To contribute to innovation in the sector, Marcato cites the upper Vicenza area as an example, with its various companies recognized internationally as centers of excellence: from Officina Stellare in Sarcedo (VI), which produces lenses and telescopes; the Dainese design center, which studies suits for astronauts going to Mars; to the Forgital Group in Velo D’Astico (VI), a major global player in components for aircraft engines, space rockets, satellites, and orbiting stations. Added to these is Zoppas Industries from Vittorio Veneto (TV), which has been producing flex heaters for 30 years used in the thermal balancing of satellites, spacecraft, pressurized modules, and ground antennas.
Innovation and space technology in Venice
Space Meetings Veneto represents an important meeting and discussion point for the main players in the space sector, both at national and European levels, which will develop new commercial relationships through personalized B2B meetings, access to the latest technological innovations, and conferences with industry experts from research centers and universities.
Space Meetings Veneto
from May 20 to 22, 2024
Venice Passenger Terminal, Building 248, Venice
Article by Lucia Pecoraro and Laura Scarpa.
Cover photo of the Port of Venice by Hulya Ozkurt. Other images are from the Space Meetings Veneto press office.
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