Our team and mission

This position can be based

• At the European Space and Research Technology Centre (ESTEC) – Noordwijk, Netherlands
• At the ESA HQ – Paris, France
• At the European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT) – Harwell, UK

The Head of the Commercialisation Services Department, who reports to the Director of Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness, is responsible for supporting the commercialisation of space products and services, the scale-up on global markets, as well as the access to investments and finance for European space industry. It works in close cooperation with other ESA Directorates and provides them with relevant services in the implementation of the programmes and activities with commercial content under their responsibilities.
The Department provides incubation services, seeding new space companies and generating the next generation of entrepreneurs; it fosters innovation through the network of PhiLabs, the management of ESA Patents and Technology Transfer activities; and it supports space companies’ easy access to capital (private and public finance and investor communities).
Together with the ESA Inspector General, the Department co-chairs the Commercialisation Inter Directorate Working Group (CIWG), ensuring alignment between directorate-level commercialisation plans and the overarching ESA Commercialisation Policy, as well as a harmonised approach to commercialisation across ESA.
The Department nurtures the ties with the NewSpace community to ensure industry feedback is effectively integrated into the implementation of ESA programmes and into the evolution of commercialisation services provided by ESA.
Beyond these functions, the Department actively contributes to creating a new generation of European space entrepreneurs by offering space commercialisation and business training. This initiative aims to foster a culture of commercialisation within the agency. The department may also utilise mechanisms such as prizes, competitions, and grand challenges to encourage industrial competitiveness and stimulate innovation across technology, products, services, and business models.

Field(s) of activity for the internship

You can choose between the following topics:

1) Topic 1: Digital Developments at ESA Innovation Services Section

You will support the ESA Innovation Services Section on the following matters: Work on the core development of the technology brokers and philab databases. This system automatically aggregates and manages data from various online and offline sources. Your work will primarily focus on integrating ESA’s spin-in activities and optimizing data management processes to ensure the seamless flow of information.

Key Responsibilities:

• Refine and expand our Python-based system responsible for web scraping, PDF data extraction, and data management. You’ll utilize a combination of HTML parsing, HTTP requests, and regular expressions to ensure robust data collection from multiple sources;
• Support the iterative creation of dashboards using Power BI in close collaboration with our technology brokers network and ESA-CIC country managers;
• Assist in the development of digital requirements for ACCESS Agents in preparation for CM25 and contribute to the transition of activities to the new activites.esa.int platform.

2) Topic 2: Business Incubation

The Entrepreneurship & Business Incubation Office (CIC-SUB) represents a visible contribution to ESA’s entrepreneurial effort to boost green and digital commercialisation. By tapping into Europe’s enterprising communities, the Office is expeditiously extending the reach of European commercial space into the global economy and society at large.

In particular, the ESA Business Incubation Centre (ESA BIC) focuses on supporting entrepreneurs and early-stage start-ups using space related technologies and/or data.

The ESA BICs focusses on three main objectives:

• Addressing real customer needs;
• Diversifying space as a business (NewSpace);
• Focus on acceleration of commercial growth.

The first ESA BIC was launched in the Netherlands in 2004, which has grown into a pan-European network of 30 ESA BICs in 21 Participating States by mid-2024. The Office additionally manages the ESRIC Start-up Support Programme in Luxembourg.

You will work on:

• Process and analyze data from start-ups on a portfolio level;
• Create and manage databases related to business incubation activities;
• Identify opportunities for further automatization of ESA BIC data collection, processing and visualization, including developing new approaches and dashboards;
• Prepare presentations and reports on findings;
• Promote environmental awareness and culture change in the space ecosystem;
• Implement sustainability initiatives in the ESA BIC network and activities;
• Encourage responsible procurement and supply chains in the space ecosystem;
• Support the stakeholder and partnership activities, such as EPIC;
• Perform other assignments based on operational needs of the team, particularly in activity coordination, marketing.

3) Topic 3: Invest, Investors and Finance

You will work on the core development of access to finance activities. The role will primarily focus on 3 main areas: Space Market Research and Business Analysis, Communication and Relationship with Industry and Reporting and Business Accelerator.

You will be involved in supporting ScaleUp INVEST activities. This includes:

1. Space Market Research and Business Analysis:

• Evaluate and identify potential candidate companies within the space sector, contributing to the growth and optimization of the ecosystem map;
• Analyze business plans of applicant companies, evaluating their viability and alignment with industry trends;
• Research and identify upcoming industry trends to provide insights for future thematic programme campaigns.

2. Communication and Relationship with the Industry:

• Actively participate in promoting the ES Marketplace to key stakeholders within the space industry;
• Provide support to companies throughout their application process, offering guidance and assistance;
• Assist in organizing, scheduling, and coordinating industry-oriented events.

3. Reporting and Administrative Support in preparation for CMIN’25:

• Collaborate on reporting and assessment tasks for the ScaleUp INVEST programme, with a particular focus on the ESA Marketplace;
• Support with the administrative activities and preparation for the CMIN’25;
• Contribute to optimizing the reporting processes and strategies of the ScaleUp programme, with a particular focus on the ESA Marketplace.

Behavioural competencies

Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking

For more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook

Education

You must be a university student, preferably in your final or second-to-last year of a university course at Master’s level and you need to remain enrolled at your University for the entire duration of the internship.

For Topic 1: Digital Developments at ESA Innovation Services Section, you must be pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in Computer Science IT, Data Science, or a related field.

For Topic 3: Invest, Investors & Finance, you must be pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a relevant field.

Additional requirements

The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another Member State language would be an asset.

For Topic 1: Digital Developments at ESA Innovation Services Section:

• Familiarity with Microsoft Power suite (PowerBI, Automate, and/or Apps) and Python for data management;
• Familiarity with Python, particularly in web scraping, data processing, and handling regular expressions;
• Experience with Power BI and Power Automate for flow automation and dashboard visualisation;
• A resolutive and self-driven approach with a strong interest in contributing to the commercialisation channels within the European Space Industry;
• Proactivity and hands-on mindset. Willing to delve into the commercialisation channels for the European Space Industry.

For Topic 2: Business Incubation:

• Statistics;
• Data analysis;
• Economic Key Performance Indicators for high-tech start-ups;
• MS Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint;
• Statistical software (e.g. R, PowerBI);
• Data automation and dashboards;
• Programming languages (e.g. Python) are considered an asset.

For Topic 3: Invest, Investors & Finance:

• High level of expertise in MS Excel, PowerPoint;
• Certification such as CFA (Certified Financial Analyst) or IMC (Investment Management Certificate) will be considered an asset but is not a requirement;
• Good interpersonal skills and the capacity to work independently and as part of a team.