ESA Space IP Market Day

Collaboration, Intellectual Property, and Real Opportunities from Space to Earth

On March 28, the ESA Space IP Market Day brought together over 100 professionals from the space, technology, and industrial sectors to explore the role of intellectual property and technology transfer as drivers of cross-sector innovation and economic impact.

The event was organized by Arribes, the ESA Technology Broker in Spain, in collaboration with the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, the Spanish Space Agency (AEE), and the European Space Agency (ESA). Hosted at the AEE headquarters, the day served as a strategic forum to connect science, industry, and society.

The event was led by Luis Martín, and Noelia Sánchez from Arribes, the ESA Technology Broker, who guided attendees through the opportunities available to protect, scale, and transfer space technologies.

Institutional opening and closing remarks were delivered by Cecilia Hernández and José María Pérez (AEE), who emphasized the importance of IP as a strategic lever for innovation, competitiveness and public-private collaboration.

Mercedes Sánchez, Head of Patents at ESA, explained how companies across ESA Member States can access ESA-owned technologies and license them under favorable conditions — especially for SMEs and startups.

A key moment came from Enrique Martínez, President of SEGITTUR, who presented the tourism sector as a ready and ideal recipient of space-based solutions, particularly in the fields of sustainability, digitalisation, and smart destinations.

Success stories from EOSOL, SENER and PONS IP, showcased how ESA technologies are already being adapted and commercialised. Additionally, participants learned about the ESA Technology Broker programmes available to support companies, such as IP for Commercialization, Spark Funding, and Prepare for Space.

The event closed with a strong message: space is no longer only about satellites — it’s about solving real challenges on Earth. And the time to protect and transfer our technologies and patents is now.