Disclaimer
The organization and implementation of this SIGN impulse event are fully supported through external funding sources. No financial resources from the budget of SIGN e.V. have been employed in its preparation, execution, or related activities.
The SIGN Impulse Event “Accelerating European Space Ventures: A Path Toward Entrepreneurial Competitiveness and European Sovereignty” explores space as a new arena for interdisciplinary research, technological innovation, entrepreneurship, and societal reflection.
Space is no longer the domain of astronomy and aerospace engineering alone. It now draws on artificial intelligence, Earth observation, materials science, environmental engineering, economics, law, and policy — and the ventures being built at these intersections will determine whether Europe competes in the space economy of the coming decade.
From 28 to 30 September 2026, SIGN's Impulse Event brings together senior figures from across the European space ecosystem at Villa Vigoni, the German-Italian Centre for European Dialogue on Lake Como. At its heart is a full working day on European space entrepreneurship at the intersection of artificial intelligence, sustainability, and technological sovereignty.
The roundtable is chaired by Marcello Romano, member of SIGN's Extended Board, and Alessandro Golkar, both full professors at the Technical University of Munich. Around twenty senior Italian and German participants take part, drawn from European space agencies and institutes, together with NewSpace founders, investors, and leading academics from both countries. The discussions address where Europe's structural bottlenecks lie, what venture opportunities emerge at the convergence of AI and sustainability, how Europe can build a rapid-iteration pipeline for access to space, and how universities and industry should educate and retain the workforce these ventures will require.
The objective is to develop a shared position on how to accelerate Europe's space ecosystem, and to translate the resulting recommendations into concrete input for national and European policymakers.
As the network of Italian researchers in Germany, SIGN e.V. uses this event as a platform for strengthening scientific and technological exchange between Italy and Germany, making excellence visible across disciplines, supporting Europe's strategic autonomy, and encouraging young researchers and entrepreneurs to take an active role in shaping Europe's aerospace future.
The event is held under the auspices of SIGN, with the generous support of Villa Vigoni and the TUM Department of Aerospace and Geodesy.
