Space West is a strategic collaboration platform, initiated by the Västra Götaland Region and operated by Chalmers Next Labs, with the aim of developing a Swedish ecosystem for the commercial space industry. By bringing together academia, industry and public-sector actors, the platform promotes innovation, dual-use technology (civilian/military) and international competitiveness. The agreement was signed together with Aaron Dinardi (pictured), Managing Director of the Space West collaborative platform at Next Labs, Chalmers University of Technology.
“Space is an industry of the future. It creates many new opportunities for the school, both in terms of research and education,” says Måns Söderbom, Dean of the School of Business, Economics and Law.
The purpose of Space West is to create a NewSpace ecosystem in Sweden. Western Sweden already has a strong cluster for the development of satellite data, communication, navigation, and climate sensors, with applications for both civilian and defence needs. A completely new industrial structure focusing on international trade in space-technology goods and services in Europe is now emerging.
The global satellite market is expected to expand enormously in the coming decade. However, there are significant financial and political risks involved in this industry, creating entirely new demands for legal and financial expertise. One of the most important challenges in this context is how the European public procurement framework can be adapted and many questions remain unanswered regarding how private investment and activities in space should be regulated.
“The School of Business, Economics and Law is one of few international business schools that combine legal expertise with research in business and economics. By putting together researchers from various fields we can contribute to the development of the West Sweden Space cluster,” says Måns Söderbom.
