Call for Start up

• International visibility: provide new entrepreneurial ventures with a qualified stage, both national and global, fostering meetings between established industry and emerging technological innovation.
   
• Concrete Open Innovation: create structured opportunities for dialogue between exhibiting companies, start-ups, and investors, accelerating processes of product, service, and business model innovation.
   
• Strategic positioning: strengthen the role of the Italian innovative ecosystem as a reference interlocutor in the development of the Space Economy at an international level.
   
• Culture and networking: enhance the best innovators by promoting content, expertise, and high-value testimonies on key topics of technological innovation related to space.

The initiative is addressed to start-ups established for less than 5 years and SMEs, both Italian and foreign, registered in their respective category registers (in Italy, the special section for innovative start-ups). Applicants must propose advanced technologies in the sectors listed below and in line with the BEX exhibition macro-categories.

Priority will be given to deep-tech solutions with high industrialization potential, a validated business model, and concrete attractiveness for investors, particularly in terms of venture capital and multi-domain applications.

1. SPACE INDUSTRY – UPSTREAM

Solutions for access to space and orbital infrastructure:

• Launch systems and microlaunchers (reusable vehicles, low-impact hybrid propulsion, LOX, biofuels)
• Advanced propulsion systems
• Space modules and orbiting habitats
• Construction and management of commercial space stations
• Space infrastructure and space logistics
• Responsive Space systems

2. SATELLITE DATA USE – DOWNSTREAM

• Construction and launch of satellites and constellations
• Analysis and enhancement of satellite data
• Earth Observation and climate monitoring
• Space-to-Earth and inter-satellite telecommunications
• Data-driven software and platforms
• Space cybersecurity
• Earth security and critical infrastructure

3. NEW SPACE ECONOMY & IN-ORBIT OPERATIONS

Solutions enabling the crossover between space and terrestrial industrial sectors: 
 

In-Orbit Operations

• In-orbit servicing, refueling, inspection, debris removal
• In-orbit manufacturing and microgravity production
• Space robotics and autonomous systems

Cross-Industry Applications

• Food & Beverage Technologies (functional food, space nutrition, closed-loop food systems)
• Healthcare & Biomedical Technologies (telemedicine, bio-monitoring, life-support systems, remote diagnostics)
• Sports & Human Performance (wearables, physiological monitoring, performance optimisation)
• Advanced Materials & Extreme-Environment Solutions (new composites, lightweight structures, high-resilience materials)
• Tech Fashion & Smart Textiles (smart fabrics, intelligent garments, advanced protective systems)
• Automotive & Smart Mobility (autonomous systems, lightweight engineering, electrification technologies)
• Energy & Power Systems (renewables, energy storage, hydrogen, smart grids, space-to-earth energy applications)
• Agritech & Controlled Environment Systems (precision agriculture, cultivation and regenerative systems)
• Cross-Sector Industrial Applications & Technology Transfer (non-space solutions derived from multi-domain R&D)

4. UNMANNED & MULTI-DOMAIN OPERATIONS

• Drones and eVTOL
• Autonomous terrestrial, underwater, and space systems
• Integrated multi-domain solutions
• High-precision navigation systems (High Accuracy Service)
• Navigation Message Authentication
• SAR and advanced location systems

Companies meeting the listed requirements can apply by filling out the appropriate online form and providing consent for the processing of the required data. The deadline for submitting applications is May 31, 2026.

Applications deemed eligible will then be reviewed by an Evaluation Committee consisting of representatives from IEG, industrial partners, investors, and qualified stakeholders from the Space Economy ecosystem. Each project will be evaluated using a scoring system (from 1 to 10) based on the following criteria:
 

• Market potential and industrial scalability, with particular attention to the sustainability of the business model and the ability to attract investments;
• Stage of development of the solution (Technology Readiness Level – TRL) and growth roadmap;
• Level of technological innovation, degree of competitive differentiation, and defensibility (IP, patents, proprietary know-how);
• Quality and complementarity of the team, technical and managerial skills;
• Competitive positioning and clarity of the value proposition;
• Consistency with the needs of the target market and the size/opportunity of the reference segment;
• Strategic impact, particularly with respect to the trajectories of the New Space Economy and cross-sector applications enabled by space technologies.

The final ranking will be defined based on the total score obtained. The start-ups with the highest ranking will access the Open Innovation District and the initiatives provided by the Call.

The selected start-ups and innovative SMEs will be able to participate upon payment of a secretarial fee of €600 + VAT.

At the end of the selection process, the accepted projects will receive an official communication via email. The selected participants must confirm their participation within 2 working days from receipt, by responding to the email. If there is no response within the deadline, the application will be considered invalid, and other eligible candidates in the ranking will be contacted.

After confirmation, the accepted participants will receive the registration form (contract) to be returned completed, signed, and stamped, along with the following documentation:
 

• Payment receipt of the participation fee (€600 + VAT) via bank transfer;
• Updated Chamber of Commerce registration (for Italian innovative SMEs);
• High-definition company logo in vector format (.ai, .svg, or .eps preferred)
   

In case of withdrawal by one or more selected candidates, Italian Exhibition Group, in agreement with the partners, will proceed with the ranking and admit further eligible candidates.

The selected start-ups and innovative SMEs will have access to a complete service package designed to maximize visibility and business opportunities:

• Start-Up All-Inclusive Package: Complete exhibition station (dedicated desk, stool, customized graphics with your logo);

• Official Exhibition: Includes registration and access to the fair as official exhibitors;

• Digital Catalog: Inclusion in the online exhibitor catalog of the event, in the start-up section;

• Online Visibility: Presence on a dedicated webpage on the official BEX website and in the event app;

• Business Meetings ("My Agenda"): Access to the My Agenda platform to book one-to-one meetings with potential clients and partners before and during the event;

• Reserved Parking: 1 external parking pass for all event days;

• Exhibitor Pass: 2 exhibitor badges for stand staff;

• Complimentary Invitations: Free entrance tickets for your clients/contacts;

• Dedicated Info Point: Reception team at the Innovation District to direct visitors and provide information about the present start-ups;

• Media Coverage: Promotion of selected projects through press releases and national and international media channels;

• Pitch at Conferences: 3-minute slot on the stage of the Innovation Arena to present your start-up during vertical conferences dedicated to innovation;

• Advanced Networking: Opportunity to initiate contacts before the event through the BEX app, with a dedicated profile to increase your strategic network.

To enhance the presence of start-ups and innovative SMEs in the Innovation District, IEG – in collaboration with its partners – will award a special plaque to the most innovative and impactful projects (one for each exhibition sector of BEX). The selection of the winners will be made by the Evaluation Committee of the initiative, and the prize will be presented during the event.

The applications will be reviewed by an Evaluation Committee composed of experts from the innovation and space economy sectors:
 

• Giuseppe Lorizzo – Partner EY
• Emilio Alacevich – Technology Transfer Directorate, Startup and Entrepreneurship Office - IIT

• Daniela Sani – ART-ER, Head of Research and Territory (Sustainable Development)

• Ilaria Cavalleri – Investment Principal at Primo Space

• Nicoletta Amodio – Executive Adviser for Research and Innovation, Confindustria (Director of the MAI Foundation)

• Gabriele Ferrieri – President, ANGI (National Association of Young Innovators)

• Francesco Brescia – Ventures Associate Aerospace, Plug and Play Tech Center & Takeoff Accelerator

• Alessandra Astolfi – Global Exhibition Director, Green & Tech Division, IEG

• Lorenzo Ciapetti – Project Manager, Aerospace Value Chain Coordinator, Tecnopolo Forlì-Cesena

• Matteo Coletta - Head of Sector, Study Centre and New Space Economy, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana