BEX brings 25 startups to the Open Innovation District, with data processed in orbit, extreme materials and autonomous systems

·       25 startups selected through an international call, 22 Italian from ten regions and 3 international

·       Three pitch sessions presented by ESA BIC Torino, the incubation program run by I3P with support from Politecnico di Torino and Fondazione LINKS

·       The Open Innovation District is delivered with EY as Main Sponsor, alongside contributions from ASI, ESA BIC Turin, Plug and Play, Primo Space, I3P, IIT, Fondazione MAI, ANGI, ART-ER and Tecnopolo Forlì-Cesena

·       Wednesday, September 23: awards ceremony for the projects with the highest innovation content, one per exhibition sector

·       Friday, September 25: the Stati Generali della Space Economy session dedicated to startups, microenterprises and incubators

Rimini, September 21, 2026 - BEX, Beyond Exploration Expo, opens at Rimini Expo Centre. The expo-conference, organized by Italian Exhibition Group, is dedicated to the convergence between the space economy and terrestrial industries. Among the features defining this first edition is the Open Innovation District, the area bringing together startups, innovative SMEs and emerging technologies, with a focus on dual-use applications and solutions capable of generating value both in the space sector and in terrestrial supply chains.

EY serves as Main Sponsor of the Open Innovation District, joining BEX on its path toward innovation and the connection between new technologies, businesses and the market.

The project is also backed by a strong network of partners from the innovation and space economy ecosystem: Primo Space (Primo Ventures SGR), ASI (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana), Plug and Play, ESA BIC Turin, I3P (Politecnico di Torino's innovative business incubator), ART-ER, IIT (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia), Fondazione MAI, ANGI (Associazione Nazionale Giovani Innovatori) and Tecnopolo Forlì-Cesena. It's a network of complementary skills that brings together incubation and acceleration, research, capital and representation of the business community.

The area brings together startups, innovative SMEs and emerging technologies, with a focus on dual-use applications and solutions capable of generating value both in the space sector and in terrestrial supply chains.

The companies taking part were identified through an international call that selected 25 startups, 22 of them Italian and 3 international, coming from Austria, Sweden and Portugal. The Italian companies come from ten regions: Emilia-Romagna, Puglia, Veneto, Campania, Lombardia, Lazio, Piemonte, Marche, Toscana and Calabria. Each has its own exhibition space within the area, spread across BEX's four exhibition sectors, with seven projects in new space economy and in-orbit operations, seven in applications and services built on satellite data, five in upstream industry and infrastructure, and six in autonomous multidomain systems.

PRESS CONTACT IEG

head of media relation & corporate communication: Elisabetta Vitali; press office manager: Marco Forcellini, Pier Francesco Bellini; press office coordinator: Luca Paganin; press office specialist: Mirko Malgieri; press office assistant: Julia Andreatta media@iegexpo.it;

MEDIA AGENCY BEX - BEYOND EXPLORATION EXPO: MEP S.r.l.

Leonardo Vivard - leonardo.vivard@mep.it - mob. +39 3897652135
Valentina Impellizzeri - valentina.impellizzeri@mep.it - mob +39 3806366514

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