Born on South Space Industrial System, a network that brings together SMEs and startups from Campania and the Mezzogiorno that invest in the aerospace sector. A further significant step forward in the growth of a sector that has shown great vitality in recent years thanks above all to the investments made by the Campania Region through the European cohesion policies of the ERDF RP.
The occasion for his presentation was the Up&Down Stream Conference the Darwin-Dohrn Museum of Naples the Mediterranean Aerospace Society.
“Space – explained theRegional Councillor for Research, Innovation and Start-up Valeria Fascione – today, it is one of the sectors with the greatest potential, with fundamental repercussions not only for aerospace, but also for defence, security and the development of enabling technologies. With the IRIDE programme, of which Campania is Champion user for theEuropean Space Agency, in 2026 Italy will be able to count on new satellites They will provide valuable data to monitor the territory, combat climate change and support agriculture and public administrations. That's why We are training 500 civil servants., so as to make full use of these opportunities. At the same time, we continue to support the industry with ERDF funds, how €30 million notice for aeronautics and space companies, and with investments that have made the Campania one of the most active regions in national and international space programmes”.
Support for the aerospace sector is only part of the the most important regional strategic programme linked to the innovation ecosystem.
‘The Spazio Sud Industrial System was created to make companies in the sector even stronger,’ he explained. Luigi Iavarone, President of the Società Mediterranea Aerospace SAM – which also come together with a view to future regional, national and international investment. We aim to raise the level of employment in a strategic sector for the future of our young people. The strength of the Spazio del Sud Italia SMEs is expanding greatly. The creation of this collaborative network will allow further growth in international markets with a particular perspective in the enlarged Mediterranean area”.
“Aerospace and defence are strategic assets for the technological autonomy and competitiveness of Italy and Europe.” Giorgio Marsiaj, Confindustria Aerospace Delegate – The supply chain needs to be strengthened, avoiding fragmentation and dispersal of resources outside the EU. That is why we are working on the Law of Space, on theEU Space Act and on the connection between industry and academia through a table with the Conference of Rectors of Italian Universities with the aim of fostering growth in size, innovation and integration between large groups and SMEs”.
The aerospace sector is a major force in the Mezzogiorno. invoice €500 million per year, one third of the national market.
To give the numbers of the sector was Salvio Capasso, Head of Enterprises and Territory of SRM of the Intesa San Paolo Group: “In the South there are about 80 companies out of 275 nationally. SMEs in Southern Italy active in the space sector are well 49, the 31,4% of the national data, startups 7 They represent about the 14,8% of the national data, while the large groups are 24, the 33,8% of the national data”.
Data also confirmed by Silvia Natalucci, Head of Cosmo-SkyMed Missions. “Southern companies – he said – show an increasingly strong presence in SIA calls and programmes, especially in projects related to: microsatellites and downstream applications, which transform space data into innovative services for society”. Natalucci highlighted the role of the NRRP and new European programmes who see one Substantial participation of companies in the South, in particular in the ground-based services and applications segment.
Among the most important activities affecting companies in the South is the aforementioned IRIDE programme, illustrated byEuropean Space Agency (Esa) through the words of Marco Casucci, coordinator of the uptake program of the Local PA of IRIDE: “This is a programme funded by the Italian Government, through the Italian Space Agency and ESA, which is having a very important impact from the perspective of the space industry, thanks to the presence of innovative small and medium-sized enterprises, both in the Neapolitan area in the Beneventano, which are developing image-based local government services from satellites”.
The Spazio Sud Industrial System marks the transition from a ‘sum of excellence’ to a Integrated and coordinated ecosystem, making the Mezzogiorno a European gateway for space applications with high added value.
Massimo Deandreis, General Manager of SRM, points out that the Italian space supply chain is concentrated mainly in four regions: Piedmont, Lazio, Campania and Puglia. “The synergy between these territories needs to be strengthened – he said – because the space supply chain is long and highly integrated at European and international level. Space is not just a technology sector, but a cross-cutting pillar for the development of other production sectors, from agri-food to the management of environmental resources”.
Mauro Piermaria, Head Vicar of the Space Policy Office of the Prime Minister’s Office, stressed the importance of events dedicated to the aggregation of space companies and spoke about the the aerospace sector of Campania which, with ‘technologically advanced companies, major players, research centres and startups’, he said, offers a important contribution to the development of the major space programmes of the future“.
English (UK)