CATEC once again joined the celebration of World Space Week by organizing several activities as part of the program promoted by the City Council of Seville and Seville, Spanish Space Capital, which took place over recent days across various locations, centers, and partner organizations.

On October 8, we held an educational talk at the Centro Público Integrado de Formación Profesional (CPIFP) Javier Imbroda in Seville, attended by over 100 students specializing in Aerospace and Robotics. Under the title “Entrepreneurship in Space: Opportunities from Andalusia”, several colleagues from CATEC and ESA BIC Andalusia outlined the main future opportunities offered by the space sector for the next generation. Irene Heras, senior researcher at CATEC, introduced our center and its main technological lines and services, highlighting some of our most notable space-related projects in recent years. Meanwhile, Gracia Catalina Piñero, manager of ESA BIC Andalusia, explored the business potential of the space sector, the ongoing transformation from traditional space to New Space (in which Spain is actively involved), and the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship. She encouraged students to keep “an open mind”. She concluded by presenting ESA BIC Andalusia, the first business incubator of the European Space Agency (ESA) in Andalusia, explaining its mission, partners, and the current open call for startups (applications open until October 31).

On October 9, we hosted the activity “Explore CATEC!”, an Open Day at our facilities in Seville. We welcomed nearly 40 university students from the Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Organization Engineering and the PhD program in Systems and Sustainable Engineering at Universidad Loyola Andalucía, and from the Aerospace Engineering and Telecommunication Technologies degrees at the University of Seville.

During the visit, students had the opportunity to learn about our infrastructure and services, observe technological demonstrations (such as a small demo of the MultiSIM system), and see some of CATEC’s real workspaces. They were welcomed and guided by Irene Heras, Gabriela Cáceres, Moushine Kassimi, and Francisco Javier Esteban, who also answered questions regarding our work in the space sector. The visit concluded with an introduction to ESA BIC Andalusia, to raise awareness of its launch and the opportunities it offers for the region.

That same day, October 9, we also hosted the Space Commission of the Andalucía Aerospace Cluster, of which CATEC is a member. The meeting aimed to highlight the value of the space industry in Andalusia and the work our center carries out in this field. The Commission was welcomed by our CEO, Joaquín Rodríguez Grau, and later held a meeting where they were given a first-hand presentation of ESA BIC Andalusia, its objectives, and the current open call for startups, delivered by our colleague Gracia Catalina Piñero, manager of the incubator. Following the meeting, participants took a tour of our technological center, guided by our Smart Industry Director, Jesús Boby Alcaide, where they were shown some of our current projects, with special focus on space sector initiatives, along with several technological demonstrations.

Thank you very much to everyone who visited us and showed interest in the work, science, and technology we develop at CATEC!