Knowledge and skill needs and challenges of innovation ecosystems in the Central-Eastern and South-Eastern European space sector

Background: The European space sector is on the rise, introducing a rapidly growing market with a lot of expanding opportunities for innovative space products, applications and services, even in non-space sectors. In this article, we investigate the skill levels of innovation intermediaries that provide support to innovators (i.e., start-ups, scale-ups and SMEs) in the Central-Eastern (CE) and South-Eastern (SE) European space sector. Our objective is to identify: (i) the available competences and (ii) the missing skills (potential areas for improvement) of innovation intermediaries in the EU space sector. Methods: Our methodological approach consists of (i) desk research complemented by 15 semi-structured interviews which introduced a baseline framework of innovation intermediaries’ desired knowledge and skill levels, as well as (ii) an online survey, addressing the case of innovation intermediaries and the innovators, respectively. We have synthesized the key inferences that stem from the online survey, building on the outcomes of a quantile analysis, the correlations among various skill areas, and a regression analysis that we have employed. Results: By using statistical methods and regression analysis based on a sample of 104 survey responses, several interesting insights for the future of the European space innovation have been identified and are highlighted in the present manuscript. Conclusion: We conclude that innovation intermediaries in the space sector have the adequate capacity to effectively train and support innovators at improving, primarily, their organisational skills and soft skills. Trainers are also competent at assessing the investment readiness levels of innovators, their pitching skills, and they can provide tailored business support services to innovators. In parallel, a key finding of this study is that space innovators need to receive better training to improve their business modelling skills, better support the management of business’ Intellectual Property, and understand key technologies of the space market.