Dear Alumni,
EVENT RESERVED FOR FRANCE ALUMNI MEMBERS AND MEMBERS OF THE ALUMNI PARTNERS NETWORK
REGISTRATION REQUIRED, SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY
PALAZZO FARNESE - ROME
APRIL 16, 2025, 6:15pm with
Ezio Bussoletti, President of E-Geos, a company dedicated to Earth observation and geospatial information.
Gianluigi Baldesi, Head of the Enterprise and Funding Office, European Space Agency
Sandra Budimir, co-founder and general partner, Expansion Ventures
Moderated by Nazareno Mario Ciccarello, serial entrepreneur and President of the IE Business School Alumni Club presented by Martin Briens, French Ambassador to Italy with the support of Telespazio
The event will take place in English without translation, and will be followed by a cocktail reception.
The space economy is a fast-growing strategic sector, with a global market that exceeds $470 billion a year and is expected to reach $1,800 billion by 2035 (World Economic Forum). This growth is driven by both public and private investment, with European funding rising from less than 200 million in 2019 to more than a billion a year over the past three years. Today, space applications are essential for telecommunications, navigation, environmental monitoring and security. New business models are emerging in areas such as space debris disposal, in-orbit manufacturing and the lunar economy, while geopolitics is reinforcing the role of space in defense and strategic resilience.
For over 50 years, the European Space Agency (ESA) has been a key player, funding research, promoting the development of ecosystems and encouraging collaboration between the public and private sectors. France and Italy play a leading role in the European space economy, with leading companies and structured cooperation within the Space Alliance, made up of Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio, a joint venture between the French group Thales and the Italian Leonardo.
This round-table discussion provides an opportunity to explore the dynamics of this booming sector, analyzing synergies between the two countries and future prospects in a European and global context.
