BSGN Advanced Materials Accelerator: deep-dive into microgravity-enabled opportunities for advanced materials

The space environment makes it possible to manufacture materials of much higher quality and performance otherwise unattainable in the gravity-induced conditions on Earth. In Phase One of the new BSGN Advanced Materials Accelerator, several exciting opportunities for materials innovation in the microgravity environment have been identified. 

Following the launch event of the BSGN Accelerator on 20th September (recording available here), Innovate UK KTN are hosting a virtual deep-dive workshop on the 17th October to provide a forum for experts from the materials community, space community and service providers to come together to discuss the opportunities developed in Phase One. BSGN is carried out under a programme of and funded by ESA, the European Space Agency.

Attendees will be sent pre-workshop information on each of their thematic areas of interest: metallic materials, nanomaterials, advanced ceramics, novel polymers and fibres, and functional coatings and thin film systems. Please read this information in advance of the workshop as they will form the basis of the breakout rooms.

Aims of the workshop:

• Show participants the innovative and financial opportunities of conducting R&D in space
• Develop new collaborations between advanced materials and space environment experts
• Encourage expressions of interest to be submitted to future funding calls

Who is this workshop for?

• Materials innovators
• Industrial R&D users 
• Commercial users of microgravity
• Platform developers and academic researchers in the UK and EU.

Event format

We will adopt a workshop format and we anticipate that all participants will contribute to the discussion. There will be breakout rooms on specific thematic areas and you will be allocated to a room based on your interest area. In each breakout room the opportunities to use the space environment for advanced materials R&D will be discussed. This will be a chance to share your knowledge and understanding of advanced materials innovation. Within each breakout room there will be a space expert and a facilitator to guide the discussion.

Please note each breakout room has limited capacity. We strongly encourage early registration, as spots will be offered on a first come, first served basis.

Attendees will also gain a stronger understanding of the Call for Proposals related to this opportunity, open until 30 November. 

About the BSGN Advanced Materials Accelerator

The BSGN Advanced Materials Accelerator has been established to support innovators and enterprises developing new products, technologies, and services at the intersection of advanced materials and microgravity engineering. The accelerator promotes opportunities for engineering novel materials in microgravity, and the contract is carried out under the BSGN programme of and funded by the European Space Agency.

Who are the partners in the BSGN Advanced Materials Accelerator?

The accelerator is coordinated by the Satellite Applications Catapult in the UK with partners including Innovate UK KTN, the National Composites Centre (NCC), the Technological Institute of Plastics (AIMPLAS), the DLR Institute of Material Research (DLR) and the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI).

For inquiries related to the accelerator, please get in touch at BSGNmaterials@sa.catapult.org.uk. Find out more on the BSGN website.