In our latest Pledgers’ Share & Connect webinar, we listened to presentations from our Pledgers, who provided insights into the space sector, it’s importance for all areas of industry, the future skills needed, and opportunities for collaboration. Pledgers included:
- Carlo Saverio Iorio– Director of Scientific Affairs at yourscienceEDU (Italy), adjunct Professor at York University (Canada) and Director of CREST at the University of Brussels (Belgium), with over 25 years of experience in space science and technology programmes.
- Olivier Zephir– Head of Business Development & Innovation at Technoport (Luxembourg), fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in the space sector.
- Kevin Ramirez– Representing Climate-KIC, highlighting how the organisation supports the uptake of Earth Observation data through standardisation, training, and innovation initiatives.
- Staci Prevato– Representing the International Space Alliance (North Macedonia) where she managed Robotics in Space one of the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative’s Call for Training Proposals projects.
Future skills for the space sector
Dr. Carlo Saverio Iorio explained that there is a rising interest in the space market and a thriving community of startups and motivated companies who are expanding their activities in space, along with non-space companies, such as pharmaceuticals, that are considering space as a field to expand their activities. The result is that there are not enough skilled talents to cover demand.
Although current skillsets that include systems engineering, AI-enabled data analysis, space manufacturing, and cybersecurity, are still essential, they are increasingly insufficient regarding the space sector’s growth.
Future skills will be interdisciplinary and transformational for planetary design and multi-environment fabrication, such as interplanetary bio-systems designers for life support and bio-fabrication of lunar/martian habitats, multi-environment manufacturing scientists for gravity-variant production, and experts capable of modelling radiation-material interactions on-site. Additionally, there will be a need for some unexpected skills including space anthropologists, gravity-aware economists, closed-loop resource architects for integrated biological-material cycles, and narrative engineers to shape public legitimacy and investor confidence.
Carlo closed with the message that:
- Space careers will emerge where disciplines merge, not where they separate
- Hybrid, adaptive, cross-environment thinkers will define the next decade
- The Artemis era demands professionals who can design, interpret, and govern new worlds.
Analyse and adapt for space
Olivier Zephir highlighted that pledger Technoport is active in the space sector, and its experience includes:
- Laboratory to test new concepts for the ecosystem
- Market and technology knowledge gleaned from over 25 years’ experience
- Open innovation ecosystem builder supporting venture development
- Support to foreign corporates and scale-ups
Technoport’s 12-week incubator programme is for operating companies from all sectors who own a piece of technology and are looking to see if it can become space-grade tech. Technoport is also addressing ambitious challenges by consolidating a ‘new aerospace operations’ cluster. This cluster focuses on advancing In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) technologies and commercial-oriented activities to contribute to a sustainable in-space technology.
Harnessing Earth Observation and climate services for climate resilience
With 15 years’ experience supporting countries move towards sustainability, Climate-KIC is the leading organisation on systems to enable climate action through Earth Observation (EO) and systemic innovation.
Kevin Ramírez explained that Climate-KIC’s InnoSpace programme began as a specific request to improve an existing programme, and included two summer schools in 2017 and 2018, which had over 40 participants. They integrated Copernicus satellite data and tools, and focused on climate innovation and real-world use cases. From these initial activities, Climate-KIC expanded its work by engaging in several EU-funded projects dedicated to building Europe’s EO skills base:
- AC – strengthening the Corpernicus academic and training ecosystem
- Our Space Our Future – inspiring young people, from 10 to 14, to consider space-related careers
- EO4GEO – the most comprehensive skills and labour market project in EO, supporting education, reskilling and upskilling in Europe
Kevin highlighted that the biggest challenge in the Our Space Our Future programme was that students still were not inspired to pursue careers in space, as it is still perceived as a field in which only a few succeed: astronauts, engineers, etc. He highlighted that there are still not enough people in STEM and the space sector, and that the ‘theory’ of “only a few can succeed” needs to be debunked, because the space industry needs people with skills in biotech, EO, and even clothing design.
Climate-KIC is also working alongside European organisations in supporting the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) deliver training activities on CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) and C3S (Copernicus Climate Change Service).
Over the years, Climate-KIC’s efforts have evolved to support the next layer of data uptake, climate services, which, along with its EO activities, are embedded in Climate-KIC’s systemic innovation approach, creating the enabling conditions for EO data to become mainstream in planning, governance, finance allocation, resilience building, and better decision making at the local level.
Kevin closed by highlighting several collaboration opportunities for the wider EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative community:
- Co-design and deliver training programmes on EO data applications, climate services, and adaptation planning
- Develop capacity-building modules for public authorities, SMEs and industry stakeholders to integrate EO insights into decision-making
- Facilitate multi-stakeholder co-creation workshops to align EO data use with local adaptation needs
- Integration of EO and climate date into innovation portfolios you may be developing
Robotics in Space
Staci Prevato explained that the Robotics in Space course comprised a four-partner consortium: International Space Alliance, Beyond Orbit, Thales, and Montenegro Space Research.
This 50-hour course is a free, online programme designed to be accessible and practical for individuals, over the age of 18, in the Balkans and beyond. It aims to:
- Introduce the participants to technologies utilised in space exploration, with topics covering planetary robotics, advanced materials, rockets, satellites, and cybersecurity.
- Demonstrate how innovations in space exploration can address challenges on Earth.
- Equip learners with practical knowledge to explore career opportunities in the rapidly growing space and deep tech sectors.
As one of the winning EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative Call for Training Proposals 2024, the consortium began developing the course in December 2024, and each partner focused on one module, and the course launched to the public in March 2025 on a free self-register platform. The course itself comprised 50 hours of self-paced learning, which included recorded lectures, guided readings, and quizzes and learning checks.
The project’s KPI targets were 500 learners, with 30% women participation and 10% of students either unemployed, over 50, or without a degree. By the course’s closure in July 2025, there had been a total of 2212 participants from 83 counties, of which 989 were EU participants from 30 countries. Nearly 60% of participants were students from the 18–24-year-old category, and the number of women participants also exceeded the target.
Staci closed her presentation with a message that echoed Kevin’s sentiments, that STEM and space need to be taken off the pedestal that it’s only for the super intelligent.
Lessons learned
When asked if there were any lessons learned that Staci could share to other training providers, she said that having a one-to-one connection with learners can be used to personalise outreach emails. Staci highlighted that the platform the Robotics in Space course used enabled them to see which students had, or had not logged in, those that had started the course, those who were almost finished, and those that were having problems.
However, as the platform only allowed a maximum of 700 students at any one time in an 8-week period, Staci began personally reaching out to those students that were running out of time to complete the course.
She did stress that the biggest issue was with students who signed up for the free course but never started, and that for any courses, there needs to be a way to incentivise and engage with the students so they actually complete the course.
The final EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative Pledgers’ Share & Connect will be a two-day event at the University of Barcelona from 2-3 December 2025. Click here for more information.
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