OUR YEAR IN REVIEW 2023

DEAR STAKEHOLDERS OF THE CITY OF AEROSPACE,

As an eventful year draws to a close, it is time to take a look at the highs (and lows) that have characterised our aeronautics and space association here in Bremen. The year 2023 was challenging for us in many ways, but also characterised by significant successes and groundbreaking developments. In spite of global changes and technological advances, AVIASPACE BREMEN e.V. has played a key role in promoting the aeronautics and space industry in our region. Let us review the significant milestones, inspiring projects and innovative achievements that have characterised our commitment and passion for aeronautics and space over the past year.

FROM GERMANY AND THE REGION

The trade fair year started with the AITS (Aerospace Innovative Technology Summit)

AITS Bremen made its big debut as an in-person event from, AITS Bremen made its grand debut as an in-person event at the BLG Energy Control Centre from 28 February to 2 March 2023. The topic was opportunities and challenges in the development of breakthrough technologies in the aeronautics, space, and security supply chains. AITS Bremen brought together industry suppliers and OEMs, research and development centres, associations and clusters, universities, and public and private organisations to identify further business opportunities and develop partnerships. Click here for the article.

AERO FRIEDRICHSHAFEN

AERO FRIEDRICHSHAFEN is the world’s leading trade fair for general aviation and has developed into one of the world’s most important industry gatherings with an impressive variety of aircraft of all kinds. Including drones. The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen and AVIASPACE BREMEN e.V. presented Bremen as an aeronautics and space hub at AERO. Co-exhibitors at our joint booth were: b.r.m IT & Aerospace, Bremeninvest (WFB Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen GmbH), Ministry  of Economic Affairs, Ports and Transformation, OptoPrecision GmbH, Fraunhofer IFAM, Droniq GmbH and the airfield Flugplatz Oldenburg Hatten GmbH.

AIX AIRCRAFT INTERIORS EXPO

The Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX), which took place from 6 to 8 June 2023, showcased the latest innovations, technologies and products in the fields of cabin interiors, in-flight entertainment and passenger comfort. AIX is a platform where airlines, designers, engineers, and manufacturers come together. Together with the northern German aerospace associations Hamburg Aviation, Hanse-Aerospace, Niedersachsen Aviation and Schleswig-Holstein, AVIASPACE BREMEN e.V. hosted the “NORDDEUTSCHE HAPPY HOUR“ on 7 June.

17. GERMAN AERONAUTICS AND SPACE REGIONS GATHERING

In September 2023, everything revolved around key challenges for the German aeronautics and space industry at the “Haus der Wirtschaft“ in Stuttgart. The theme of the 17th Day of the German Aeronautics and Space Regions (17. TAG DER DEUTSCHEN LUFT- UND RAUMFAHRTREGIONEN) was: “Future Aviation. Future Space. Future SMEs: Sustainability, digitisation  and transformation.”

H2 TECHNOLOGY EXPO EUROPE

The Hydrogen Technology Conference & Expo is the most important conference and exhibition in Europe focussing exclusively on advanced technologies for the hydrogen and fuel cell industry. AVIASPACE participated in the joint booth of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Representatives from the entire hydrogen value chain came together in Bremen from 27 to 28 September 2023 to work together on the development of innovative solutions for low-carbon hydrogen production. Click here for Mayor Bovenschulte’s visit to the trade fair. Also read the article: HYDROGEN: INNOVATIVE FUEL FOR SPACE( FROM BREMEN)

 

WORLD’S LEADING TRADE FAIR FOR LOW-EMISSION AIRCRAFT TECHNOLOGIES AND ALL-ELECTRIC FLIGHT IN BREMEN

The Electric & Hybrid Aerospace Technology Symposium (EHATS) took place simultaneously in Bremen on 27 and 28 September. The event is the world’s leading international conference and exhibition for low-emission aircraft technologies and all-electric flight. The two-day event covered all aspects of aerospace, from general aviation to electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL), smaller regional aircraft and larger commercial aircraft. At the heart of the show was the conference programme. Speakers at the event included representatives from Airbus, Rolls-Royce, DLR, dSpace and GKN Aerospace. Read more here.

 

SPACE CONGRESS OF THE FEDERATION OF GERMAN INDUSTRIES (BDI)

On 18 October, the BDI* Space Congress was held at the Kosmos conference centre in Berlin. At the Space Congress, BDI President Siegfried Russwurm (pictured) emphasised that NewSpace is not an end in itself. Space is of central importance for the digital transformation of the entire German industry, the resilience of its supply chains, securing its sustainability and ultimately its independence. “If you’re not at the forefront in space, you won’t be a technology leader on Earth,” said Russwurm.

* BDI= Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie e.V. = The Federation of German Industries

RECRUITING FOR THE AVIATION INDUSTRY

On 9 November 2023, aviation professionals, experts and managers met for the

8th northern German Aviation Forum in Hamburg. At the Centre for Applied Aviation Research (ZAL), the participants discussed what aviation needs to do now to recruit personnel and specialists. Further information can be found here.

AVIASPACE internal

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

During the general meeting on April 18, 2023, the members of AVIASPACE BREMEN e.V. elected their board of directors for the next two years. The association said goodbye to its long-time treasurer Ludger Fröbel, who is now retiring. Nadja Wolf (ArianeGroup) was elected to the board as his successor. Chairman of the Board Holger W. Oelze (ZARM Technik) and also Secretary Dr Jörn Burkert (AES Aircraft Elektro/Elektronik System GmbH) were re-elected for the next two years and will continue in their current positions. “We thank Ludger Fröbel for his many years of service as treasurer at AVIASPACE BREMEN e.V. and wish him all the best for the future. He has played a key role in shaping AVIASPACE BREMEN e.V. and helping to establish it in the [aeronautics and space] sector by means of his expertise, which he acquired during many years of work at ArianeGroup and previously at DLR,” said Holger W. Oelze.

The AVIASPACE BREMEN e.V. board of directors with the former treasurer. From right to left: Ludger Fröbel (former ArianeGroup), Holger W. Oelze (ZARM Technik), Nadja Wolf (ArianeGroup), Dr Jörn Burkert (AES). (© AVIASPACE BREMEN e.V./ Photographer: Justin von Glahn).

ROADSHOWS

The “Digital Production” roadshow kicked off on 2 February at Broetje-Automation in Rastede and was co-hosted Olaf Lies, Lower Saxony’s Minister of Economic Affairs. Marcel Meyer, Team Leader Simulation at Broetje-Automation, gave an insight into the practical application of digitisation  solutions in high-tech engineering industries such as the aeronautics and space industry. Whilst touring Broetje’s mobile factory, participants could learn more about suggestions for digitisation  in production facilities as well as receive impulses on the topic of “digital twins”.

This was followed in the spring by a visit and roadshow at Deutsche WindGuard Engineering GmbH. Around 20 AVIASPACE members were in Bremerhaven on 15 March 2023 to visit the acoustically optimised large wind tunnel and learn more about the company. Article | Video

From Bremerhaven, our members travelled to Bremen-Arsten on 23 November 2023 to visit the Max-Eickworth-GmbH, a specialist in CNC milling. A video of the on-site visit with an introduction by Eickworth Managing Director André Kuhn is available here. You can find a news article here.

 

FROM THE WORKING GROUPS

Members of AVIASPACE BREMEN e.V. also organised internal meetings and working groups to drive forward key topics for a dynamic, internationally competitive aeronautics and space hub in Bremen. Read more about the trade fairs, events, and projects in the working groups (WG) Digitisation /AI, Internationalisation and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) below:

Working Group: Digitisation /AI

 

AVIASPACE is responsible for the marketing of COOPERANTS

Since the first quarter of 2023, AVIASPACE e.V. has been responsible for dissemination and external presentation on behalf of DLR for the COOPERANTS (Collaborative Processes and Services for Aeronautics and Space) consortium. Because of this, AVIASPACE was able to place and represent the Gaia-X lighthouse project at many industry-specific events to spread the message of the COOPERANTS project in the best possible way. COOPERANTS was not only represented in typical panels, but also in the form of global lectures, key notes, (technology) demonstrations and poster presentations.

One of the clear highlights this year was the Space Tech Expo Europe, where COOPERANTS took part in two panels on the topics of “Collaboration for Digitisation ” and “Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Space” and gave a presentation on the use of the future COOPERANTS marketplace. All other events at which Aviaspace and its consortium partners presented the Gaia-X lighthouse project can be found on the official COOPERANTS website!

In addition to AVIASPACE e.V., Data Machine Intelligence (DMI) has also been acquired as an associated partner. There are ongoing discussions with other potential partners.

From a technical perspective, the COOPERANTS consortium was able to embed its marketplace in deltaDAO’s data ecosystem (as a federator), Pontus-X, for the first time in order to offer the COOPERANTS marketplace an optimal test environment. OVHcloud also won the DLR call for tender and is now the project’s new cloud infrastructure partner.

Space Tech Expo and Horizon Europe project initiation

The Bremen stakeholders of the working group Digitisation  met with their partners from the Zuid-Holland region for a working meeting during the Space Tech Expo Europe. The aim of the meeting was to discuss the calls of the Horizon Europe programme with a subsequent project initiation between the stakeholders involved. As there was a great deal of interest on both sides, there will be follow-up discussions.

Digitisation in aviation

Digitisation  is also advancing in aviation. With the Virtual Product House (VPH) in Bremen, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is pursuing the goal of establishing an integration and test centre for the virtual simulation and approval of components and technologies as well as their integration into the overall aircraft in close cooperation with industrial partners, science, and authorities. With the relaunch of the Virtual Product House 2.0, the project will now be further stabilised at the Bremen site. The aim is to create so-called “digital twins”, which offer a fully functional, digital image of real aircraft components. The further developed processes will be applied in the VPH 2.0 project for industrial concepts in the areas of “intelligent wings and control surfaces” as well as “hydrogen tanks”. This advances the vision of virtual test flights and virtual certification in order to ensure greater climate compatibility in the aviation industry in the future through digitisation  (VPH 2.0 – Developing new aircraft faster with digitisation , Source: DLR).

 

Working Group:  Internationalisation

IAF GLOBAL SPACE CONFERENCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE

The Global Space Conference on Climate Change (GLOC 2023) took place from 23 to 25 May in Norway’s capital Oslo. Siegfried Monser, Space Coordinator of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, was on site. GLOC aims to contribute to global efforts to better understand and combat climate change through the use of space-based services and applications.

THE ESA BIC NORTHERN GERMANY – CONTACT POINT FOR SPACE-RELATED STARTUPS

The Startup Days in Lübeck were once again the highlight in June 2023. Here is a video of the event, which also introduces ESA BIC Northern Germany headquartered in Bremen. Background: Since 2021, the ESA Business Incubator Northern Germany has also opened its doors to startups in Schleswig-Holstein with a base in Lübeck. This extension of the previous offer is operated jointly by Technikzentrum Lübeck (TZL), AZO and AviaSpace. The incubatees from Schleswig-Holstein include Unleash Future Boats GmbH and Coher Sense. The application deadline for Batch 6 of the GATEWAY49 Accelerator Programme is the 15 January 2024 (23:59) ➡️ Apply now at www.gateway49.com

Shortly afterwards, on 22 June 2023, the Startup Summit event in Bremen served as a dynamic meeting place for companies, corporations, and investors to discover up-and-coming young startups and potential new team members. ESA BIC Northern Germany also had a booth at the summit. Read more here.

 

Carolina Gomez (ESA BIC Northern Germany) at the Startup Summit Event.

At Space Tech Expo Europe, ESA BIC Northern Germany was an exhibitor at the joint stand “ESA Commercialisation Gateway” together with ESA SME. Géraldine Naja, ESA Director of Commercialisation, Industry and Procurement, presented the prizes for ESA’s Technology Transfer Ideas Competition at Space Tech Expo Europe on 14 November. First prize went to GSI, second prize to Halo and third prize to ESA BIC Northern Germany Incubatee PhySens.

 

In addition, the Bremen ESA Incubator 2023 presents new and consistently successful programme participants, including Coher Sense (Schleswig-Holstein), Marble Imaging and SharpSat. Already in their second year of incubation at the ESA BIC are: Blue Orbit Space Systems, WEROVER, PhySens, TRILITEC and Unleash Future Boats (Schleswig-Holstein). Successful graduates of the incubation programme were Flucto and ASTRAIT. Please note: The next application deadline for the ESA BIC Northern Germany is 18 February 2024 (23:59) ➡️ Apply now at https://esa-bic.de/ng/.

Also read the success stories of the ESA BIC Incubatees and Alumni: Flucto, Unleash Future Boats and Valispace.

 

PARIS AIR SHOW 2023

The Paris Air Show took place in Le Bourget from 19 – 25 June 2023. It is one of the largest and oldest air shows in the world. It displays the latest technologies in the aeronautics and space industry as well as associated equipment such as aircraft engines, satellite and navigation technology, aircraft cabins and seats.

The German federal state of Bremen presents itself there as a renowned and experienced centre for aviation. AES Aircraft Elektro/Elektronik System GmbH, Deutsche WindGuard GmbH, ECOMAT and b.r.m. IT & Aerospace were represented. In addition, the Bremen project idea for a U- Space Real Lab North-West Germany & German Bight – UAS Control Centre Bremen USSP was presented, a joint project of b.r.m. IT & Aerospace, Droniq, Fraunhofer IFAM, OptoPrecision, Oldenburg-Hatten Airfield with the support of AVIASPACE BREMEN e.V. 

IAC Baku

[did not participate]

DUTCH AVIATION DELEGATION VISITS BREMEN

The international visits continued in September. A Dutch aviation delegation – representing 19 companies –  visited the Hanseatic City of Bremen from 13-14 September 2023 to learn more about Bremen’s activities relating “Green Flying”. The trip was organised on the Dutch side by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, the Netherlands Innovation Network, the Netherlands Business Support Office, and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). The delegation was welcomed by Kristina Vogt, the Minister for Economic Affairs, Ports and Transformation. Read more in the article.

NEXT STOP: FRAUNHOFER SPACE COMMUNITY WORKSHOP 2023 

One day before the Space Tech Expo Europe, the Fraunhofer Space Community Workshop 2023 took place on 13 November 2023 at the Digital Hub Industry Bremen. The international technology workshop, as part of the Space Tech Expo 2023, was aimed at startups and SMEs with a space connection that are interested in collaborating in the field of applied research and development.
The workshop was organised by the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) and Fraunhofer AVIATION & SPACE. The ESA BIC Northern Germany was also on site.

TRENDSETTING & INNOVATIVE: THE SPACE TECH EXPO EUROPE 2023

To top it all off, Bremen invited the international space industry to Europe’s largest trade event, Space Tech Expo Europe (STE), for the sixth time. From 14 to 16 November 2023, more than 550 space companies and around 6200 experts from all over the world met at MESSE BREMEN. Click here for the STE trade fair update 2023.

During STE, the German federal state of Bremen once again positioned itself as a forward-looking centre for young talent in the space industry, with the motto: Launch your career in Bremen. Visitors were invited to find out more about the aeronautics and space industry and the training and study programmes on offer in Bremen. In terms of international cooperation, the city-state strengthened its space cooperation with the Zuid-Holland region, but also focussed on new space regions such as the UK (Scotland, England, Wales), Canada, the French region of Occitanie and Switzerland.

 

 

GERMAN CANADIAN CONCOURSE – ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN AVIATION AND SPACE TRAVEL

The next stop was at the Canadian Embassy in Berlin. More precisely, at the German Canadian Concourse on 30 November, where the focus was on the potential of AI in the aeronautics and space industry. The event took place simultaneously in Montreal and in Berlin. AviaSpace supported the networking reception. Further information can be found here.

 

Working Group: Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)

The year was extremely eventful in the area of UAS. The initiative to establish a U-Space North-West Germany and German Bight was launched back in 2022. These activities continued to gather pace over the course of 2023. In addition to several meetings with the relevant stakeholders, the German federal state of Bremen commissioned a feasibility study for a UAS control centre in Bremen and the state of Lower Saxony issued an ascent permit outside the field of vision (BVLOS) for North-West Germany.

b.r.m. Technologie und Managementberatung was commissioned with the feasibility study for a UAS control centre in Bremen. Based on the results of the previous LuRaFo* project VTOL-EGM, the experience gained from the operation of the UAS test centre (Hatten-UAS) at Oldenburg-Hatten airfield, and based on its activities as a data centre and IT service provider, b.r.m. would like to apply and be certified as a Europe-wide UAS control centre in the future. Further information can be found here.

The BVLOS ascent permit from the German state of Lower Saxony represents a milestone in the realisation of a U-Space real laboratory in north-west Germany and the German Bight. The licence was granted to Flugschule Borkum GmbH, which, alongside the Bremen-based company b.r.m. IT & Aerospace, the new drone test centre Hatten-UAS and the Oldenburg-Hatten airfield (EDWH), which is part of the group of companies owned by Bremen entrepreneurs Harald and Markus Rossol. Further information can be found here.

The UAS segment offers a wide range of opportunities for small and medium-sized companies, one of which the member company Optoprecision GmbH has seized and is now building a drone that can withstand the extreme weather conditions on the North Sea. They are being supported in this endeavour by the Bremen Development Bank (BAB). Read more on Optoprecision here.

*LuRaFo = Luft- und Raumfahrt-Forschungsprogramm = Abbreviation for Bremen‘s Aeronautics and Space Research Programme

 

Would you also like to get involved with AVIASPACE Bremen e.V.? The Internationalisation, Digitisation/AI, and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) working groups offer members an excellent platform for this!

 

NEW MEMBERS 2023

We are delighted that the following companies joined the association this year. AVIASPACE BREMEN e.V. and its members warmly welcome Droniq GmbH, Radiall GmbH, OptoPrecision Airborne Systems GmbH and TOOLTIP GmbH!

 

OUTLOOK FOR THE YEAR 2024

In short, there are many good reasons to look forward to 2024 and the development of Bremen as an aeronautics and space hub. We are looking forward to it!
Please already make a note now of the International Aerospace Exhibition in Berlin, ILA, from 5 June to 9 June 2024.

Also make a note in your diary for Space Tech Expo Europe, which will be held in Bremen from 19 November to 24 November 2024. Should you have any questions or queries, the AviaSpace team will continue to be at your disposal at the following address.

 

Happy holidays and a healthy New Year

 

AVIASPACE BREMEN e.V.

Fahrenheitstraße 1

28359 Bremen

Germany

T +49 421 2208 275

E info@aviaspace-bremen.de