Space for Inspiration (S4I) 2026 is ESA’s annual conference dedicated to the commercialisation of space exploration, bringing together industry, researchers, investors, institutional stakeholders and innovators to accelerate commercial use cases enabled by space. The 2026 edition will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 1–2 September 2026 and will provide an international forum to share results, compare approaches, build partnerships and identify practical pathways from demonstration to scale – across both microgravity-enabled innovation and lunar exploration enabling capabilities.

This year, the programme is structured around four themes:

  1. Life Sciences (pharma/biotech/medtech) (microgravity)

Microgravity offers a unique environment to study biological processes and develop products and manufacturing pathways that are difficult or impossible to replicate on Earth. This theme welcomes contributions related to R&D and translation, including therapeutic discovery and development, bioprocessing, diagnostics, medical devices, digital health enablers, and platform technologies supporting validation in orbit. Contributions are also invited on research and innovation supporting astronaut health and wellbeing – including monitoring, prevention and countermeasures for spaceflight risks – and on synergistic innovations with dual benefits for space and terrestrial healthcare applications.

 

2. Advanced Materials and In-Space Manufacturing (microgravity)

Microgravity can enable new material behaviours and higher-quality outputs by reducing convection-driven effects and enabling highly controlled processes. Sustained activity in Low Earth Orbit and beyond will also depend on progress in in-orbit manufacturing capabilities. Contributions are invited on novel materials, improved performance or purity, characterisation methods, manufacturing processes, automation and operations concepts, quality assurance, scale-up considerations, and enabling technologies that support repeatable production in space.

 

3. Agri-Food (microgravity)

This theme focuses on microgravity-enabled innovation for food systems and bio-production. Contributions are invited on bioprocessing and fermentation, novel ingredients (including alternative proteins), controlled-environment cultivation and plant/seed biology, food quality and safety, and packaging, stability and shelf-life solutions, along with translation pathways to terrestrial applications and markets. Contributions are also invited on food systems and closed-loop approaches for deep space exploration, including resource-efficient production, waste-to-value processes and food-related life-support interfaces, as well as synergistic innovations with dual benefits for space and terrestrial agri-food systems.

 

4. Lunar Space Resources, with a focus on construction-related applications

A sustainable lunar presence depends on the ability to use local resources – primarily regolith and water ice – to reduce reliance on Earth supply chains. This theme invites contributions on lunar resource utilisation pathways that enable construction and infrastructure, including excavation and handling, processing, binders and building materials, landing pad and road solutions, radiation shielding, standards and verification, and end-to-end value chain considerations.

 

Call for Contributions

Space for Inspiration welcomes contributions from organisations and individuals across the space ecosystem and relevant terrestrial markets—whether you are developing technology, running experiments, building services, funding ventures, or generating evidence that supports adoption. Submissions may include proposals for keynote sessions, panel discussions and workshops, covering technical progress, market insights, lessons learned from demonstrations, operational and regulatory perspectives, business and investment considerations, and collaborative models that help move from pilots to scalable, repeatable activity.

The call is open until 20 March 2026.

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