ITALIAN SPACE SMEs AND ASI POLICY TO INCREASE THEIR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

摘要

This paper offers an overview of the policy that the Italian Space Agency (ASI) has been implementing towardsspace SMEs, that are a strategic portion of space industry in Italy. In 2010 ASI adopted a three-year cooperationagreement with the national Space Industry Associations (namely AIAD, AIPAS and ASAS), with the aim ofpromoting an effective industrial policy for the development and growth of Italian space SMEs. The framework ofreference of this cooperation agreement is wide and ranges from the periodical issue of thematic ITTs (according to aco-funding pattern consistent with EU rules) specifically reserved to SMEs to a detailed analysis of the population ofspace SMEs in Italy: competences, geographical distribution, organization in clusters (namely Space TechnologyDistricts, an evolution of the more traditional experience of Industrial Districts), international cooperation, etc. Thispaper analyses the results of this three-year cooperation agreement at the end of the second year (February 2012):more in detail it evaluates the main figures of the first two ITTs (Materials, Components and Sensors and EarthObservation), through the identification of quantitative and qualitative indicators. In order to create a coherentnational system aiming to support the growth and development of Italian Space SMEs and to strengthen the benefitsfor the SMEs, this ASI-Associations platform is strongly engaged also in the involvement of the Large SystemIntegrators community, the Italian Government and the local communities (Technology Districts, Regions andMunicipalities).