Talent

Talent management is one of the key pillars of the evolving technological landscape in Catalonia and worldwide. In particular, attracting, developing and retaining talent with the skills needed to create solutions for the space sector is a central pillar of the Catalonia Space 2030 Strategy, promoted by the Government of Catalonia’s Department of Business and Labour, through the Secretariat for Digital Policies.

Within this framework, the IEEC contributes by facilitating access to solutions and technologies applicable to the space sector for researchers, engineers, entrepreneurs and business professionals, regardless of whether they have previous experience in the sector. These initiatives are carried out in collaboration with the Government of Catalonia’s Department of Education and Vocational Training, with the support of other organisations across the Catalan ecosystem.

Fostering vocations

Promotion of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) and research vocations among primary, secondary and upper secondary school students, presenting space as a source of inspiration from the earliest stages of education. Through collaborations with organisations and educational institutions, educational experiences and support are offered to teachers and students, with the aim of reaching classrooms across Catalonia, stimulating motivation for research and training the scientists of the future through initiatives such as the following:

R  Youth and Science. In the interdisciplinary project ‘NewSpace: Small Satellites to Change the World’, part of the Youth and and Science programme, students design, build, test and launch two analogue nanosatellite missions. The initiative is part of the scientific vocation promotion programme of the Catalunya La Pedrera Foundation.

R  Scientific Stays. The ‘Scientific Stays – NewSpace’ programme has enabled secondary and upper secondary school students to learn what NewSpace is, which technologies are part of it and how it can help us in our everyday lives. Held during the summers from 2023 to 2025, the project is also part of the Catalunya La Pedrera Foundation’s programme to promote scientific vocations.

Space training in higher education

The following programmes enable students in the final stages of higher education (undergraduate degrees, master’s degrees and vocational training programmes) to access the professional world in the space sector through opportunities such as internships and training projects in companies and research centres (Bachelor’s and Master’s theses), industrial doctorates, among others:

R  Scholarship programme for internships in companies and research centres. These grants for undertaking internships in space-sector projects aim to encourage the connection between educational and professional activities.

R  ‘Catalonia Space Scholarships’ grants. A scholarship programme to undertake higher education space studies at the International Space University (ISU). Promoted by the Government of Catalonia and the IEEC, this programme awarded three annual grants, which complemented those awarded by the ISU itself and the European Space Agency (ESA), to help cover the costs associated with participating in the Space Studies Program (SSP) organised by the ISU.

The SSP, of great international prestige, was developed with the support of the ESA and was held annually in collaboration with various space agencies worldwide. The course offered an 8-week development experience during the summer months for students in the final stages of higher education. The main objective of the programme was to train students or early-career professionals to access the specialised sector within the fields of the space economy and the space industry.

R  Grants for companies to finance industrial doctorates in space-sector projects. The aim of these grants is to contribute to the competitiveness and internationalisation of Catalan industry in the space sector, strengthen the mechanisms for attracting talent generated in Catalonia and enable future PhD graduates to carry out R&D&I projects within a company. This funding is in addition to that provided by AGAUR (Agency for the Management of University and Research Grants).

Promotion of female talent

The main objective of this line of action is to recognise the role of women in professional, business and academic environments related to new technologies. At the same time, it seeks to provide role models for girls and teenage girls to foster female participation in STEAM disciplines.

The main areas of focus are:

R  DonaTIC Plan in the space sector. Within the framework of the NewSpace Strategy for Catalonia 2030, IEEC collaborates to award the Aerospace Special Mention of the DonaTIC Awards.

R  HypaTIC Project.HYPA-TIC is an initiative created through the collaboration between the Hypatia Mars Association and IEEC, supported by the Government of Catalonia within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU. The project aims to promote female talent and digital inclusion in the fields of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and space sciences through educational and outreach activities combining scientific research, storytelling and participatory learning.

Within the framework of this initiative, several events, inspiring talks and the expansion of the ‘CatMart project: Catalonia looks for life on Mars’ have taken place.

Space training for professionals

A drive to train professionals from various sectors so that they can expand their skills and integrate the technologies and services offered by space to foster growth within their own industry, through initiatives such as the following:

R  SpaceSUITE Project. SpaceSUITE (‘Space downstream Skills development and User uptake through Innovative curricula in Training and Education’) is an Erasmus+ Blueprint project for the development of innovative resources for education and training to bridge the gap between skill supply and demand in the constantly growing space sector.