By Richard Muir, Deputy Chief Executive, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce
We had an inspiring few days with our partners at BremenInvest and the British Chamber of Commerce in Germany e.V. (BCCG) at Europe’s largest annual space sector expo in Bremen. The event brought together hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of attendees, showcasing the latest technology, components, and systems for spacecraft, launchers, and satellite programmes.
It was fantastic to see over 30 Scottish businesses at the Expo, including our own cohort, Space Network, Fire Arrow, Ideeas, Stierlink, Munro EV, and ThinkTank Maths.
Glasgow is a global hub for cube satellites and pocketqubes, second only to Houston. We were thrilled to see member companies with exhibition stands, including AAC Clydespace. Glasgow’s strong manufacturing heritage is now being applied to the space industry, transforming expertise from shipbuilding to spaceship building.
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce is proud of our MOU with Bremen Invest and BCCG. Scottish exports to Germany are worth over £2.3 billion, with Bremen leading German federal states in exports and excelling in manufacturing, logistics, automotive, maritime, and aerospace.
At the Expo, Germany announced a commitment of €35 billion to space-related defence projects by 2030, highlighting opportunities for Scottish businesses both directly and indirectly involved in space tech.
We were pleased to attend the official opening event with Minister Kristina Vogt from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and witness the signing of an MOU between SDI and Aviaspace, alongside Scotland’s Space Envoy, Daniel Smith. It was also great to catch up with Space Scotland.
The momentum in the Glasgow and Scottish space sector is impressive. Our businesses had productive B2B meetings and pitching opportunities, with follow-ups planned in the coming weeks.
On a lighter note, the football result at Hampden Park added extra cheer, our German colleagues were delighted that both Scotland and Germany will be at the World Cup Finals this summer! Thanks to Steve Clarke and the Scotland team for the boost.
Special thanks to our visiting delegation, BremenInvest, and BCCG for their support.
Looking ahead, Glasgow is excited to host Space-Comm Expo Scotland at the SEC in early December. Check out the programme and don’t miss the chance to attend.
This trade mission to Bremen was made possible with support from the Scottish Government, Scottish Chambers of Commerce, and the International Trade Partnership programme.
