- The eight Andalusian public universities will be present at the second edition of New Space & Solutions during the ‘Universities: Talent and Space’ session, which will bring together leading figures from the fields of research and teaching.
The second edition of New Space & Solutions, to be held from 14 to 17 April 2026 in Seville, will focus on the role of universities, young talent and specialised training in the development of the space sector, with the participation of the Regional Ministry of Universities, Research and Innovation of the Regional Government of Andalusia.
New Space & Solutions – “Where we tell you what New Space does for us” – is establishing itself as a meeting point for industry, institutions and the academic world, addressing one of the challenges of New Space: the need for qualified talent aligned with the sector’s demands. The event will take place over two in-person days on Tuesday 14 and Wednesday 15 April at the Cartuja Auditorium – managed by Yventu – at Sevilla TechPark, and two further virtual sessions on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 April.
In this context, universities are seen as an essential element of the space ecosystem, not only as generators of knowledge and innovation, but also as a source of engineers, scientists and specialised professionals capable of meeting the needs of a growing industry. Collaboration between universities and companies will be one of the key themes of the event, reinforcing the link between education and employability.
A firm commitment to the Andalusian space ecosystem
The opening day will feature a programme addressing issues related to innovation and entrepreneurship. Among the highlights is the panel ‘ESA BIC – Andalusia in orbit: a commitment to space innovation and entrepreneurship’, which will bring together representatives from the entrepreneurial ecosystem and sector startups to analyse development opportunities in the New Space sector. It will be moderated by Javier González, Director-General for Entrepreneurship Promotion and Continuing Education at the Regional Ministry, and will feature Gracia Catalina Piñero, Manager of ESA BIC Andalusia; Pepe Pulido, founder of Albor Space; Carlos Javier Martín, founder and CEO of Orbital Boost Aerospace; and Nacho Mancha, co-founder of OLMA Space.
There will also be a panel discussion entitled ‘Unmanned Aerial Mobility: the CUAM Innovation Ecosystem’, moderated by Daniel Escacena, Secretary General for Research and Innovation at the Regional Ministry, featuring Ángel Luis Trigo, Vice-Rector for Innovation, Transfer and Entrepreneurship at the University of Seville; Rafael Fernández-Shaw, Brigadier General and Deputy Director of Training at the Spanish Air and Space Force; Antidio Viguria, Director of Avionics and Systems at the Advanced Centre for Aerospace Technologies (CATEC); and José Ramiro Martínez, Director of the CUAM at the University of Seville.
Universities and talent: key players in the sector’s future
The prominence of the academic sphere will also extend to the third day with the session ‘Universities: talent and space’, which will bring together representatives from all Andalusian public universities and leading figures from the fields of research and teaching.
This session will feature Sergio Fortes, a researcher with the Mobilenet – Mobile & Aerospace Networks Lab at the University of Málaga; Guillermo Pacheco, Assistant Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Fluid Mechanics at the University of Seville; María del Carmen Muñoz, Professor of Public International Law and Director of the AstroÁndalus Chair at the University of Jaén; Francisco Javier Mesas Carrascosa, Doctor of Engineering from the University of Córdoba; Sara González de la Torre Muñoz, lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cádiz; Fernando J. Aguilar Torres, professor of Graphic Expression in Engineering at the University of Almería; Francisco Barranco, senior lecturer at the University of Granada; and Álvaro Gómez Villegas, technical director of CEDEA and CEUS at the University of Huelva.
This space will provide an opportunity to analyse the role of universities in training specialised professionals, knowledge transfer and their contribution to the development of the space industry, as well as to present some of the projects and programmes currently being undertaken by the various universities, highlighting the strength of the Andalusian university system as a driver of innovation and talent generation in a strategic sector.
The New Space & Solutions exhibition area will also feature projects driven by universities, such as those developed by the Higher Technical School of Engineering at the University of Seville, which reflect the potential of young talent in the aerospace sector. Among these, FyCUS (Fly Your CubeSat University of Seville) stands out, an initiative that has enabled students to design, test and operate their own nanosatellite; Vantus (University of Seville Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), a university team focused on the development of light aircraft and their participation in international competitions; and Coheteros, an association promoting large-scale projects in the field of experimental rocketry, establishing itself as one of the emerging leaders in Andalusia.
With this participation, New Space & Solutions 2026 reinforces its role as a platform for collaboration between government, academia and industry, placing the focus on talent and innovation within the space ecosystem.
All New Space & Solutions conferences will be available to view on-demand via The Observatory, the digital platform of Medina Media Events, where each conference will be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, free of charge.
The second edition of New Space & Solutions is organised by Medina Media Events and is supported by Seville City Council; the Regional Ministry of Universities, Research and Innovation of the Regional Government of Andalusia; the Regional Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment; the Regional Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mines; Canary Islands Aerospace Strategy (Government of the Canary Islands), Netmetrix, Sceye, Datatec Instruments, Rohde & Schwarz, Dassault Systèmes, PCB Piezotronics, Pablo de Olavide University, CATEC, Isdefe, UARX, HALO Space, Kistler, Eurecat, DEKRA, Open Cosmos, Solar MEMS, B2Space, DAS Photonics, Quside, Systratec, Keplerkoord, Augusta Abogados, Bufete Mas y Calvet, LORTEK, Flux, Metadev, NDK, Alfalite, the University of Málaga, EQA, the Polytechnic University of Valencia and Amplify, amongst others.