How do you assess the future of Bremen as a hub for the space industry?
Very positively, because in Bremen we have everything that a hub for the space industry needs. That includes three industrial giants, three universities, lots of suppliers, an integrated subcontracting network for electrical and mechanical services, and research institutes such as the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM and the Centre of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity. Maintaining this status quo is the minimum requirement; building on it is our goal. To this end, we need to do better at coordinating and providing information so that all our stakeholders can work more closely together and jointly harness the opportunities on offer. We have to think more holistically, as one Bremen location, and not just in the interests of the individual companies.
At the end of September you attended the 2016 International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Mexico. What was your role there as Bremen's State Coordinator for the Space Sector?
The IAC is a key event for scientists, agencies and commercial organisations – basically the key decision-makers of the industry. I was mainly there to promote the 2018 IAC in Bremen to delegates and exhibitors. But I also took the opportunity to hold discussions with political decision-makers from Germany, which I think is important too. As state coordinator it is my job to hold lots of talks, to represent the interests of Bremen's space industry, and to gather information on things like new technologies, developments and programmes so that I can then report on this to Bremen's state government, mayor and Bremeninvest.
Bremen's State Coordinator for the Space Sector is Dr Peter Vits, T +49 (0) 151 510 55 374, peter.vits@t-online.de.
You can find out more about the Bremen aerospace cluster from Dr Barbara Cembella, cluster manager for the space sector, T +49 (0)421 9600-340, barbara.cembella@aviaspace-bremen.de.
Click here for information on the aerospace industry in Bremen.