Altair, a global leader in computational intelligence, has entered into collaboration agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA) through the ESA Partnership Initiative for Commercialisation (EPIC). Through a letter of intent, Altair’s aerospace technology within the Altair® HyperWorks® and Altair® RapidMiner® platforms will be made available to all startups, companies, research centers, and universities throughout Europe who are collaborating with ESA or developing technologies with ESA support.
“ESA is a reference point for anyone working in the space sector in Europe and across the world, constantly working with its local agencies to foster innovation throughout its programs. For Altair, partnering with ESA represents the coming together of two pioneers in the aerospace industry,” said Pietro Cervellera, senior vice president of aerospace and defense, Altair. “We are delighted to work together with the ESA to offer access to our simulation, AI, and data analytics solutions. Our tools help accelerate and de-risk the exploration of disruptive ideas and further our mission of creating a safer, more connected, and more sustainable aerospace industry.”
Within EPIC, Altair’s AI-powered engineering technology will enable ESA-supported startups to develop and test their products faster, giving them an opportunity to more quickly create minimum viable products (MVP) – a key step in obtaining funding and reaching commercialization. Crucially, the initiative gives aerospace startups access to the same Altair simulation, data analytics, and AI technology used by the world’s leading aerospace organizations – along with Altair’s best-in-class consulting and technical mentorship.
“With nearly 40 years of domain expertise in the industry, Altair’s broad technology portfolio plays a leading role in countless aerospace organizations worldwide,” said Joana Kamenova, EPIC lead, ESA. “We look forward to helping expand the reach of Altair’s technology so organizations throughout Europe can leverage the best-in-class tools necessary to usher in the next generation of space innovation.”
Joining the EPIC initiative further solidifies Altair’s status as a leader in the aerospace industry and reinforces its commitment to industry-wide innovation. With its diverse, scalable, and unified technology portfolio and consulting expertise, Altair helps aerospace organizations of all kinds navigate the evolving digital landscape, build solutions at speed, and scale them across the organization.
Established in 2022, EPIC connects corporate, academic, and institutional partners with ESA-supported startups. It aims to foster entrepreneurship and enhance the commercialization pathway of European startups by streamlining access to leading technology. EPIC reaches into the world’s largest space innovation network, including ESA Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs), ESA Technology Brokers, ESA Φ-labNET, ESA Φ-lab (ESRIN), and the InCubed Earth Observation commercialization program, along with the hundreds of startups these programs support. Overall, EPIC connects EPIC partners and ESA startups to broaden the reach of the innovation ecosystem and further diversify the aerospace industry.
