Newcastle University Scientist Named Finalist in Prestigious ESA European Space Innovation Challenge
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Dr Aleksey Kozikov, Assistant Professor at Newcastle University, has achieved a major international milestone by being named one of just three finalists from across Europe for Advanced Materials & In-Space Manufacturing in the ESA-backed Space for Inspiration 2026 – BSGN Academic Challenges. Selected through a highly competitive pan-European process, Dr Kozikov’s frontier research aims at turning pioneering academic science into the technologies and industries of the future space economy.
This prestigious initiative, supported by the European Space Agency (ESA), identifies groundbreaking research with the power to unlock entirely new markets. Advanced Materials & In-Space Manufacturing tackles the ultimate frontier of aerospace: using microgravity and extreme orbital environments to develop technologies and manufacturing processes that are difficult, cost-prohibitive or potentially impossible to achieve on Earth.
The recognition brings international visibility to the North East's growing deep-tech and space capabilities. It highlights the region's potential to contribute to the next generation of the space economy, where advanced manufacturing, materials science and emerging technologies could transform what is possible both in orbit and here on Earth. It also reinforces the North East's expanding strengths across space technology, advanced materials, photonics, secure communications and industrial innovation, demonstrating how research developed in the region can compete on the European stage and contribute to technologies and markets that are only beginning to emerge.
