Sectoral Innovation Performance in the Space and Aeronautics Sectors. final report. Task 1

The Space and Aeronautics Sectors are high tech manufacturing sectors. Between Space and Aeronautics Sectors are linkages and parallels. All major systems assemblers are active in both sectors. Examples are EADS but also Boeing, BAE Systems and manufacturers of propulsion systems and other components (e.g. the SAFRAN group). Safety regulation and high performance criteria are crucial for commercial success in both sub-sectors with reliability of equipment being a key factor. The military and defence technology play an important role for innovation in both sub-sectors. There are however also differences. The European Space Sector is internationally structured, but with a main focus in Europe, while the Aeronautics Sector is increasingly globally oriented. In the Space sector national procurement and institutional structures heavily influence the Space markets, but in civilian Aeronautics the share of institutional customers is much smaller. Moreover, the Aeronautics Sector is characterized by a small number of very large firms, a large number of medium-sized companies and a very large number of small companies. The Space Sector is also dominated by a few very large firms, but has a smaller number of SMEs and a large number of small space units within large companies