UF is collaborating with other universities and companies to create Space-Edge, a space-centered business accelerator to help students break into the space industry, according to a UF news release. The program will pair students with researchers and industry leaders in the space market.
Space-Edge will be a 12-week hybrid program covering biomedical topics such as stem cell development, 3D bioprinting and creating medical supplies for microgravity. The program intends to open new markets in the global space economy, estimated to value more than $1 trillion by 2040.
Space-Edge will help companies test new products in a “low-Earth-orbit environment” and collaborate with space researchers to expand their research portfolios, wrote Jamie Foster, a professor of microbiology and cell science and UF’s lead researcher for the accelerator.
“This is an exciting time to be involved in space-based research because of the impact it will have here on Earth, in orbit and beyond,” she wrote.
Space-Edge is a partnership between Arizona State University, Vanderbilt University, the University of Central Florida, Jeff Bezos’ space technology company Blue Origin, the nonprofit space advocacy organization Space Foundation and UF. Interested students can apply through any of the universities.
Visit space-edge.org for more information on how to apply.
Contact Timothy Wang at twang@alligator.org. Follow him on X @timothyw_g
Timothy Wang is a third-year journalism major and the university administration reporter for The Alligator. He likes gaming (Cyberpunk 2077 currently), reading manga and watching shows in his spare time.
