THESE Economics of New Space and European Competitiveness FH

Construisons ensemble un avenir de confiance

Thales est un leader mondial des hautes technologies spécialisé dans trois secteurs dactivité : Défense & Sécurité Aéronautique & Spatial et Cyber & Digital. Il développe des produits et solutions qui contribuent à un monde plus sûr plus respectueux de lenvironnement et plus inclusif. Le Groupe investit près de 4 milliards deuros par an en Recherche & Développement notamment dans des domaines clés de linnovation tels que lIA la cybersécurité le quantique les technologies du cloud et la 6G. Thales compte près de 81 000 collaborateurs dans 68 pays.

Nos engagements vos avantages

• Une réussite portée par notre excellence technologique votre expérience et notre ambition partagée

• Un package de rémunération attractif

• Un développement des compétences en continu: parcours de formation académies et communautés internes

• Un environnement inclusif bienveillant et respectant léquilibre des collaborateurs

• Un engagement sociétal et environnemental reconnu

Votre quotidien

The European space industry is undergoing a major transformation as it adapts to the New Space paradigm marked by private-sector innovation rapid technological progress and new business models emerging under intense global competition. Despite growing policy and industrial attention to sustainability in space ranging from the European Space Agencys Clean Space Initiative and the Space Sustainability Rating to emerging life-cycle assessment frameworks research on sustainable innovation in the space sector remains fragmented.

Most studies address technological or regulatory challenges (e.g. debris mitigation or end-of-life design) but rarely link these to economically viable and ecologically responsible business models. Against the background of the global space economy this reveals an important research gap: how can circular economy principles be effectively applied to space transforming the ecosystem and creating competitive added value to reach a sustainable space economy This PhD project addresses this gap by analysing evaluating and developing integrated strategies for sustainable circular business models that align ecological economic and strategic dimensions of innovation in the European space industry.

The project will include the following core activities:

1. Research review: Review the state of research on effective circular business models outside the space industry and analyze how the findings can be translated to the space industry.

2. Empirical research: Identify use cases and evaluate them with a focus on their economic viability. For the selected use cases the project can for example deepen (some of) the following areas:

a. Partnerships and value networks: Investigate the value chain and potential partnerships to enable circularity and shared value creation.

b. Funding and investment ecosystems: Assess financial architectures and instruments that incentivize circular and sustainability-oriented innovation.

c. Policy and regulatory frameworks: Investigate regulations and sustainability standards supporting the shift toward circular business models.

3. Implications: Derive implications for the space industry on how circular business models can be transformed into a source of competitive advantage and sustainable growth and develop policy recommendations that support the shift toward a circular and sovereign space economy. This project will use a mixed-methods design including stakeholder interviews comparative case studies quantitative data analysis business model and system-dynamics analysis and policy evaluation. This approach will deliver insights that are both scientifically and economically relevant linking ecological impact metrics economic viability and governance mechanisms in order to inform pathways for a sustainable and competitive space economy

Research field:

Innovation management and entrepreneurship

Strategic and corporate management

Space economy and regulation

Required skills:

Strong background in management entrepreneurship finance economics or related disciplines

Experience or interest in the European space industry and innovation ecosystems

Experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods Excellent written and spoken English

The Thesis will include 18 months at Thales Alenia Space in Toulouse followed by 18 months at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich Germany. In total the PhD will span 36 months.