Over the past year, I’ve spoken on many stages, from the sixth edition of the Vice Chancellors’ Forum in Rabat and the Science Summit at the United Nations General Assembly in New York to Space Forum Africa in Lomé. Through conversations at these global forums, one insight became clear to me: Technology alone will not define the future of innovation. Instead, three interdependent forces will transform bold ideas into lasting impact: entrepreneurial thinking, interdisciplinary innovation and collaborative momentum.
These forces are most visible in the space sector, where science, business and geopolitics intersect. Yet their influence extends far beyond orbit. They drive breakthroughs in healthcare, clean energy, finance and artificial intelligence. Space is the ultimate case study—a proving ground for how mindsets, models and networks unlock solutions once considered impossible. And as industries converge faster than ever, the lessons from space are universal.
Entrepreneurial Thinking
The word “entrepreneurial” often conjures images of scrappy startups and venture-backed founders. But the mindset is much broader. It’s the engine behind innovation in government research centers, nonprofit initiatives and the world’s largest companies. It’s about anticipating challenges, experimenting rapidly, taking calculated risks and scaling solutions that deliver real-world impact.
Consider the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Business Incubation Centres, a network that helps turn early-stage technologies into viable companies. These centers offer technical support, mentorship and investor access, fostering a culture of agility and experimentation within a major public institution. By embedding entrepreneurial practices into a long-established, mission-focused environment, ESA ensures innovation happens everywhere, not just in startups.
Private sector leaders also follow this principle. Sirin Orbital Systems AG, a Swiss company developing space-based solar power, is designing for scale and sustainability from day one. Its mission to beam clean, continuous energy from orbit to Earth once sounded like science fiction. Still, by applying entrepreneurial thinking to business strategy, regulatory navigation and systems engineering, Sirin is turning a visionary concept into a viable solution.
NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate uses rapid prototyping and flexible funding to turn ideas into real-world applications. This same approach is fueling progress in fintech and healthcare, where intrapreneurial teams are reimagining services and launching breakthrough solutions.
The lesson is simple: Entrepreneurial thinking isn’t about founding a company; it’s about transforming how we solve problems. And that mindset is now essential in every field.
Interdisciplinary Innovation
If entrepreneurial thinking defines how we approach innovation, interdisciplinary thinking determines how far it can go. The most significant breakthroughs of the coming decade will emerge at the intersection of fields where physics meets biology, where data science meets agriculture and where business meets engineering.
We are already seeing this convergence in space. One example is the work of the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory, which is advancing biomedical research in a microgravity environment. Scientists discovered that stem cells grow and behave in new ways in space, accelerating insights into diseases such as Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis. This fusion of biotechnology, neuroscience and space engineering is reshaping healthcare innovation.
In Japan, Sagri is merging satellite data with artificial intelligence to optimize land use and boost agricultural productivity. By combining data analytics, environmental science and agronomy, the company helps farmers adapt to climate change while reducing costs and waste. Similar approaches are fueling AI-driven drug discovery, autonomous vehicles and advanced climate modeling.
Universities are rethinking how they prepare future leaders. The International Space University offers programs blending space science with economics, policy and management, while the Thunderbird School of Global Management has a master’s program focused on space leadership and policy. These initiatives reflect a broader push to produce graduates who can bridge technical, business and regulatory domains.
This shift is happening across industries. Automakers are hiring AI talent, banks are recruiting behavioral scientists and pharmaceutical companies are building in-house data teams. The organizations that excel across disciplines will define the future.
Collaborative Momentum
No single company, government or institution can tackle humanity’s biggest challenges alone. The problems we face, from space exploration to climate adaptation, are too complex, costly and consequential. That is why the third force shaping the future is collaborative momentum, the ability to move faster and further together than anyone could alone.
Space offers powerful examples. The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs supports emerging space nations through initiatives such as the Space Economy Initiative, which helps governments design policy frameworks and build capacity. Programs like KiboCUBE enable developing countries to deploy small satellites from the International Space Station, while UN-SPIDER connects satellite data to disaster response. These initiatives show how collaboration lowers barriers, shares risk and accelerates progress.
Collaboration between academia and industry is equally transformative. Universities like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Arizona State University are partnering with aerospace companies to design curricula, co-develop research and build mentorship pipelines, models now replicated in fields from cybersecurity to renewable energy.
Nations are pooling resources and expertise through partnerships. NASA and a coalition of international space agencies are building the Artemis program, a multinational effort to return humans to the moon, and Gateway, a collaborative space station that will orbit the moon and support future missions.
When collaboration becomes a cultural norm, momentum drives ideas from lab to market, spreads risk across partners and propels the entire ecosystem forward, in space and beyond.
Looking Ahead
The space sector has always captured our imagination because it pushes humanity to its limits. But its deeper lesson is that innovation is no longer a solo endeavor, and technology alone is never enough. The breakthroughs that define the next decade will come from those who cultivate entrepreneurial thinking across their organizations, who design teams and strategies around interdisciplinary collaboration and who build networks that create shared momentum.
The combination of entrepreneurial thinking, interdisciplinary innovation and collaborative momentum isn’t just the formula for success in orbit. It’s the blueprint for innovation in healthcare, energy, finance, mobility and beyond. The organizations, governments and industries that master these three forces will not only shape the future of space; they will shape the future itself.
