ASCENT is a research and educational innovation project dedicated to fostering aerospace entrepreneurship through a new, interdisciplinary learning model.
Inspired by MIT’s renowned Catalyst Program, ASCENT adapts its successful methodology to the Spanish educational system and the aerospace sector’s emerging challenges.
The aerospace industry is undergoing a profound transformation — from the rapid expansion of New Space to the urgent need to rethink air transport in response to the climate challenge. These opportunities demand cross-cutting, multidisciplinary solutions, where education plays a key role.
At MIT, the Catalyst Program brings together experts from diverse fields to collaboratively identify unmet needs, generate innovative ideas, and transform them into actionable projects. Its iterative, human-centered approach has proven highly effective in turning ideas into successful, funded ventures.
Through ASCENT, teams of professors and students from MIT and UPM will adapt and apply the Catalyst methodology to real aerospace contexts. The project will include the participation of professionals from academia, research, and industry, and will culminate in both educational publications and the design of a sustainable training program in aerospace entrepreneurship — strengthening the Spanish innovation and startup ecosystem.
ASCENT 