Within the framework of its International Futures Programme (IFP), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has created a new platform for international dialogue on the social and economic aspects of space infrastructure and space-based applications: The OECD Global Forum on Space Economics.

Building on the OECD / IFP “Space Project” (2002-2004) experiences and recommendations, the Forum was born out of the needs of a number of organisations for further economic analysis of the space sector, complementing usefully the existing international institutional architecture. 

This Forum on Space Economics aims to help space agencies and governments better analyse the opportunities and challenges of the space sector and its applications. The Forum will collect and evaluate data and socio-economic indicators, and it aims to provide evidence-based analysis to help agencies and governments shape policies to ensure that the potential of space is more fully realized.

Initial founders of the Forum include the British National Space Center, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, Canadian Space Agency, European Space Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Norway Space Center, U.S. Geological Survey. Other agencies and ministries from OECD countries are expected to join in the coming months. A companion Working Group is to be launched and will include representatives of the private sector as well as other interested parties. The Forum has been created for an initial period of 3 years.

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