“Space: International Collaboration and Competition”

February 10-11, 2026

USF-SP University Student Center

Location: 200 – 6^th Avenue South, 2^nd Floor

St. Petersburg, FL 33701

The St. Petersburg Council on World Affairs (SPWAC) is pleased to present ‘Space: International Collaboration and Competition.”  With outer space emerging as the next frontier of competition for resources and commerce, determining who gets access to and control of those resources creates new complexities in the interactions of countries and companies here on earth.

This international conference, convened in partnership with the University of South Florida, the USF Global and National Security Institute, and the British-American Business Council, features leading voices from industry, academia and government.

On Tuesday, February 10, NASA Astronaut Nicole Stott, a native of St. Petersburg, will deliver the Keynote Address.

On Wednesday, February 11, SPWAC will platform a full day of discussions among distinguished experts on space discovery, the militarization of space, the growing number of countries and private companies embarking on space missions, and the laws and organizations to promote responsible space activity. The British-American Business Council will convene a panel on the aerospace business spotlighting British-American companies in Florida. See Working Schedule here.

For February 10-11, Conference Schedule, Click Here

Confirmed conference speakers include James Green (former NASA Chief Scientist), Joseph Silk (The Sorbonne University), Namrata Goswami (Johns Hopkins University), Martin Elvis (Harvard University), Jack O. Burns (University of Colorado Space Policy Institute), Jeffrey Collins (University of Prince Edward Island), Mohammed Soliman (Middle East Institute and McLarty Associates), Kevin Strait (Anzen Legal Group), Chris Stott (CEO ManSat, Executive Chair Lonestar Data Holdings ), and Ksenia Moskalenko (Florida High-Tech Corridor).

The Conference is free of charge to USF students and faculty with I.D.  Special member prices are available for SPWAC and the British-American Business Council using the special promotional code emailed to member of those organizations.  For Conference registration and all ticketing, go to  www.spwac.org

Location for the Conference is USF-SP’s University Student Center, 200 – 6^th Avenue South, 2^nd Floor, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.

Parking is available at the USF-SP Garage, 250 – 5^th Avenue South, Levels 2-4.  Cost is $5 per day using ParkMobile Zone 38015.