Agency visits companies heading to the ESA Ministerial
The Portuguese Space Agency is visiting companies, academies, and R&D centres in the space sector to learn about the sector's prospects and to gather input for the programmatic subscription for the CMIN25 Ministerial Council Meeting. The purpose is to ensure that the priorities of the Portuguese ecosystem are reflected in European strategic decisions.
The Portuguese Space Agency is promoting a series of visits to companies in the space sector throughout the country, to sound out the national ecosystem and align Portugal’s subscription proposal for the European Space Agency (ESA) Ministerial Summit, scheduled for November in Germany. This process makes it possible to map out the interests and priorities of both the industry and the academia, guaranteeing that the needs of the country and the sector are reflected and integrated into the strategic decisions that will shape the future of space in Europe.
The ESA Ministerial Council (CMIN25) takes place every three years and aims to approve the new generation of programmes and the respective levels of funding for the European agency, establishing the main priorities for the European space sector in the upcoming years. This year’s meeting will take place on November 26th and 27th in Bremen.
In this context, the Portuguese Space Agency has been carrying out a series of visits to various companies, academies, and R&D centres in the sector since January in order to learn about the most innovative developments in Portugal and to understand the needs and ambitions of the national ecosystem.
At the beginning of the year, the Agency’s representatives were in Aveiro to visit Sinuta, the Instituto de Telecomunicações, and Atlar. In Porto, visits included FHP, Connected, CEiiA, Evoleo, and the Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (INEGI). In Guimarães, the Agency met with University of Minho representatives to discuss the institution’s future projects.
“Visiting the facilities and the work of companies, the academia, and R&D centres is crucial. Getting a close look at the projects under development and receiving direct explanations from the teams has a different impact, allowing for a better understanding of the sector’s future plans and strategic ambitions,” emphasises Ricardo Conde, President of the Portuguese Space Agency.
Ricardo Conde highlights Sinuta’s history as an example of “industrial reinvention in Portugal”. With roots in the metalworking sector, the company identified an opportunity in the satellite telecommunications market (VSAT and DTH), becoming a benchmark in the VSAT antenna market. With the sector’s evolution, Sinuta invested in innovation and diversified its solutions, focusing on new-generation antennas. “Working with the academia and using qualified talent is an example of the national industry’s ability to adapt and grow,” says Tiago Roque Peres, Telecommunication and Satellite Navigation Officer at the Portuguese Space Agency.
“Portugal has been reinforcing its presence in the global space sector, standing out as a supplier to major European and global integrators. The Agency, which was created to implement the “National Strategy for Space – Portugal Space 2030”, aims to boost this growth by strengthening the industry and the academia, ensuring that the priorities of the national ecosystem are taken into account in CMIN25”, stresses the President of the Portuguese Space Agency.
Meetings with industry and academic representatives will continue in Coimbra and Lisbon over the coming weeks, with visits planned to companies such as Lusospace, Tekever, GMV, Deimos, Edisoft, IA, Geosat, ML Analytics in Lisbon, as well as the Instituto Pedro Nunes and start-ups in the field of space, such as Neuraspace, Active Space, and Critical Software.
In the final stage of the ESA Ministerial Council’s preparatory work, sectoral workshops and meetings with European Space Agency representatives will be organised, with a preliminary document being expected in May.
