We took a trip to witness an important moment for the European commercial space sector. The ESA Phi-Lab Poland team was honoured to be invited to Mullingar for the official launch of ESA Phi-Lab Ireland, hosted at the impressive Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) facility.
The importance of the event was underscored by the presence of key dignitaries, including Peter Burke TD (Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment), Dietmar Pilz (ESA Director of Technology, Engineering & Quality, head of ESTEC), and Philip Thomas (Head of ESA ScaleUp). Their speeches shared one message: the "New Space" era is here, and cross-border collaboration is central to tapping into its full potential. On this occasion, the companies selected in the first Open Call were also officially announced - huge congratulations to MBRYONICS and Ubotica Technologies!
Aside from the grand opening, a highlight of our visit was the formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with our Irish colleagues, with Politechnika Poznańska rector Mariusz Głąbowski doing the honours on behalf of the Polish side. This is the first such agreement between PhiLabs and a strong confirmation that the labs are indeed a network of entities with an overarching common goal: to bridge the gap between disruptive research and commercialisation within the space sector.
We are sincerely grateful for the invitation and the warm welcome we received. Thank you to Barry Kennedy, Ken Horan, Robert (Rob) Conway-Kenny, PhD, and the entire IMR team for hosting such a well-executed event. We look forward to a fruitful, long-term collaboration!
ESA Commercialisation Gateway POLSA Polska Agencja Kosmiczna | Polish Space Agency
