Repurposing centre opens in Ireland
14 Oct 2016 by Evoluted New Media
A new centre has been opened to find Irish start-ups to repurpose space technology for terrestrial use.
A new centre has been opened to find Irish start-ups to repurpose space technology for terrestrial use.
The ESA Space Solutions Centre Ireland has two strands for 25 start-ups. Each successful start-up will receive €50,000 in seed funding, as well as expert technical assistance and opportunities to access other funding schemes.Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, said: “The centre will give Irish entrepreneurs and start-ups a unique opportunity to access the funding, expertise and networks they need to grow their businesses and create jobs.”
The second stream will also see 10 established companies €40,000 that want to develop demonstrations of new products or services using space technology. The Space Centre is one of 14 ESA Business Incubation Centres in Europe.
The number of companies in the Irish space sector is expected to increase, with annual revenues to double to more than €150 million by 2020. Manager of ESA Space Solutions Centre Ireland, David Gibbons, said: “This is an open call for companies and entrepreneurs to start talking to us, even if they are not sure whether they fit. So much technology that we use every day originally came from space programs. People get hung up on the idea of technology that will be used on satellites or spacecraft, but this is about applying space technology more broadly to create good products, good companies and more jobs.”Examples of companies that have adapted space technology for other uses include SubTeraNDT, who has repurposed sub-terahertz scanning for detecting corrosion and defects under paint, coatings and insulation. Interested companies are invited to apply as soon as possible. More information can be found at http://www.esaspacesolutions.ie.
