Czech firms’ research and development achieves success in space projects

15 Aug. 2011 | CzechInvest | Companies in the Czech Space Alliance succeeded in a European tender focused on space technologies.

The Czech Space Alliance can notch up another success in the area of research and development. In a recent tender issued by the European Space Agency (ESA) focused on research and development projects, companies in this industrial association were awarded eight contracts in the value of EUR 2.98 million, which is the greater part of the industrial budget. CzechInvest is also contributing to the development of the space industry in the Czech Republic.

ANF Data, CSRC, EGGO Space, Frentech, Iguassu Software Systems, Synpo and Explosia received orders for implementation of projects within the ESA tender. These orders include technologies for more effective processing of data from a remote Earth survey, testing of passive components and rocket fuel-tank technologies, and development of mechanical components for satellites.

The aerospace industry is among CzechInvest’s priority sectors. The agency is currently sponsoring international meetings with future partners in the area of the aviation industry in cooperation with the Ministry of Transportation of the Czech Republic, which is concurrently coordinating space activities and relations with the European Space Agency. CzechInvest has organised extensive meetings focused on space projects and space technology in, for example, Japan and Brazil within the framework of the Czech Technology Days project. In both countries the Czech Republic concluded agreements on cooperation on space projects.

“In the area of the aerospace industry, our country is among the pioneers of innovative solutions, and CzechInvest strives to ensure that Czech development capacities are involved in research projects conducted by aerospace manufacturers. One of the ways of accomplishing this is through the Czech Technology Days project focused on research, development, technology and innovation between the Czech Republic and advanced foreign countries,” says Miroslav Křížek, CEO of CzechInvest.

“As we are now showing in the European Space Agency, the Czech space industry is technologically at a high level. What is missing at present, however, is a broad international network of partners in other member countries with which it is necessary to enter into a consortium. International events such as seminars at the Ministry of Transportation and CzechInvest’s Czech Technology Days events abroad are of key importance for our further success in the ESA,” says Petr Bareš, president of the Czech Space Alliance.

The Czech Republic has been a member of the European Space Agency since 2008 and contributes EUR 7 million to the ESA’s budget annually. The greater part of the contributions should be returned to the Czech Republic in the form of industrial procurement orders for which firms must compete in international tenders.

Key negotiations on the amount of contributions to the ESA for the next four years await the Czech Republic next year. According to international studies, investments in the European Space Agency have one of the highest return multipliers, not to mention the impact on assessments of the country’s level of technical development.