In Dubrovnik, on the 20th and 21st of March, the ESA PECS conference aimed at companies and scientific organizations for international networking in the field of space and space technologies was held. The conference took place at the University of Dubrovnik, organized by the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Croatia and the European Space Agency, and gathered more than 100 participants.
The conference's goal, besides networking, was to further explain the Agreement on the European Participant States concluded between the Republic of Croatia and the European Space Agency and the associated Plan for European Participant States (PECS), which came into force in August last year.
Recognizing the importance of the space sector in Croatia
At the Dubrovnik conference, the participants were addressed by the Vice-Rector for International Cooperation and Science, Assoc. Prof. Marijana Pećarević. In her welcoming speech, she emphasized how the importance of space technologies is manifested in multidisciplinary areas and sectors, making it an important determinant for the further development of science, as well as innovation capacity.
This was followed by an address by the Director of the Directorate for Science and Technology at the Ministry of Science and Education and the Croatian delegate to the ESA, Dr. Hrvoje Meštrić. He emphasized the importance of international cooperation in the field of space and space technologies, as well as strengthening national capacities by connecting the academic sector and industry. He presented Croatia's activities, highlighting that the results of the previous ESA calls for proposals have shown that Croatia has the potential to utilize space technologies with the help of companies focused on the development and application of new technologies. It was also emphasized that Croatia increased its national annual contribution to ESA to 2.1 million euros, further indicating the recognition of the importance of the space sector.
ESA representative Christine Klein reminded all present of the importance of space and space technologies and emphasized the necessity of international cooperation and visibility, aimed at strengthening space capacity in the EU.
Presentations of good practices and networking events
Representatives of ESA PECS states - Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Malta - gave presentations on national activities in the field of space, while the associated ESA states - Latvia, Slovakia, Lithuania, and Slovenia - presented national activities as well as potentials developed with associate membership in ESA.
During the conference, all participating companies and scientific organizations had the opportunity to present activities in the field of space, as well as potential projects for future collaborations. On the second day of the conference, individual B2B meetings (matchmaking event) were held with the aim of sharing good practices, knowledge, ideas, as well as networking and positioning in the field of space.
The two-day conference of a very specific theme generated great interest, which is a kind of confirmation that international projects in the field of space and space technologies encourage active participation of Croatian scientists with the aim of creating new skills and knowledge necessary for the development of research, technological, and innovation potential.