Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1474708
10 COMMERCIAL 28 JULY 2022 European Space Agency experts researchers to strengthen sector ON 26 July, the Malta Council for Sci- ence and Technology (MCST) hosted an interactive workshop on space research to which high-level representatives from the European Space Agency (ESA) were present. e focus is to showcase the spectrum of space research being under- taken locally and to assess Malta's poten- tial to increase investment in this field. Space is often associated with sky ob- servation, lunar missions, and rocket launches. But it is so much more than that! Space-related technologies are nowadays part of our everyday lives of- ten without us knowing. Applications of space research include communication and data sharing, navi- gation on land, sea and air, surveillance, border control and security, agriculture, meteorological observation, monitoring of natural disasters and early warning systems, all of which rely on space infra- structures. MCST has been funding space research for the last five years. Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, Executive Chairman at MCST recalled how MCST had set up the Space Research Fund, in 2018, with the specific purpose of supporting capacity-building in local Space research. "e MCST Space Research Fund, has contributed in a significant manner to- wards the development of Space scien- tific endeavours by the Maltese research community. e Space Research Fund, in collaboration with the ESA has pro- vided essential financial means for the emergence of this highly innovative sec- tor in Malta". Examples of MCST funded research projects in space include remote sensing techniques to detect and monitor move- ment of sediments within the Maltese pocket beaches, the use of satellite im- agery to detect land changes and water usage in agricultural fields and the use of satellite multispectral imagery for the estimation of ocean colour parameters in the Maltese coastal areas with an un- precedented detail. Even the public sector, which was well-represented at the event, makes significant use of earth observation data like the Planning Authority, Transport Malta, Ambjent Malta, Public Works Di- rectorate, and the Environment and Re- sources Authority, all of whom provide essential services to society. All this has been showcased during the workshop, which brought the researcher community from the private and public sectors, and the research institutions together. ose present had the oppor- tunity to participate in a sandpit where- by they presented themselves and their research interests in a limited amount of time, promoting an interactive and dynamic vibe to the workshop, thus prompting networking, discussion on new collaborative and multidisciplinary project ideas, which could eventually turn sandpit outputs to new research projects. e ESA representatives, Stephen Airey and Nathalie Tinjod, commended the considerable potential of Malta's emerg- ing space sector, and remarked how the ESA team is looking forward to working with Malta to implement their next steps in the development of the space industry. "By engaging in space activities, Malta's Government is investing in the country's future," they said. "Cooperation is key at this stage of development, and ESA is ready to provide all the assistance and expertise required by a further involve- ment in the space domain at national and European level." In fulfilling its mission to create the best possible environment for research and innovation in Malta to flourish, MCST is not only set to coordinate na- tional, bilateral and multilateral funding programmes but also to facilitate part- nerships, building bridges such as those amongst industry-academia-govern- ment, industry-international partners, academia-civil society, cross-sectoral, and regional. is platform focusing on space re- search aims to catalyse such collabora- tions, which would enable us to tap into more funds to strengthen our research and innovation ecosystem. Keeping in mind that Space is no longer a luxu- ry, but it is today present at the core of many essential commodities in the mod- ern world. Researchers and practitioners working on space-related infrastructures meet to exchange the outcome of their research and resultant applications, of which society benefits, at an event organised by MCST together with the European Space Agency Stephen Airey - Head of New, Cooperating & Associate States Section, Industrial Policy Division, Industrial Policy and Auditing Department, Directorate for Commercialisation, Industry & Procurement ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands