The Minister of State for Training, Skills and Innovation, John Halligan yesterday attended an Enterprise Ireland trade visit to ESTEC, the European Space Research and Technology Centre in the Netherlands.
The Minister was joined by Private Secretary Katrina Flynn; James Lawless T.D, Spokesperson on Science, Research and Development for the opposition Fianna Fail Party; Michael Davitt, Head of the Irish Delegation to ESA and fellow members of the Delegation and Enterprise Ireland, as well as Kevin Kelly, Ireland’s Ambassador to the Netherlands.
The Irish contingent were shown ESTEC’s satellite Test Centre, the Planetary Robotics Laboratory and Erasmus Human Spaceflight Centre, where they met Irish ESA employees and representatives of partner companies.
The main focus of the trade visit was to maximise business opportunities for Irish companies with the European Space Agency.
Eleven Irish companies participated in yesterday’s Trade Mission including Skytek, whose software tool known as IPV (International Procedural Viewer) is currently used to assist Astronauts in the execution of procedures on board the International Space Station.
CEO of Skytek, Dr Sarah Bourke described yesterday’s trade visit as “vital for the ongoing growth and expansion of highly innovation companies like Skytek who are using their skill and expertise to secure contracts from ESA”
