The ESA Phi-Lab at Mullingar’s IMR reflects Ireland’s growing ambitions for space technology
We look back at last week’s official launch of Ireland’s first European Space Agency ‘Phi-Lab’ – a major step in Ireland’s ambitions for space technology development.
There was an incredible buzz at the oversubscribed official launch last Friday (13 February) of Ireland’s first Space Agency (ESA) Phi-Lab at Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) headquarters in Mullingar, run in partnership with the AMBER Center at Trinity College Dublin.
One of 10 European Phi-Labs, it is designed to be Ireland’s national platform for space technology development, and strengthen the country’s ambitions within Europe and the world’s fastest growing space economy.
Philip Thomas, head of ScaleUp programs at ESA, was one of the agency’s senior representatives who visited Mullingar for the launch and was delighted with Phi-Lab Ireland’s focus on additive manufacturing.
“This is a really important Phi-Lab because it helps to develop technology and quickly translate it into commercial solutions, in the competitive space market around the world, which is why it is so important that we continue these activities,” said Thomas.
“We’ve seen real success in Irish companies winning contracts with the European Space Agency, and in the last nine or 10 years, we’ve had 50 start-ups come out of there,” said Joe Healy, head of research and innovation at Enterprise Ireland. “And the good thing about that is that they’ve already employed over 200 people and raised about €50 million.
“So we can hope that we can build on the success so far. The competition is very strong internationally, but we have very good, innovative companies these days.”
Healy also strongly advises companies in this space to diversify and ensure they find wider applications for their technology, and to look beyond Europe.
“Today marks a milestone in our journey in the Phi Lab Ireland programme,” said Ken Horan, head of Phi-Lab Ireland in Mullingar. “For IMR, this is a major ecosystem step as we seek to advance Ireland’s position within the space ecosystem and ultimately make Ireland leaders in this emerging market.”
The lively panel discussion included the founders of two Irish companies selected in the first highly competitive ‘Open Call’ last year – Ubotica Technologies and Mbryonics.
“We are very excited to be pioneering this first call at Phi-Labs to bring additive manufacturing to what we do,” said Ruth Mackey, CSO and founder of Mbryonics. “And that’s done through the Phi-Labs program here at IMR. Bringing that manufacturing industry to the aerospace industry is a key element, we think, to the next generation of jobs in Ireland.”
“We don’t really have access to this capability and this technology in-house,” said Aubrey Dunne, CTO and founder of Ubotica Technologies. So with the Phi-Lab project, we partnered with IMR, which has these skills in abundance. And they will help us create effective and well-managed solutions.”
The Minister for Business, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, TD officially launched the new lab last Friday, and said that the Irish Government is committed to supporting innovation and new companies in the aerospace sector, pointing to the success of the first two successful companies.
“I know that the next competition will take place in the first half of this year,” he said. “And I’m sure listening to our two successful applicants here today, that will spark a lot of excitement about the future in this regard.”
“This facility puts Ireland at the forefront of European aerospace innovation, where advanced manufacturing, AI and data-driven technologies can be developed, tested and commercialized with global impact,” said Barry Kennedy, CEO of IMR. “Ultimately, this is about translating world-class research into real economic and social value.”
The launch is part of a wider national commitment to ESA, where the Department for Business, Tourism and Employment has committed €170m in investment to ESA over the next five years. The establishment of ESA Phi-Lab Ireland in Mullingar is a key element of that investment.
All speakers agreed that Ireland’s space and space innovation sector is on the rise. Since the publication of Ireland’s ‘National Space Strategy for Enterprise’ in 2019, there are now 120 space companies working with ESA in Ireland in some way, and many Irish companies today provide technology and solutions to the commercial sector around the world.
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