On the 27 July 2022, the University was honoured to receive high-level representatives from the European Space Agency (ESA) alongside with representatives from the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST) who visited our campus in order to learn more about its skills, capacities and infrastructure in relation to space related research. The visit was part of ESA’s mission to understand the spectrum of space research being undertaken locally and to assess Malta’s potential to increase investment in this field.
The delegation was welcomed and guided by Prof. Ing. Simon Fabri, Pro-Rector for Research and Knowledge Transfer, who was accompanied by Dr Christian Bonnici, Director of Research Support Services Directorate and Andras Havasi, manager at the Knowledge Transfer Office. Following a general introduction to the University, they discussed its commitment towards research and supporting innovation.
Afterwards, they took a tour at some of the space related facilities that the University has to offer, where they were met by several representatives of different departments and institutes. Amongst them were Prof. Joseph Borg of the Department of Applied Biomedical Science at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Prof. Kristian Zarb Adami of the Institute of Space Sciences & Astronomy, Dr Robert Camilleri of the Institute of Aerospace Technologies, and Dr Ing. Marc Anthony Azzopardi of the Astrionics Research Group. Each representative showcased the research that they have been conducting in their respective area to the delegation, and gave insight into the space-related work that goes on at the University.
The day before the visit at UM by the ESA experts, researchers from the private and public sectors had the opportunity to showcase their space related research during an interactive workshop organised by MCST. The participants presented themselves and their research interests in a limited amount of time, promoting an interactive and dynamic vibe to the workshop, thus prompting networking and discussion on new collaborative and multidisciplinary project ideas which could eventually turn sandpit outputs to new research projects.
According to MCST, “the ESA representatives, Mr Stephen Airey and Ms Nathalie Tinjod, commended the considerable potential of Malta’s emerging 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.” They further commented that “by engaging in space activities, Malta’s Government is investing in the country’s future. Cooperation is key at this stage of development, and ESA is ready to provide all the assistance and expertise required by a further involvement in the space domain at national and European level.”
UM welcomes MCST’s efforts in fulfilling its mission to create the best possible environment for research and innovation in Malta to flourish. We are committed to building partnerships with academia, industry, government and civil society, locally, regionally and internationally, by taking an active part in Malta’s research and innovation ecosystem, and we look forward to where it’s headed.