From first successes to next steps: ESA Phi-Lab Spain presents the second cut-off date in Madrid event
The event highlighted ESA Phi-Lab Spain’s mission to accelerate innovation and collaboration in the space sector, promoting solutions that strengthen climate resilience, while presenting the second cut-off date for project submissions
Madrid, 13 November 2025
Following the ongoing ESA Phi-Lab Spain Tour taking place this month, today’s session was held at the CSIC headquarters in Madrid. Organised by the Fundación General CSIC (FGCSIC) witht the suppport of the Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC), the event brought together key representatives from the Spanish research and space ecosystem to showcase the first projects selected in the programme’s open call and present the upcoming second cut-off date.
The institutional opening featured remarks by Elena Cartea, Vice President of Scientific and Technical Areas at the CSIC, who emphasized the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration and knowledge transfer, noting that “generating knowledge is essential, but transferring it is indispensable”. Paloma Domingo, Deputy Director of Fundación General CSIC, highlighted that climate resilience remains a key priority for Spain.
After that, Pepa Sedó, Head of the Development and Innovation Office at IEEC introduced the programme and presented the four projects selected in the first cut-off date. Among them, Roger Huerta, from SPASCAT, showcased WAVESS, explaining that the project uses not only European satellites but also the local ones, like Menut. Pepa Sedó also underlined the collaborative nature of ESA Phi-Lab NET, noting that “if your idea fits another Phi-Lab from the network, we can help you connect with them.”
The session continued with Carlos Romero, Manager of ESA BIC Madrid, who highlighted that “ESA BICs rank among the top 10 incubators in Europe for supporting entrepreneurship in the space sector”. Manuel Laborda, Deputy Project Manager of ESA Technology Broker Spain, discussed technology transfer between the space industry and other sectors.
Finally, Estel Blay Programme Manager from IEEC took the floor to outline the details and evaluation criteria of the second cut-off date for the ESA Phi-Lab Spain Open Call (24 February) providing guidance for those interested in contributing to innovative solutions based on space technologies that enhance climate resilience.
The event concluded with a networking session, providing participants with the opportunity to exchange ideas and explore potential partnerships within Spain’s space ecosystem.
Discover ESA Phi-Lab Spain: Upcoming Opportunities
During November, there is one more opportunity to get to know the ESA Phi-Lab Spain program, meet the team, and discuss potential collaborations.
- 26 November: Derio (Bizkaia)
About ESA Phi-Lab Spain
ESA Phi-Lab Spain is a programme of the European Space Agency (ESA), supported by the Spanish Space Agency (AEE) and the Generalitat de Catalunya. The programme is part of ESA’s ScaleUp Programme, with a focus on promoting innovation and the commercialisation of space technologies to enhance climate resilience.
The programme is coordinated by the Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC), which leads a consortium of twelve universities, research and innovation centres, and companies. These include the i2CAT Foundation, the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia (ICGC), the Fundación General CSIC, the KIMbcn Foundation, Arribes Enlightenment, the University of Valencia (UVEG), the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), the Ricardo Valle Institute of Innovation Foundation (INNOVA IRV), the ESA MELiSSA Pilot Plant of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), and the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO)
