28/09/2005

The European Space Agency recently announced an invitation for the submission of proposals by Greek research organisations and companies operating in the field of space research and technology. The purpose of this "call for ideas" is to support the participation of Greek organisations in the Agency, of which Greece became the 16th member in March 2005.

The Accession Agreement specifies a transitional period of 6 years, in order to allow Greek organisations to adapt to the Agency?s competitive environment; a Task Force has been set up for the same purpose, consisting of Greek and ESA representatives.

The invitation for proposals is addressed exclusively to research organisations and companies based in Greece. It covers all technical activities of the ESA, although the proposals' primary actions should focus on the ESA's future potential, should address specific niche markets, should provide resources to the Greek organisations for their efficient incorporation into the Agency, and should also encourage strong and long-term co-operation between Greek and European organisations in the field of space research. The proposals' budget should not exceed 100,000 euros. However, if a certain project has a larger budget, its activities can be categorised and submitted for funding in separate phases. This means that the project's first phase, with a budget of up to 100,000 euros, will be submitted first. This phase should include the project's feasibility study and its first activities. The results will be evaluated and, upon a positive evaluation result, a proposal for the funding of the next phase will be submitted.

Subcontracting to organisations based in other ESA member states will be funded only when this is sufficiently justified. Furthermore, the activities implemented by foreign (not Greek) organisations cannot constitute core activities for the proposal.

Interested parties are invited to submit their proposals, which should not exceed three pages, to the ESA Task Force ([email protected]) no later than 6 January 2006. The projects will be evaluated on the basis of the proposal's technical characteristics, as well as its relevance to the programme's aims and values.

Finally, it must be noted that the Task Force's investigation of the capabilities and interests of Greek organisations in the field of space research and technology, is under way. Relevant questionnaires have already been collected; they are expected to contribute to the creation of a database with subject areas and sectors, which will be further supported by the activities of the transitional period.

Information: European Space Agency Secretary of the ESA-Greece Task Force J.P.V.

Poiares Baptista

Tel. no.: +31 71 565 4319

E-mail: [email protected]

Source: European Space Agency