Incubation center is expected to create 240 jobs with … – iOnline

The Incubation Centre of Enterprises of the European Space Agency in Portugal, celebrating a year of operation, already has six startups to develop projects around the space technology, predicting that about 30 companies will be supported over five years to create 240 jobs and angariem capital exceeding 6.5 million euros, said the agency Lusa the Director of Knowledge Enhancement and Innovation of the IPN, headquartered in Coimbra.

 
 

Carlos Cerqueira believes that the 30 companies incubated in this center will be to invoice “ten million euros at the end of five years.”

 
 

The aim of the initiative involves using technology designed for space applications on Earth. For this, there are three possibilities: “ESA technology that is protected in the form of patent, the company’s own technology or a group of researchers designed for use in space and we want to bring to Earth and use of ESA data” , registered by their satellites, cleared Carlos Cerqueira.

 
 

The hatchery, with hubs in Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra, will support six companies per year with 50,000 euros of funding for the creation of a prototype that uses technology used in space.

 
 

In addition to financial support, the three centers involved – IPN, Science and Technology Park, University of Porto and DNA Cascais – pay for two years the incubation service and technical support in setting up a business model to each company , expounded Carlos Cerqueira.

 
 

In the six companies that have already begun incubation, no application of ideas airgel used in satellites in “situations of high temperatures” on earth, as in the case of pipelines, satellite data use in drones (unmanned aircraft) to collect more efficient indicators for agriculture or the use of technology of thermoelectric sensors nanossatélites for creating energy with the movement forward.

 
 

“They are good proposals, good teams and technology with enormous potential,” he said, considering that all projects “are robust from the business point of view.”

 
 

Four of the six firms in this first year of the hatchery were formed when the project applications, all of which must be less than four years.

 
 

According to Carlos Cerqueira, 50 thousand euros “are just a starting point,” since the initiative aims to prepare companies to “become interesting for investors”, not only Portuguese, but also foreign, contact this facilitated by the ESA network.

 
 

Today, held in Coimbra, in the IPN, at 17:00, the presentation of project results and the first six companies that will be supported.

 
 

At the ceremony, will be attended by representatives of ESA, the IPN, the National Innovation, Science and Technology Park, University of Porto Agency, DNA Cascais and Coordination and Regional Development Center Commission.

 
 

Lusa