FCT Space Office

Mission

The main mission of the FCT Space Office is to fully explore the benefits of the Portuguese participation in European space programmes, particularly in ESA space programmes.

In order to fulfil its mission the FCT Space Office is set to:

Monitor the participation of Portuguese academia and industry in European and international space programmes while providing recommendations relevant to the implementation of national scientific and technological initiatives and programmes;
Contribute to the maintenance of a level of national contribution to ESA and to other international organizations commensurate with the ambitions and capacities of the scientific and industrial communities in line with the policies established for the space domain;
Explore the synergies established with other international organizations of which Portugal is a member and, simultaneously, promote bidirectional technology transfer to other economic activity sectors;
Promote the visibility and competitiveness of the Portuguese space sector alongside the main European and international partners;
Act as the Industrial Liaison Office, promoting the participation of the national industry in the technological activities of the major International Scientific Organizations of which Portugal is a member state (such as ESA, CERN, ESO and ESRF).

Structure

The FCT Space Office distributes its actions among the following pillars and corresponding themes:

Strategy and Space Policy

European Space Policy (implemented by both ESA and the European Commission);
International Cooperation with space faring nations outside Europe.

Industrial Policy and Space Technology

Industrial participation in ESA programmes and exploitation of synergies with the industrial participation in other international organizations (namely CERN, ESO and ESRF);
ESA's technology programmes and the corresponding connection with the European Commission's space programmes;
Technology Transfer.

ESA's and European Commission's Earth Observation Programmes

Portuguese Delegation to the Space theme of the European Union's 7th Framework Programme;
ESA's Earth observation programmes;
GMES Programme.

Space Science and Space Exploration Programmes

ESA's Science Programme and the Exploration Programmes implemented by ESA and the European Commission.

Industrial Liaison Office

The Portuguese Delegates to ESA's Industrial Policy Committee and the Portuguese Industrial Liaison Officer to CERN, ESO and ESRF act as connection elements between the Portuguese industrial community and the corresponding International Organizations.

Functions

In order to pursue the success of its mission the FCT Space Office is committed to the following duties:

Advising the Portuguese Head of Delegation at ESA and the Government members responsible for scientific and technological areas on space related issues;
Monitoring of the ESA and the European Commission committees and work groups ensuring, whenever necessary, the presence of a national representative particularly in ESA's horizontal Committees (ESA's Council, the Industrial Policy Committee, and the Administrative and Financial Committee);
Stewardship of a close link to the scientific and industrial community in order to precisely gauge the national ambitions and capacities in technological and scientific fields relevant both to the space domain and to other synergetic domains;
Having in regard the previous item, the FCT Space Office should contribute to the maintenance of an adequate level of national participation in space programmes both in terms of subscription of such programmes and in terms of the integration of Portuguese teams in international projects and missions;
The promotion of the Space sector, as well as of other synergetic scientific and technological activities, across society at large in cooperation with the institutions mandated with the diffusion of scientific and technological culture.