A. Armonaitė: Lithuanian space companies have already received investments worth more than EUR 5 million
Lithuania aims for its space sector to account for 1% of GDP by 2027. To this end, the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation is working to ensure that Lithuanian business and science are actively involved in the growth of the sector - Lithuania is already involved in up to 30 European Space Agency (ESA) projects, which have already attracted more than €5 million in investments for Lithuanian companies.
"Last year, the global value of the space sector was more than €554 million. With a forecast to triple to €1.66 trillion over the next decade, participation in ESA opens up many new opportunities for Lithuania to grow this high-potential sector. We are working to make it as easy as possible for companies to enter this market: we have established Space Hub LT, which has helped space companies implement international projects, participate in training and incubation activities to raise their profile and strengthen Lithuania's space ecosystem," said Aušrinė Armonaitė, the Minister of the Economy and Innovation.
This year alone, ESA has approved 8 projects from Lithuanian companies and scientific institutions under the Third Country Programme exclusively for Lithuania. Almost EUR 1 million is expected to be allocated for their implementation.
"We see a growing interest of our companies in ESA programmes, which has increased more than eightfold in the last few years in terms of applications to ESA programmes. This shows that Lithuanian companies are ready to take on the design and development of innovative, often dual-purpose technologies and to become a significant global player in the space industry," said Neringa Morozaitė-Rasmussen, Vice-Minister of the Economy and Innovation.
Lithuanian companies are already involved in several projects with ESA. For example, Lithuanian companies Geomatrix and Coetus are currently working with international partners on an ESA project to tackle climate change in the Baltic Sea region. The project is developing services for the application of satellite Earth observation data to address the challenges of climate change.
In addition, to strengthen the Lithuanian space ecosystem, an ESA Business Incubator (ESA BIC Lithuania) has been established in Lithuania to provide technical and advisory support to space start-ups and to support the development of innovative space products and technologies. Currently, 8 selected space start-ups are participating in this incubator. Lithuanians are also trying their hand at ESA astronaut selection, with 80 of our nationals participating.
Space Hub LT, which operates within the Innovation Agency and is responsible for developing the space ecosystem and implementing space policy, is a major contributor to the growth of Lithuanian space companies.
"We help companies to discover new opportunities for innovation and cooperation in the space sector and to join international chains. During the two years of our activity, we have been proactively following the development of the Lithuanian space ecosystem, advising companies and regularly inviting ESA experts to Lithuania to introduce our ecosystem participants to funding opportunities and to see the capabilities of Lithuanian companies up close," says Eigirdas Sarkanas, an expert from the Innovation Agency's Space Hub LT group.
In the two years of its operation, the Space Hub LT team has helped 23 Lithuanian companies to participate in international exhibitions, actively advised companies on funding opportunities and helped them prepare international applications, find partners and obtain large investments.
To accelerate the development of the Lithuanian space sector, the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation has prepared a Lithuanian Space Sector Development Concept, which aims to make Lithuania a competitive provider of space services and to develop solutions and technologies based on advanced scientific research.
It is also continuously seeking to develop links with major global space companies such as SpaceX. Three years ago, Starlink established a subsidiary in Lithuania to provide broadband satellite internet services.
Lithuania has become an Associate Member of ESA in 2021.