The European Space Agency is planning to build a Technology Centre in Poland. The decision to locate the project within the Warsaw Metropolitan Area has been supported by representatives of the City of Warsaw administration, the Mazovia Voivodeship local government, companies from the space sector, research organisations and scientific institutions. During the event, a letter of intent was signed on behalf of the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) by Prof. Agnieszka Pollo, Deputy Director for Science.

Mazovia is the ideal location for the European Space Agency’s Technology Centre. The Warsaw Metropolitan Area is home to the most important institutions linked to the Polish space sector and numerous R&D centres, and offers technological infrastructure and access to a skilled scientists and engineers. The NCBJ, in turn, is a place where scientific and research work is already being carried out, and where the development of dual-use technologies and solutions dedicated to the space industry is underway. Entities involved in space technologies have been operating for years within the NCBJ Science and Technology Park Świerk.

During a meeting organised by Warsaw City Council, a declaration of support was signed for the investment planned by the ESA in the Mazovia region. The document was signed by representatives of public administration, the space industry and the scientific sector, including research institutes. The event was preceded by a discussion on the region’s offer to support the activities of the future Technology Centre.

– The Technology Centre project represents an opportunity for the Warsaw region. It will open up new possibilities for researchers and industry in Poland and across Central Europe. The Centre will bring together business, science and public administration, which will foster the development of space technologies – an area in which the National Centre for Nuclear Research also has significant expertise. Our location near Warsaw, with a well-connected campus covering over 40 hectares and offering the highest standards of security, including cyber security, provides the ideal setting to kick-start the development of this ESA project. In addition to our many years’ experience in the world’s largest technological projects, including those in the space sector, we have a strong scientific team that is thoroughly familiar with ESA and the standards for conducting space research. Our teams collaborate with scientific institutions and companies in Warsaw, across Poland and around the world – I am convinced that, together, we are able to capitalise on the opportunity presented by the establishment of the ESA Centre in Poland to take Polish space research and technology to a new, much higher level – comments Prof. Agnieszka Pollo from NCBJ.