If you are an university student or PhD, interested in conducting a scientific or technological research in hyper gravity conditions, this programme is for you! The European Space Agency (ESA) is promoting the Spin Your Thesis! Programme call for proposals, which aims to give participantes the chance of performing research projects in “hypergravity conditions in a number of fields, such as biological, biochemical, microbiological, opto-physical, physical, material sciences, fluid sciences, geology, and plasma physics fields”, that might be conducted in the recently developed Large Diameter Centrifuge (LDC). You can submit your proposal until the 7th of December, 2014. Apply here (http://joinspace.org/metaframe/sites/dhw/iaf/)! For further information visit the webpage http://www.esa.int/Education/Spin_Your_Thesis!_programme_phases or contact by email (spinyourthesis@esa.int).

The European Space Agency (ESA) has now open applications for the Drop Your Thesis! Programme. The initiative designed for university students - from Bachelor’s to PhD level – intends to give them the “opportunity to perform scientific or technological research in microgravity conditions”. Through the Drop Your Thesis! programme, ESA will allow the participant students to have the chance of performing experimental research in facilities not usually accessible to students, such as the ZARM Drop Tower. The call for proposals is open until 7th December 2014. For further information visit the page http://www.esa.int/Education/Drop_your_Thesis!_Programme_phases or contact using the email dropyourthesis@esa.int. Submit your application here (http://joinspace.org/metaframe/sites/dhw/iaf/)!

VERHAERT Masters in Innovation – as the Belgian broker in ESA’s Technology Transfer Network (TTN) - has opened the applications for an Open Call. This call accepts “proposals for demonstrators regarding the transfer of space technology to a non-space application”. Whether it is hardware, software, know-how, procedures, processes, methodologies, systems and services, this Open Call for space technology transfer will allow participants to get funding up to 34.120 €, to develop a technology transfer demonstrators. Both space, non-space organizations or individuals are invited to apply. In the end, the three best proposals will be selected and awarded with funding. Applications are open until the September 26th, 2014. To submit an application, please download the application template here (http://www.spacetechnology.be/open-call/#sthash.Dir0FA3h.dpbs) and send it by email to sam.waes@verhaert.com.

Applications for the ESA App Camp 2014 are open. For the third edition of the event, the European Space Agency (ESA) will gather 20 developers in the European Space Research Institute (ESRIN), in Frascati, Italy. For a full week the participants will be given access to satellite data designed to help them develop mobile applications in five predefined categories. Agriculture, Emergency and Rescue Management, Environmental Protection, Maritime Environment and Maritime Transportation or Lifestyle and Tourism are the work areas that will allow the select participants the chance to develop working mobile app prototypes, using data form the European satellite programmes Galileo/EGNOS and Copernicus. For further information visit the page: http://www.app-camp.eu/index-esa.php?anzeige=home.php. Applications are open until the 21st of July and the event is free of charge for the selected participants. Apply here: http://www.app-camp.eu/pages/esa/registration.php)

The PTTI has so far been partner to 9 technology transfer projects, using space technologies and competencies in multiple non-space markets (logistics, automotive, medical devices, oil & gas, renewable energy, UAV for civil applications and railway), take a peak at the promotional brochure at: https://www.ipn.pt/si/event/dataNews.do?elementId=1540&s=1

The submission date for the 4th Evaluation has been extended to 15th May 2014 (5pm). No proposals will be considered for this evaluation after this time.

Within the framework of the PTTI initiative, CRITICAL Software has successfully concluded a feasibility study, which shows how certification methodologies used for space systems can be adapted to be highly-effective in the certification of Medical Devices. The cost and complexity of certifying a device as a Medical Device is enormous. Large Medical Devices’ companies can be up to date with applicable standards, and have the financial capability to invest large amounts of money in product certification. Smaller companies, very often start-ups with state-of-the-art disruptive technologies must invest instead in product development, which has the potential of creating large time-to-market cycles if the necessary certification process is not followed as it should. Through this project, CRITICAL Software demonstrated the feasibility of applying mature qualification and certification methodologies, originating in the ECSS standards (being used by ESA for a long time) in the field of embedded Medical Device systems. Partnering with Perceive3D as end-client, CRITICAL Software applied some of these techniques in the early-stages of the certification process of RDFixer, a disruptive technology that allows real-time correction of the radial distortion in endoscopic images. With the successful completion of this project, CRITICAL Software is now actively pursuing new opportunities for the application of highly-efficient certification methodologies for other companies operating in the Medical Devices field. For more information: info@criticalsoftware.com

Following the funding granted to Active Aerogels, resulting from the 3rd evaluation of the PTTI program, a prototype has been built to demonstrate technology transfer of silica-based aerogels from the space sector to the pipeline industry. A flexible, low thermal conductivity aerogel (Aeroflex) that is environmentally friendly as well as fire and corrosion resistant is very effective for thermal insulation in the temperature range from -200ºC to 350ºC. The aerogel material has been successfully encapsulated and applied to pipes with a diameter as low as 22 mm. Comparison between Aeroflex and other pipeline insulation materials confirms the aerogel superior insulation performance for both hot and cold applications. In addition, the silica-based material is capable of withstanding cryogenic conditions without surface condensation, freezing, cracking or breaking. This technology unveils remarkable technology and business opportunities such as: • transport pipelines (e.g. oil and gas); • cryogenic insulation systems (e.g. liquefied natural gas); • industrial steam and process pipe work; • high fire risk applications; • specific applications for toxic and corrosive environments. With Aeroflex, potential market applications will benefit from a highly efficient, safe and easily applicable insulation product to reduce energy losses, and therefore improve environmental sustainability of many industrial processes.

The objective of the PTTI-ILUV “Intelligent Landing of Unmanned (Aerial) Vehicles” was to assess the applicability of a site selection landing algorithm developed by UNINOVA for ESA spacecraft, and using it for the autonomous landing of a micro-UAV. This algorithm provides Hazard Detection and Avoidance capabilities, using hazard maps such as texture, slope, illumination etc. as decision criteria allowing autonomous landing site selection, applicable in nominal or emergency landing situations. UNINOVA’s Computational Intelligence Research Group (CA3) teamed up with Spin.Works, a Portuguese SME developing UAV’s (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) with embedded guidance, navigation and control systems, to perform this feasibility study. The study involved slight adaptations of the space-oriented algorithm to the realities of a UAV. Changes included adapting to a more horizontal landing scenario and considering factors such as wind, with very positive results being successfully demonstrated in the context of this PTTI project. The use of UAV’s by civil users benefits from increased safety, security and efficiency. Having a mechanism for autonomous landing in emergency situations such as engine failure, minimizes the risks for people or property on the ground, while also maximizing the probability of recovering the aircraft intact, thereby reducing inherent costs. It provides added value to current UAV’s, bringing increased confidence in (semi)autonomous aerial vehicles. From an operational perspective, by having this extra level of autonomy, in particular at the landing phase, it is possible to achieve a reduction in operational costs, since the most significant cost in micro UAV operations is the operator cost. As a result of the study, we showed that the adaptation of the space-based algorithm provides a clear benefit to the task of UAV landings, with the ILUV project providing a step forward in achieving an autonomous aerial vehicle.

Do you want to learn how to integrate satellite data into mobile applications? So this is your chance! The Space App Camp will take place from 4th to 12th of March, 2014, near Amsterdam, and it will gather a group of innovative developers from Europe with experience in app development. For nine full days the participants will be given access to satellite data designed to help them develop mobile applications in five predefined categories. Whether it's Agriculture, Emergency and Rescue Management, Environmental Protection, Maritime Environment and Maritime Transportation or Lifestyle, apps you will have the opportunity to produce working app prototypes that use data from Europe's satellite navigation (Galileo/EGNOS) and Earth observation (Copernicus) programmes on mobile devices. The participants will be chosen based on the creativity of their previous works regarding content, usability, design, and the underlying business concepts. The applications are open until the 3rd of March and the event is free of charge and all the travel expenses and accommodation will be provided to the selected participants. For further information on the Space App Camp click here: http://www.app-camp.eu/

Instituto Pedro Nunes was invited by the European Space Agency (ESA) to be part of the Technology Transfer Network (TTN), a group of technology brokers working to identify novel uses for space technology or competencies or non-space technologies that could benefit the exploration and utilisation of Space. The results of the activities of the TTN are now visible at the ESA marketplace named Technology Exchange. The website (www.esa-tec.eu) presents Technologies developed for space with business potential in non-space sectors such as automotive, health or oil & gas, and highlights space technology transfer Success Stories, further contributing to raise awareness for space technology and its benefits for the citizens in their daily life. Some of the Portuguese technologies identified so far are also now displayed: - Silica-based Aerogels (Active Aerogels) http://www.esa-tec.eu/technologies/from-space/silica-based-aerogel/ - Verification and validation of safety-critical systems – Fault Injection (Critical Software) http://www.esa-tec.eu/technologies/from-space/verification-and-validation-of-safety-critical-systems-fault-injection/ - GNSS Galileo Code Receiver (DEIMOS Engenharia) http://www.esa-tec.eu/technologies/from-space/gnss-galileo-code-receiver/ - IFAS – Intelligent Fault Alarm System (UNINOVA-CA3) http://www.esa-tec.eu/technologies/from-space/ifas-intelligent-fault-alarm-system/ For more information, please contact ptti@ipn.pt

Within the framework of the PTTI initiative, Critical Software has successfully concluded a demonstrator, which shows how highly-effective system testing techniques used in Space can also be used to increase the reliability, affordability and safety of tomorrow’s cars. The enabling technology in the demonstrator - Fault Injection - has been widely applied in space systems to assure robustness of embedded control platforms. It has been used by Critical Software in the R&D ESA STADY Project, and in the independent verification and validation of the ESA Sentinel 1 satellite central control software. In all of these cases it has been found to be an extremely effective method of stress testing highly-sensitive control electronics. For cars, this means a powerful method of improving the reliability of high-tech braking systems, track control and stability systems, engine control units, as well as next-generation connected infotainment systems. Keeping development costs low, while ensuring safe and reliable systems and guaranteeing short time-to-market of new technologies, is a real challenge for the automotive industry. Fault Injection is the state-of-the-art technology that can give a significant competitive edge in system testing for the industry. Stated in the ISO 26262 as a highly-recommended technique for safety-assurance of embedded automotive systems, it allows for automated testing of systems, enhancing reliability and decreasing the validation effort for the system. Critical Software presented the Fault Injection demonstrator at the Automotive Testing Expo in Stuttgart. Faults were injected on a running ABS system. It was then demonstrated that the faults negatively affected the braking ability of the system, therefore showing that this particular system had robustness and reliability issues. The system was demonstrated, in this context, to companies such as Bosch, AVL, Autoliv, and DAF Trucks (Paccar), Hyundai, among others. For more information: info@criticalsoftware.com

Following the 3rd evaluation of the PTTI, Active Aerogels was granted funding for the development of a 6-month demonstrator project to transfer space technology to ground applications. The company proposes to transfer silica-based aerogel technology more effectively to the pipeline industry (oil and gas, cryogenics, etc.), replacing less efficient and environmentally harmful thermal insulation solutions. Aerogels have been successfully applied as thermal insulation solutions in recent years, mainly in the space sector, due to their unusual properties such as very low thermal conductivity, low density, low flammability, low toxicity, and wide range of operating temperature. This project aims to demonstrate a scale-up process so that aerogel can be applied to the pipeline industry, where good insulation, flexibility, and hydrophobicity are important properties to make the process viable.

As the result of the 3rd evaluation of the PTTI, Evoleo was granted funding to develop a 6-month Demonstrator consisting of a transfer from space technology (hardware and software on Flight Payload Development) to the railway market. The project named RMOP-Reliable Modular Platform will show that these technologies can be used in the railway industry to provide railway operators higher confidence degree that 3rd party systems (Infotainment, Air Conditioning, Systems Conditioning Monitoring, Communications, Data Acquisition and others) will not interfere with the critical onboard systems already installed in the train in case of any failure in those subsystems.

Following the 3rd evaluation of the PTTI, Critical Software will receive funding for a feasibility study for transferring methodologies defined in space-specific quality and technical standards, namely the European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) standards, to the Medical Devices (MD) domain. The goal is the transfer of competences and technologies for a more efficient certification process of a MD. This is vital to the success of start-ups and small companies due to investment capabilities and a significant knowledge gap on how to accomplish MD certification. The objective of this feasibility study is to cross-analyse space and MD standards and to build up general methodologies for the certification of a MD leveraging on space-recommended approaches. Finally, these methodologies will be used on a real case study of a start-up company that is seeking to qualify a product as a MD.

"For the 10th time, the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) is calling for services, products, and business innovations that use satellite navigation in everyday life. As a new partner in 2013, the European Patent Office (EPO) will award a prize to the best GNSS application innovation that has been granted a European patent. Oberpfaffenhofen, XX June 2013: Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) like GPS or Galileo provide position, navigation, and timing information to users anywhere on Earth. As GNSS capabilities are part of virtually every aircraft, ship, mobile phone, and most new automobiles, a global billion market for receivers and applications has arisen in recent years. With the development and extension of the European satellite navigation system Galileo the protection of innovative technologies and applications is becoming more and more important for Europe’s inventors. In 2012, the European Patent Office (EPO) granted 104 patents in the field of satellite navigation technologies (source: EPO). For the first time the EPO will award a prize within the ESNC 2013 to the best GNSS application innovation that has been granted a European patent. “We want to support inventors to gain recognition while helping them to protect ideas and to encourage innovation. The ESNC is a fantastic opportunity for us to seek out promising patented GNSS related innovation. Our prize will recognise the best patented innovation based on its high economic potential, strong technological impact, and outstanding benefits for today's society.” says Oswald Schröder, Principal Director Communications and Spokesperson at EPO. The winner of the ESNC EPO Best Patented Innovation Prize will be shortlisted and presented to the jury tasked with compiling a list of 15 total finalists (in five different categories) for the prestigious European Inventor Award 2014. If nominated, the winner will be included in a Europe-wide publicity campaign and get dedicated marketing support including integration in high-ranking media partnerships, e.g. with CNN, Financial Times, or Les Echos. In addition, the winner and two runners-up will receive an economic study (valued at approx. EUR 5,000) on the market potential of their patent in the corresponding field of technology. Submission for this year’s ESNC is possible until 30 June 2013. At www.galileo-masters.eu, participants and other interested parties can access all of the information on this year’s prizes and partners, the terms of participation, and a direct link to sign in to the database. The winners will then be recognised at a festive awards ceremony to be held in Munich, Germany, on 5 November 2013. For further information on the EPO Special Prize, please refer to: www.epo.galileo-masters.eu." Presse contact: Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen, Lena Klemm, Friedrichshafener Str. 1, 82205 Gilching, +49(0)8105-7727717, lena.klemm@anwendungszentrum.de

"Estão abertas até ao dia 30 de Junho as candidaturas para a 10ª edição do European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC), um dos maiores concursos internacionais de ideias de negócio na área da navegação por satélite. O mote para edição de 2013 é “Take the Next Step with Your Business Case” e os concorrentes (individualmente ou em equipa) provenientes de empresas, centros de investigação, universidades ou empresas start-up podem apresentar as suas ideias de negócio, com o intuito de as verem promovidas e postas em prática no futuro. Como participar? O prémio do ESCN é de cerca de 1 milhão de euros e inclui prémios em dinheiro, incubação do negócio, coaching, consultoria para propriedade intelectual, prototipagem e apoio de marketing, entre outros benefícios. Para participar é necessário aceder ao site do concurso e escolher, na secção “Regional Prizes”, aquela que melhor se adequa à sua ideia de negócio. Além desta categoria podem ainda submeter as propostas nas secções “Special Prizes” e “Prototyping Prizes”, aumentando as hipóteses de vir a ser o grande vencedor deste concurso. Este ano a competição acolhe o European Patent Office (EPO) como um novo parceiro através da criação de um prémio especial para a Best patented GNSS related innovation . O EPO irá premiar a melhor patente europeia a nível de potencial económico, impacto tecnológico e benefícios para a sociedade actual. As ideias seleccionadas passam para um grupo de 15 finalistas divididos em cinco diferentes categorias, e poderão concorrer ao European Inventor Award 2014. Além disso, todos os 15 nomeados serão incluídos numa campanha publicitária europeia nos mais prestigiados media. Enquanto única parceira nacional do concurso, a U.Porto (através da UPIN – Universidade do Porto Inovação) vai assumir a gestão do processo de candidaturas e acolher em setembro a reunião dos cerca de 30 peritos internacionais que vão decidir os vencedores. A cerimónia de entrega de prémios vai ter lugar no dia 5 de novembro, em Munique (Alemanha). Para mais informações, consultar o site do concurso (http://www.galileo-masters.eu/)." UPIN - Universidade do Porto Inovação, Reitoria da Universidade do Porto

The submission hour for the 3rd Evaluation has been extended to 23h59 on 31st May 2013. No applications will be considered for this evaluation after this time.

In the 2nd evaluation of proposals to the PTTI, the Steering Committee agreed to fund LusoSpace to develop a 6-month Feasibility Study to transfer space technology to the Logistics market. The idea started back in the end of 2004, when LusoSpace initiated its journey into the Augmented Reality (AR) world. Being assigned the European Space Agency’s activity “Auxiliary Direct Visualization of Information Tools for Space Applications” in October 2006 LusoSpace developed its first Head Mounted Display (HMD). Since then further developments have been done and LusoSpace’s involvement in this area has been continuously increasing. Having internally studied possible applications for the technology, Logistics was identified as a candidate user with interesting foreseen increases in productivity. The setting was in place for further work (business wise) and hence this study named Augmented Reality for Logistics (AR4LogFS). This Feasibility Study aims at assessing the technological obstacles to be overcome for this specific application and the return both for potential clients and for LusoSpace.

As a result of the 2nd Evaluation of the PTTI, GMV-Portugal will receive funding to implement the Autonomous Inertia Estimation for Trasportation (AIE4T) Demonstrator, a 6-month project proposing to transfer technology that allows the on-line estimation of space vehicles mass, centre of mass position and inertia during the flights, to the automotive sector, particularly for active suspensions and high occupancy vehicles (HOV). The strict requirements generally applied to a space mission (high autonomy, minimum maintenance, high reliability) are becoming more and more relevant for the automotive sector, as cars are increasingly “smarter” (e.g. active suspensions, proximity sensors, self-parking systems) and evolving towards full autonomy. This technology transfer envisions a relevant benefit in terms of safety and consumption for the active chassis control of modern cars. Moreover, the opportunity of implementing in the car a cheap system to autonomously identify the number of passengers will boost the implementation of dedicated lanes in highways and urban environment, such as access bridges to big cities. In this last case, this technology transfer project shall provide a clear improvement towards the pollution reduction.

The ILUV (Intelligent Landing of Unmanned aerial Vehicles) project, developed by UNINOVA and Spin.Works, was one of the proposals funded in the 2nd Evaluation of the PTTI, proposing to transfer intelligent safe landing algorithms for spacecraft (IPSIS technology) to the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) civil applications market (namely, for civil protection and cartography). UNINOVA’s IPSIS algorithm, based on a conceptual mathematical model that combines concepts from multi-criteria decision-making with evolutionary optimization algorithms, and Spin.Works’ UAVs, with embedded guidance, navigation and control systems, and hazards and avoidance algorithms, propose an innovative approach to ensure autonomous and safe UAV landing while reducing its operational costs.

Besides each entity's own technology transfer projects from space areas to any other non-space sector (with no restrictions of sector/area/domain defined by the Steering Committee so far), other options exist that may trigger an application to the PTTI. For this purpose, the technologies and applications of the European Space Agency (ESA) may be considered: by sections, ESA’s portfolio of technology descriptions can be found at http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Technology/SEM1RVLTRJG_0.html; also, ESA produces, stores and makes available free of charge earth observation datasets (http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEM12R1VQUD_index_0.html), which could be used for a myriad of non-space applications. The application instructions for the next evaluation are available at the FORMS menu. Besides the institutional information and the executive summary, the candidates are expected to provide information mostly on: the current development status of the space technology/competencies to be transferred; prior involvement in space projects; intellectual property rights; the need/opportunity in a non-space market and how to address it; the competitive advantages against comparable solutions; the capacity to develop the Feasibility Study/Demonstrator; and the project activities and cost effectiveness (including a cost schedule). IPN is available to answer your questions regarding the application procedure.

As the result of the 1st evaluation of the PTTI, Critical Software was granted funding to develop a 6-month Demonstrator. Consisting of a transfer from space technology (Critical Software’s fault injection system) to the automotive sector, the project named csXception4Auto will show that this technology can be used in the automotive industry with the same gains as the ones obtained when used in the space industry. The project will not only be a technological demonstration but also a financial demonstration, for fault injection must be technologically doable, and economically sound.

GALCORE, from DEIMOS Engenharia, was one of the funded proposals of the 1st evaluation of the PTTI. This project, whose acronym stands for Galileo Code Receiver, proposes in 6 months to assemble, integrate, fly and demonstrate an innovative GRIP Receiver (GNSS Receive Prototype Builder) on the existing UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) platform of UAVISION. The demonstration proposes to transfer space technology (Galileo receiver) to a civil application with proven market potential: the inspection of infrastructure using UAVs on difficult to reach places (e.g. buildings, public utilities, eolic generators, power lines), preferably in urban environments, and also considering possible future expansion to other applications such as surveillance.

The next submission date for the PTTI is March 1st, 2013. Applications to Feasibility Studies and Demonstrators consisting of technology or competencies transfer from space to non-space sectors are welcome and may be sent to ptti@ipn.pt considering the given deadline. The communication of the Steering Committee decision about the proposals is planned to mid-April the latest. Please note, new Application Instructions are available in the PTTI website (http://ptti.ipn.pt/pages/forms). In the 1st evaluation, the PTTI programme received 8 proposals (3 for Feasibility Studies and 5 for Demonstrators), and the Steering Committee decided to fund two Demonstrators: the csXceptionDemo from Critical Software and the GALCORE from DEIMOS Engenharia. IPN is available to answer any questions regarding the management of the PTTI.

PTTI calls for funding Feasibility Studies and Demonstrators are open since October 9th and proposal evaluations will be performed at three different dates. In order to be considered for the 1st evaluation (by mid-December), proposals must be submitted until November 30th, the closing date. Through these Calls, IPN offers to support Feasibility Studies or Demonstrators on space technologies potentially applicable to non-space markets by making ESA funding available up to €30.000 (or to €50.000 in two winning Demonstrators proposals) on a co-funding basis up to 50% of the total project cost. For example: if the total project cost amounts to €60.000, only €30.000 may be funded under PTTI. An Evaluation Board composed of ESA, FCT and 5 other distinguished members, representative of space and non-space sectors, as well as academia, was set to analyze the proposals, which should cover the following aspects: a) The current development status of the space technology and the applicant competencies associated to that technology; b) The description of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) status of the space technology/competencies: describe the current status of the underlying IPR; c) The novelty technology/competencies and competitive advantage against comparable IPR on the market; d) The identification and attractiveness of the non-space market(s): identify the non-space market(s) receiving the novelty technology/competencies and describe how those may fit in that market; e) The potential benefits of the novelty technology/competencies for the identified non-space market(s): describe and quantify the impact of the novelty technology/competences on the identified non-space market(s) as much as possible. State the benefits for the non-space social community/well-being/quality of life; f) The capacity of the applicant entity and staff involved to develop the Feasibility Study/Demonstrator: provide a description of the background of all collaborating entity(ies), their experience in the space and non-space market(s) and in technology/competencies transfer; illustrate the ability to successfully develop the Feasibility Study/Demonstrator, namely by attaching the CV of the staff involved, and/or subcontracted entities/persons. Other key information deemed relevant for the application may be added; g) The project cost effectiveness: provide the economic justification for the proposed Feasibility Study/Demonstrator, i.e., illustrate how the activities to be developed and the results expected justify the budget proposed; h) The overall feasibility of the technology/competencies transfer: provide an overall appreciation of the feasibility, list and describe the steps up to the effective transfer to the identified non-space market(s). All proposal documents must be submitted to Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN) in .pdf format only and in a single e-mail, to the address ptti@ipn.pt. Please do not hesitate to contact IPN for any questions regarding submission/evaluation dates, evaluation criteria, eligibility or application requirements.

As a possible, but not mandatory, starting point for an application to PTTI, the European Space Agency (ESA) develops a vast array of innovative highly sophisticated technologies and applications that result in intellectual property (IP), many with significant potential for non-space applications. By sections, ESA’s portfolio of technology descriptions can be found at http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Technology/SEM1RVLTRJG_0.html. Please note that the use of these technologies is subject to a Research License Agreement to be requested to ESA. For that purpose, or to obtain additional details on the technology descriptions, please contact Nuria Hernandez Alfageme (Nuria.Hernandez.Alfageme@esa.int) and Aude de Clercq (Aude.de.Clercq@esa.int), mentioning this request is done under PTTI. Alongside these IP, ESA produces, stores and makes available free of charge earth observation datasets (http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEM12R1VQUD_index_0.html).

The National Technology Transfer Initiative in Portugal (PTTI) will be publicly launched on Parque das Nações on October 9th, 2012. This Initiative will be integrated in the last workshop for the preparation for ESA's Ministerial Council of 2012, prepared by the Space Office of Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT). This workshop will focus on ESA's General Support Technology Programme (GSTP), one of the most important ESA's optional technology programmes, under which the PTTI is implemented. The GSTP is considered an essential tool to build key competencies in the national space sector in all technological domains, with exception for telecommunications and satellite navigation.