Irish Manufacturing Research has officially opened an ESA Phi-Lab facility at its Mullingar headquarters, establishing a national platform for space technology development in collaboration with the Amber Centre at Trinity College Dublin, according to a TechCentral report.

The facility forms part of ESA's global Phi-Lab network, which bridges disruptive research and commercial application by maturing technologies across advanced manufacturing, materials discovery, artificial intelligence, quantum computing and robotics. The opening reflects a wider national commitment to the European Space Agency, with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment pledging €170 million in investment to ESA over the next five years.

IMR chief executive Barry Kennedy said: "This facility positions Ireland at the forefront of European space-enabled innovation, where advanced manufacturing, AI and data-driven technologies can be developed, tested and commercialised for global impact. Ultimately, this is about translating world-class research into real economic and societal value."

Dietmar Pilz, director of technology at ESA and head of the European Space Research and Technology Centre, said the Phi-Lab reinforced ESA's commitment to bringing cutting-edge research closer to industrial applications and strengthening long-term competitiveness across member states.

Philip Thomas, head of the ScaleUp Programme division in ESA's commercialisation, industry and competitiveness directorate, said the network would help companies across Ireland and Europe reach their full commercial potential through targeted support for their most innovative proposals.

Two companies, Mbryonics and Ubotica Technologies, were selected through a competitive open call as the first participants supported by ESA Phi-Lab Ireland. A second open call is expected within months, welcoming applications from both established space-active companies and manufacturers with no prior engagement in the space sector. Since Ireland's National Space Strategy for Enterprise was published in 2019, 120 space-active companies now work with ESA in Ireland.

See how ESA Phi-Lab Ireland is connecting advanced manufacturing research with commercial opportunity in the full article.