For Open Call 2026, IMR will be joined by a new delivery partner, the South Eastern Applied Materials Research Centre at South East Technological University.

Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) has today (12 June) announced the next European Space Agency (ESA) Phi-Lab Ireland Open Call, which invites Irish companies to better position themselves in the global space economy and as part of “Europe’s hub for the development and manufacturing of next-generation space-bound hardware”.

ESA Phi-Lab Ireland funds research in advanced materials and manufacturing across the entire life cycle of space-optimised hardware. For Open Call 2026, it will be joined by a new delivery partner, the South Eastern Applied Materials Research Centre at South East Technological University.

Last year, Open Call 2025 drew involvement from a range of organisations across the Irish industrial base, with companies such as Mbryonics and Ubotica successfully incubated within the Irish Phi-Lab. 

Open Call 2026 will offer ESA innovation seed funding of up to €400,000 for projects less than two years in duration, alongside expert mentorship, training, access to state-of-the-art research infrastructure and comprehensive networking opportunities. Key research areas supported by Open Call 2026 will include advanced materials research, additive manufacturing, structural analysis and simulation, and integration of smart materials.

Commenting on the launch of Open Call 2026, Dr Ken Horan, the director of technology innovation and entrepreneurship at IMR and head of ESA Phi-Lab Ireland, said: “Ireland already has world-class manufacturing and materials capabilities; what has been missing is a dedicated front door into the space sector. 

“That is exactly what ESA Phi-Lab Ireland provides and as the national platform for space technology development, it sits at the very centre of our national effort to support companies seeking a role in the global space economy.

“Open Call 2026 is an open invitation to ambitious Irish companies, whether or not they have ever worked in space before, to build the products and the expertise that will define the next decade of this industry in Europe”.

Evelyn Kerschbaumer, commercial officer at the ESA, said: “The space economy is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world, and Europe’s future competitiveness depends on a strong base of innovative companies in every member state. 

“Through ESA Phi-LabNET, we are building that base, region by region, and Ireland’s focus on space-optimised hardware brings a distinctive strength to the network. We look forward to seeing Irish companies turn Open Call 2026 into real technologies with genuine global reach.”

In February of 2026, Ireland launched the first European Space Agency Phi-Lab at IMR in Mullingar, Co Westmeath. The Irish Government has committed to investing €170m into the ESA over the next five years and the six-year-long ESA Phi-Lab programme is seen as a flagship element of that wider national commitment. The consortium is co-funded by the ESA and Enterprise Ireland.

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