University College Dublin (UCD) and the Irish Space Association (ISA) gathered key stakeholders from academia, industry, and government to explore collaboration opportunities at the “Building Academia-Industry Partnerships in Ireland’s Space Sector” event, held at UCD Sutherland School of Law.

The event underscored the expansion of Ireland’s space sector, highlighting research, commercial development, and national policy initiatives. Attendees examined the benefits and challenges of academia-industry collaboration, updates on the National Space Subsystems & Payloads Initiative (NSSPI), and explored funding pathways to unlock new capabilities.

The gathering also marked the launch of Beyond the Horizon: Building Ireland’s Space Workforce, a national report produced by DFHERIS Regional Skills with the Irish Space Association, Space Industry Skillnet, and Space Life Sciences Ireland. The report offers the most comprehensive analysis to date of Ireland’s space skills ecosystem.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless highlighted the importance of universities, industry, and government working together to foster innovation and high-skilled jobs.

UCD Vice-President for Research Innovation and Impact Prof. Kate Robson Brown noted that the event demonstrated Ireland’s ambition to expand its role in the global space sector through stronger academia-industry partnerships.

Dr. David McKeown, NSSPI Principal Investigator, observed that Ireland has the talent and research strength to become a centre of excellence in space technology, research, and innovation.

Dr. Patricia Moore, Co-founder and Director of the Irish Space Association, added that aligning universities, companies, and government is essential for the sector to realise its full potential in the global space economy.

Discover how Ireland’s space sector is expanding through strategic partnerships with academia and industry in the full story.