Space Technologies for earthly solutions
Interview with Werner Dupont from MST Aerospace

On behalf of ESA’s Technology Transfer Programme Office, MST Aerospace is leading ESA’s Technology Transfer Network, a consortium of five European companies dedicated to transferring space technology to more earthly applications, as well as coordinating ESA’s National Technology

We spoke with Werner Dupont about what the Technology Forum website at www.technology-forum.com can provide companies either having advanced space technologies to offer or in search for new technological solutions in non-space fields.

What’s the purpose of the Technology Forum website?

"The Technology Forum website is a catalyst for space companies that want to transfer their technologies to other business areas and vice versa for non-space companies who are looking for high-tech solutions for technological problems they are facing. On the website, we offer technologies from the space sector to the user community, which is coming from very different industry sectors, in order to start the exploitation of space technology in other industrial sectors."

What can those companies find in the database?

"The website www.technology-forum.com currently features some 350 European space technologies and some 450 requests of non-space companies for technological problem solutions. We have one dozen categories of technologies, ranging from Health and Life Sciences to Materials or Computer Science."

"We are also describing successful technology transfers that were achieved in the past by the Technology Transfer Network; right now it features ten stories from the previous two years."

Who can get access?

"Everyone can get access to the information of the technology-forum website. The target user groups are technology-oriented companies and institutes that are searching for solutions from the space sector for technology challenges they face."

"In addition, we have dedicated sectors on the website for special user groups, which are only accessible for registered users. These users can perform searches on the experts database of the portal, they can contact the experts and they can also apply to become a registered expert on the technology-forum website."

Whom does it benefit?

"It clearly benefits the space companies, as it helps them offers their technologies to the non-space sector and ultimately to find customers. And of course it also benefits the companies who are looking for solutions for technical problems. They can express their request on the website and thus get in touch with companies who might have a space tech solution to their problem.

Both categories of companies – the offering and the searching – can be contacted through the MST network: they can send us their request or technology offers and we will match them to the right industrial counterpart."

Contact the Technology Forum

The Technology Forum can be contacted on its web site by filling in the on-line Contact Form.

ESA's Technology Transfer Programme Office (TTPO)

The main mission of the ESA TTPO is to facilitate the use of space technology and space systems for non-space applications and to further demonstrate the benefit of the European space programme to European citizens. The TTPO is responsible for defining the overall approach and strategy for the transfer of space technologies including the incubation of start-up companies. For more information, please contact:

Technology Transfer Programme
European Space Agency - ESTEC
Keplerlaan 1, P.O. BOX 299, 2200 AG, Noordwijk
The Netherlands
Office: +31 (0) 71 565 3910
Fax: +31 (0) 71 565 6635
Email: ttp @ esa.int
Web site: http://www.esa.int/ttp