About StarTiger


StarTiger is a new type of research and development initiative aimed at dramatically reducing the turn-around time for key technological developments. It has been suggested that for conventional research projects much time and many resources are spent on administrative and bureaucratic duties, resulting in poor focusing of technical effort.
 
Present development projects are quite often carried out by a team split between several locations, which can add logistical and scheduling problems. Many researchers have academic commitments which can act as a distraction. The overall effect of this is that unnecessary delay can result and the programme’s technical goals remain unfulfilled.

StarTiger recognises that these and other problems like them can severely hamper technological advancement and at the same time frustrate researchers, programme managers and the technology end-users alike. StarTiger aims to circumvent many of the hindrances experienced by scientists and engineers by bringing them to a central research centre where all of the necessary equipment, resources and infrastructure exist. As a result they will be able to focus their effort entirely on solving the technical issues.

The overall aims of StarTiger are to:

  • demonstrate that a core team of researchers can bring about a ‘quantum leap’ in a chosen area of technology in a compressed time frame
  • determine the basic ground rules as to how, in the future, such schemes will be prepared, undertaken and judged
  • determine the ‘pitfalls’ associated with this approach

 
 
  
Last update: 9 March 2009


Highlights on Technology

 •  SMART-1 (http://www.esa.int/smart1)
 •  SMOS (http://www.esa.int/esaLP/LPsmos.html)