EVENT: European Space Agency trainings and tender briefing

12 SEPTEMBER

09:00 - 13:00: Briefing on the ESA Requesting Party Activities (RPA) scheme for the organisations registered in Latvia;

14:00 - 18:00: 1-to-1 consultations with ESA representatives on confidential or specific project proposal idea matters for participation in Requesting Party Activities (RPA) and General Support Technology Programme (GSTP) (up to 20 min per organisation);

Organisations registered in Latvia have access to RPA and GSTP programmes. 

RPA is designed to build competencies and capabilities centred on product development leading to a sustainable long-term business case in the commercial space market of Latvian entities. The 4th RPA call will be open on 19 September 2023 on ESA - STAR portal https://doing-business.sso.esa.int/;

GSTP is designed to develop technologies and products from low Technology Readiness Level (TRL 3) to qualification (platform, payload, ground segment and engineering tools). Both research organisations and companies working with advanced and space-applicable technology can apply for GSTP funding.

RPA Briefing materials - 

18 SEPTEMBER

10:00 - 12:30: “Technical Requirements Specification Training" conducted by ESA experts;

13:30 - 18:00: "Space Project Management and Control" training course conducted by ESA experts.

Technical Requirements Specification Training: Technical requirements define the purpose, functionalities, and behaviour of any given (space) product or system and are therefore considered essential for any (space) development work. The 1-hour course will cover the following topics:

• Requirements
• Why do we need requirements
• Definition of requirements
• Types of requirements
• Requirements/recommendations for formulating technical requirements
• Some “golden rules”
• Requirement detail level vs. TRL

The course is aimed primarily at newcomers to space projects and those intending to bid on the AM RPA call for proposals in particular. The purpose of this course is thus to provide and introduction to and explanation of what is meant by ‘Technical Requirements’ in such calls and a practical, introductory level, guide and overview on how to define, document and use technical requirements for space development projects.

Space Project Management and Control: the course has for objective to save you time and money and make you more competitive. It explains all the concepts associated with running a contract to a conclusion. From defining clearly all the steps and roles, to identifying your customers, identifying your risks and opportunities and avoiding pitfalls.

The 4 hours course will go over the following chapters from start to finish:

• Project initiation and planning,
• Project structure,
• Estimate of resources and costs,
• Schedule and resource allocation,
• Finalisation of the plan,
• Running the project and concluding it.

The course is aimed primarily at start-ups and SMEs targeting ESA projects

• Registration: https://forms.gle/WvvFBxNWxXNdDW41A. By registering by September 10, you will receive a detailed agenda of the events.
• Event venue: to be confirmed 
• Language: English
• Target audience: representatives of knowledge-intensive companies and research organisations
• Aim: to inform Latvia-based organisations about the structure of ESA programmes, tenders, participation conditions and project implementation.
• Context: Latvia is an Associate Member of the European Space Agency (ESA) since 27 July 27 2020. This year, the government’s contribution to Latvia’s participation in ESA was increased from €1 million/year to €3 million/year, which will enable additional opportunities for Latvia-based knowledge-intensive organisations.
• Organisers: the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia and the European Space Agency.