On 19 September, the first CopernicusLAC Matchmaking event took place in the context of the Industry Space Days 2024, which were organised by the European Space Agency (ESA) to promote cooperation among actors in the space sector. The event, hosted at the European Space Technology and Research Centre (ESTEC), in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, brought together more than 2,000 industry experts from Europe and beyond.
With the support of the CopernicusLAC Panama Center, a group of 8 entities and entrepreneurs with Earth Observation projects and other related activities from 6 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) had the opportunity to attend the event’s various presentations, where the delegation listened to the speakers from the front row, who highlighted the role of collaboration between the LAC region and Europe, among other topics. The LAC delegation was also able to visit the exhibition area and learn about the projects that are being developed in the sector in Europe. On the same day, the CopernicusLAC Panama Centre matchmaking event connected the group with the European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC) and representatives of 16 European companies and start-ups, with the objective of fostering alliances between both continents and supporting a base of combined innovations in Earth Observation (EO) to respond to regional challenges.
Dr. Laura Canevari, CEO and Founder of ITACA, stated: “I was totally impressed [by this event]. It was a great injection of energy and solution-oriented ideas to implement in my work with Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) communities. Many thanks to the entire team at the CopernicusLAC Panama Centre for this great opportunity and for helping the LAC delegation connect with potential European partners and initiate interesting conversations.”
Background Information
The Copernicus LAC Panama Centre’s activities take place within the overall context of the EU-LAC Digital Alliance, which is a strategic framework for promoting cooperation between the EU and the LAC region on digital and space issues under the EU Global Gateway umbrella. Within this context, the European Space Agency (ESA) is coordinating the Centre’s implementation on the basis of a Contribution Agreement with the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) of the European Commission, and in close collaboration with Panama’s government, MIRE (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Government Innovation Authority (AIG), and SENACYT (National Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation).
