Published on: Monday, 25 May 2015

Strasbourg, France – The International Space University (ISU) is proud to announce that the 30th annual Space Studies Programme (SSP) session will be hosted by CIT from 19 June – 18 August 2017. The programme includes a one week optional English refresher course.

Cork is a hub for entrepreneurial activity from high-tech startups such as Radisens Diagnostics (located within CIT’s business incubator and funded through the European Space Agency), to multinational companies in telecommunications and biopharma. The city has strong connections to the space industry, including Ireland’s only science center themed on space science at the CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory, and the country’s first earth observation ground station founded in 2013 by National Space Center (Ltd) in Midleton and commissioned by a Canadian based company, exactEarth. The city has also been the host of international space related events like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) incubator innovation program SpaceApps, and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) CanSat competition for schools. Irish companies and researchers have distinguished themselves in European Space Agency (ESA) programmes by developing innovative maritime services using satellite derived data in areas as diverse as marine renewables, fisheries protection, aquaculture and tourism.

 “ISU maintains a long-standing relation with Ireland and has a considerable number of Irish alumni, also thanks to the support of scholarship grants from Enterprise Ireland. We are pleased to note that the space passion of a number of our alumni and the interest in space activities in Ireland have led to a great proposal to hold for the first time in ISU’s history a session in Ireland. We are much looking forward to this opportunity” declared Prof. Walter Peeters, President of ISU.

CIT President, Dr Brendan J. Murphy stated: "CIT is delighted to host SSP 2017 and we look forward to an event that will live long in the memory and have a positive impact not only on the participants, but also on our own faculty and students, as well as companies and communities in the region."

SSP Director John Connolly states: "International Space University is delighted to bring its flagship Space Studies Program to Ireland for the first time, and we are pleased to partner with the Cork Institute of Technology for what will be a memorable summer of National, International and Interdisciplinary professional development.  Participants will be immersed in ISU's world-class brand of space education while surrounded with the culture of the Emerald Isle, the incredible facilities at CIT, and majestic destinations like the Blackrock Castle Observatory."

Dr Niall Smith, Head of Research, CIT, points out: “Space science is a rapidly growing area with significant commercial potential for companies from across a very diverse range of sectors including food and nutrition, healthcare, logistics, ground supports, high precision engineering and even rocket scientists. We look forward to working with ISU faculty in developing a greater awareness amongst Irish companies of these opportunities and how best to access them.”

The SSP is an intense nine-week programme which offers the participants a unique and comprehensive professional development experience covering all aspects of space programs and enterprises. Disciplines highlighted include space physical sciences; space engineering; space policy, economics and law; space management and business; space and the humanities; space applications; and human performance in space. This program targets young and seasoned professionals from all disciplines as well as postgraduate university students. The team projects allow participants to refine the topic as a team, and also produce professional quality reports and final presentations, all in the span of a few weeks. Every summer, the SSP takes place in a different location around the world. Recent sessions have convened in Graz (Austria), the NASA Ames Research Center, Beijing, and Melbourne (Florida). This year the SSP will take place in Athens, Ohio, USA, in collaboration with Ohio University.

About the Space Studies Program - www.isunet.edu/programs/space-studies-program

About the International Space University - www.isunet.edu