Irish Manufacturing Research

Up to €400,000 in funding. No equity. No repayment.
ESA Phi-Lab Ireland's Open Call 2026 is now live — and we're hosting a free webinar to walk you through exactly how to apply - https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0wg4F80

The global space economy is forecast to hit $1.8 trillion by 2035. You don't need to be a space company to get a share of it — you just need ambition and the right support.
Join us on Friday, 26th June (10:30–11:30am) to hear:
- How to access up to €400K in non-dilutive ESA Innovation Seed Funding
- What a strong application looks like, straight from ESA Phi-Lab Ireland Manager Dr. Rob Conway-Kenny
- A first-hand account from Ubotica Technologies, one of last year's successful applicants, on their journey through the programme

Whether you work in advanced materials, additive manufacturing, precision engineering, or smart systems, this is your way into one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world.
📅 Friday, 26th June | 10:30–11:30am | Online via Zoom
Register here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0wg4F80

Another super day so far at Day 2 of the Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition and plenty more activity at the IMR stand and from the team at IMR.

Valentina Tarasco took to the Sustainability Stage this morning for her talk “From Compliance to Competitive Edge: Building Resilience, Reducing Risk, and Unlocking Value with Circularity" where she positioned circularity as a strategic business response to regulatory pressure and operational risk rather than simply an environmental obligation. This was demonstrated through the lens of a Circular Economy Action Plan, how organisations can find efficiencies, cut costs, unlock new revenue streams, and build resilience both internally and across the supply chain.

Dr. Rob Conway-Kenny, IMR's ESA Phi Lab Ireland Manager made the case for why Irish manufacturing SMEs cannot afford to ignore the commercial space sector, outlining the scale of the opportunity as the space economy heads toward $1.8 trillion by 2035, before detailing the practical funded pathways available through ESA Phi-Lab Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, including up to €400K in equity-free innovation funding, to help Irish companies move from ambition to active participation in Europe's rapidly growing space supply chain.

Day 1 is here! Come find Irish Manufacturing Research, FactoryXChange and CIRCUÉIRE at J16 at the Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition!

IMR's speakers today include:
- 11:20am Anjana Ajith | Sustainable Data Collection and Mapping: Understanding Your Data Quality and Validation Requirements (Sustainability Stage)
- 12:20 Daniel Whelan | From Insight to Impact: A Practical Approach to Building Circularity (Sustainability Stage)
- 13:40 Barry Fitzpatrick | FactoryXChange 2.0: Accelerating AI & Digital Transformation for Irish Manufacturing (Digital Transformation & AI Technologies Stage)
- 13:50 — Niamh O'Sullivan | Leading for Circular Innovation — Skills Insights on Moving from Ideas to Impact (Sustainability Stage)
- 14:40 — Guillaume Hernoux | Back in the Kitchen. The AI Sous-Chef Has Arrived. Now What? (Digital Transformation & AI Technologies Stage)