SPACE-Crete
Info Day
Ahead of the project's formal launch, the SPACE-Crete Info Day will establish a shared understanding of the project's goals and the needs of the community.
About the day
Ahead of the project’s formal launch, the SPACE-Crete Info Day will establish a shared understanding of the project’s goals and help us better understand the needs of the community.
SPACE-Crete will establish an independent Center of Excellence that brings together scientific and engineering strengths to advance an ambitious mission: to create Southeastern Europe’s first fully integrated space technology ecosystem and position Crete as the region’s “SPACE Island.” The Center will focus on developing AI-powered space systems and advancing optical and quantum communications.
Backed by €35M in funding, it will span the full innovation chain, from frontier research and new ESA-certified infrastructures to technology maturation and industrial uptake.
Programme
Friday 2 October 2026 · All times EEST
Opening & project overview
Welcome address
Prof. Vassilis Charmandaris, Chairman of the BoD, FORTH
SPACE-Crete: Vision, structure and roadmap
Prof. Panagiotis Tsakalides, Project Coordinator, FORTH-ICS
Industrial partner perspective: OHB-Hellas
Dr. Mathieu Bernou, CTO & Managing Director, OHB-Hellas
Coffee break & networking
Advanced partners & European ecosystem
Private sponsor perspective: MOH
Nikolaos Giannakakis, CIO, Motor Oil Hellas
Advanced partner perspective: CEA
Dr. Dr. Michel Berthé, DRF/IRFU, Dépt. d’Astrophysique, CEA
Advanced partner perspective: DLR
Dr. Jakob Buchheim, DLR, Germany
ESA BIC Greece: Support for space entrepreneurship
Dr. Jorge-A. Sanchez-P., ESA BIC Greece
Lunch break & networking
Thematic sessions
Session 1
Earth Observation & Artificial Intelligence — Prof. Grigorios Tsagkatakis, FORTH-ICS / University of Crete; Dr. Charalampos Kontoes, National Observatory of Athens; Dr. Nektarios Chrysoulakis, FORTH-IACM; Betty Charalampopoulou, Geosystems Hellas
Break
Session 2
Optical/Quantum Sensing and Communications — Dr. Wolf von Klitzing, FORTH-IESL; Prof. Dimitris Papazoglou, FORTH-IESL / University of Crete; Dr. Thorsten Siebert, IOF-Fraunhofer, Germany; Amita Shrestha, DLR, Germany
Break
Session 3
Funding Opportunities in Space — Vagia Piteli, PRAXI Network; Roula Bachtalia, Head of Venture Banking, Eurobank; Dr. Olympia Karadima, Business Development Manager-Space, EFA Group
Closing & networking
Closing remarks & next steps
Prof. Panagiotis Tsakalides, Project Coordinator, FORTH-ICS
Evening reception (light drinks & bites)
Practical information
Venue
FORTH, Vassilika Vouton — about 15 minutes by taxi from Heraklion city centre, 20 from the airport (HER). City buses to the Voutes / PAGNI campus stop beside FORTH.
Catering
Complimentary coffee breaks, lunch, and evening reception drinks for all registered participants.
Accessibility
The venue is wheelchair accessible. Please contact the organisers in advance for any specific access requirements.
Photography
Photographs and video may be taken for dissemination purposes. Participants who prefer not to appear should inform the organisers on arrival.
Join the SPACE-Crete Info Day
2 October 2026 · FORTH, Heraklion
The consortium
