Experts: Perseverance is important in efforts to secure contracts with ESA

The Polish entities include 133 companies and 57 research institutes. "It\'s quite a substantial number, which we can easily compete with the major ESA countries" - said Paweł Wojtkiewicz from the Space Sector Employers\' Association during the conference "Poland in space yesterday, today, tomorrow" in Warsaw.

Anna Nałęcz-Kobierzycka from the Ministry of Economy emphasised that without the achievements of Polish scientists the subject of Polish presence in the ESA would not exist. "The challenge for us all is now to continue the scientific achievements and translate them into commercial activity, business development, cooperation between business and science. Poland as a member of the ESA is entitled to recover 80-90 percent of the part of the contribution, which is allocated to industrial contracts. In order to achieve that, we must have sufficiently developed domestic space sector" - said Nałęcz-Kobierzycka.

Meanwhile - she noted - even registration on EMITS is not that simple. "It involves having to answer 1500 different questions, for example about the structure of the employment of women and men in the company. This is not something you fill out when you have few minutes to spare" - the speaker emphasised.

Then there\'s documentation, procedures and forms to be filled in order to compete in the tender. "It’s not that hard, but different from what we are used to in domestic business, and in the EU framework programmes" - she admitted.

She also emphasized that the procedure for the evaluation of proposals submitted in contests ESA is lengthy. "The process can take 5 months, 7 months, 10 months. You have to take into account that from the moment of submitting an offer in the tender few months may pass before you get an answer" - explained Nałęcz-Kobierzycka.

Also important in the race for contracts with the ESA is the competition of experienced member states. "We are the youngest country in the ESA, but there are countries that have been there from the very beginning and have a wealth of experience. France, Germany, Italy are excellent players in the ESA, they know the people, the formalities and procedures, so it is much easier for them. In the optional programs (opened to all members of the ESA - PAP) we compete with players from other countries under the same conditions, we have to prove that we are just as good" - she pointed out.

In her view, entities that want to compete in ESA tenders should benefit from training courses organized by institutions such as the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development. "It is also important to be visible. You have to go out, to show up. If the ESA organises thematic Industry Days, related to the implementation of major missions, you needs to go to these events, leave business cards. If you are not recognizable, you do not exist" - said Nałęcz-Kobierzycka.

Perseverance is also important. "You do not just submit one offer in a tender and win. You submit one, two, three, and maybe win with the fifth. You should not get discouraged, you have to keep trying" - she warned.

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland

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