Slovak Companies Expressed Interest in Joining the EST Project
26. 6. 2025 | 282 visits
On June 24, 2025, a professional event titled EST Slovakia Infoday was held in Bratislava, introducing the European Solar Telescope (EST) project – a planned research infrastructure to be built in the coming years on the island of La Palma (Canary Islands). Slovak companies expressed interest in participating.
The main objective of the event was to acquaint Slovak technological and research entities with the project, its technical requirements, and opportunities for industrial involvement. It also provided a platform for direct discussions with project representatives and for laying the foundations for future cooperation.
According to Peter Gömöry, Director of the Astronomical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), the project has reached a stage where all options for grant funding from European project schemes have been exhausted. For the construction of such large-scale scientific infrastructure, it is now necessary to secure funding at the level of national governments of individual European countries. This funding is expected to proceed through the ERIC legal framework, which enables member countries to participate in building scientific infrastructure.
Twelve Slovak technology companies participated in the event, along with representatives from research institutions, the public sector, and ministries. The program was opened by the President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Mgr. Martin Venhart, DrSc., followed by a presentation from Prof. RNDr. Pavol Sovák, CSc., Chair of the Commission for Coordination of Slovakia’s Activities in ESFRI Research Infrastructures in the Fields of Physical Sciences, Materials Science, and Energy Facilities. Both speakers emphasized the need for Slovakia’s involvement in the EST project and expressed their support. Among the expert speakers were Prof. Manuel Collados-Vera, the main coordinator of the EST project; Dr. Héctor Socas-Navarro, Director of the EST Foundation; and Miguel Nuñez Cagigal, Chief Systems Engineer of the EST telescope. They provided participants with key information about specific technological subsystems of the telescope (e.g., the primary mirror, transfer optics system, polarimetric calibration device, dome, energy systems, etc.), into which Slovak entities could contribute through the development of mechanical components, advanced materials, optical systems, data processing, and control technologies.
The discussion confirmed that Slovakia possesses the technical know-how and expertise highly valuable for a project of this scale. Beyond its scientific importance, EST also represents a strategic investment opportunity – offering the potential for innovation development, the creation of partnerships, and strengthening the international position of Slovak companies within Europe.
The event was organized by the Slovak Academy of Sciences, the Astronomical Institute of the SAS, the Institute of Materials and Machine Mechanics of the SAS, and the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency (SARIO). Their collaboration created a strong platform for linking research with practical application and opened doors for Slovak entities to participate in one of Europe’s most significant contemporary science and technology projects.
Text: Silvia Múčková, ÚMMS SAV, v. v. i., Peter Gömöry, Astronomický ústav SAV, v. v. i.
Foto: Katarína Gáliková