September 25, 2026 – At the ESA Info Day for the 4th Call for Outline Proposals under the Plan for European Cooperating States (PECS) in Croatia, Oikon presented its experience of working with the European Space Agency (ESA) as an example of good practice. The event took place on 24 September at the National and University Library in Zagreb. It was organised by the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth of the Republic of Croatia and ESA, and brought together the scientific community and industry to strengthen Croatia’s capabilities in space technologies.
PECS is the programme through which ESA helps countries that are not yet full members, including Croatia, build their own space capacity. In the session “Example of a good practice”, we showed other companies interested in the call what working with ESA looks like from the inside, and to encourage them to apply.
Oikon’s core work is nature protection, not space. But we knew the problems we face in the field well, and we believed satellites could help us solve them better. We submitted our first two ESA proposals five years ago. Today we have 13 completed and ongoing ESA projects, 10 as prime contractor and 3 as subcontractor. They cover invasive species, coast and sea, forests, habitats and protected species, and infrastructure. Each project opened the door to the next. Through them we built things we didn’t have before: a department and team focused on Earth Observation, our own methods and tools, and services we now offer on the international market.
ESA gave us something that is hard to find elsewhere: the chance to develop something entirely new, with a partner that asked a lot of us and taught us a lot in return. The PECS call is open to scientific organisations and Croatian companies. It covers research and preparatory work, upstream and downstream activities, education and space science. That’s why we recommend it to anyone with a good idea and a real problem to solve, not only to space-sector companies.
Thank you to the European Space Agency for its trust over the years, and to the organisers for the invitation. If you’re thinking about applying, looking for a project partner, or simply have a question, get in touch. We’re happy to share what we’ve learned.
