20/05/2022 (Agence Europe) – On Tuesday 17 May, the European Space Agency (ESA) signed a cooperation protocol with Switzerland to create a joint centre of excellence (European Space Deep-Tech Innovation - ESDI) at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Villigen, Switzerland, according to the ESA Director General, Josef Aschbacher, in a post on his Twitter account. The centre aims to bridge the gap between academic research and economic developments in space. It will focus on research into materials, data management and processing, quantum technologies and the sustainable space ecosystem as a whole. ESDI will also contribute to the coordination of projects between universities and industry in Europe. Following the Ministerial Council in November 2022, the first projects are expected to start in 2023. (PH)