About the Speaker

Michal Brichta works as the Director of the Slovak Space Office – Industry Branch operating within the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency. Since 2019, he has been responsible for launching and leading the comprehensive development of the national space ecosystem, increasing the Slovak space industry capabilities by more than 150% and significantly boosting its international presence. The work of his team consists of a broad variety of innovation-ecosystem-building activities – helping existing tech companies enter the space sector, fostering new startups, enabling technology transfer, engaging private investors, forming new clusters, fostering international business collaborations, as well as building talent and raising awareness about the space sector and its importance for the economy, society, and environment.

Along with his main role, he serves as the Slovak Delegate to the Council of the European Space Agency and a Vice President of the leading global space sector association – the International Astronautical Federation. He actively supports the democratisation of space and advocates for closer cooperation between the space sector and the broader spectrum of relevant stakeholders, including a wider range of technology companies, financial institutions, or major users of satellite data and signal. Over the past years, he has also been pioneering new initiatives aimed at unlocking the untapped potential of European space by fostering more efficient integration between its well-established industry and emerging space ecosystems.