ESA launches new space research programme The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched a new programme aimed at advancing space research in Europe. Managed by ESA's advanced concepts team (ACT), the Ariadna initiative will be devoted to short term, cost efficient projects focusing on imaginative and futuristic concep... The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched a new programme aimed at advancing space research in Europe. Managed by ESA's advanced concepts team (ACT), the Ariadna initiative will be devoted to short term, cost efficient projects focusing on imaginative and futuristic concepts in areas ranging from fundamental physics and advanced power systems to mission analysis and biomimicry. Under the new initiative, calls for proposals are foreseen every six months, after which contracts will be awarded to research institutes and academic departments to perform work directly related to the objectives of the ACT, namely the advancing of science beyond the purview of mainstream technology research and development. By involving the academic community in such a way, it is hoped that Ariadna will help further strength existing links between ESA and European universities and research institutes, as well as enable ESA to become a partner rather than a supervisor in ground-breaking research. '[W]e want to devote our time to what we like best: finding out about research being carried out in universities, and carrying out research ourselves,' said Andrés Gálvez, head of the Advanced Concepts Team at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands. 'The easiest way of doing so is by working together in areas of common interest,' he added. 'Ariadna will help us to achieve these goals, by fostering the free flow of innovative ideas and information between ESA and the academic community.'
