Malta’s growing Space community came together on 13th October 2026, as Xjenza Malta hosted the 5th Malta PECS Call for Proposals (MT5) in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) at the Planetarium Hall, Villa Bighi, Kalkara.The event brought together representatives from Maltese companies, universities, research organisations and other stakeholders interested in discovering how their expertise and ideas could potentially become part of Malta’s next generation of Space projects.The Briefing Session focused on Malta’s fifth call under the Plan for European Cooperating States (PECS), providing prospective applicants with practical guidance directly from ESA.And the message was clear: You do not necessarily need to be a Space company to contribute to the Space sector.One of the sessions explored how expertise developed for applications on Earth can become relevant to Space, opening possibilities for organisations to enter the sector that they may have never previously considered.Participants also received detailed guidance on preparing stronger PECS proposals, including lessons learned from previous applications.Previous PECS awardees also shared their experience with participants, demonstrating how Maltese organisations have already transformed ideas into projects supported through the programme.Malta already has a foundation on which to build. By early 2026, the PECS portfolio included projects spanning Earth Observation, Telecommunications, Tech, Education, and Science. With MT5 approaching, the focus now shifts from information to action.The day concluded with one-to-one meetings between prospective applicants and ESA representatives, giving prospective applicants an opportunity to gauge the potential of their project ideas. Send this to someone who should take this opportunity •