In the country, the establishment of the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) has been a pivotal step toward harnessing the benefits of space technology. As the Philippines embarks on a new frontier, space has been a part of the digital transformation agenda of the government for disaster resilience, agriculture and food security, and climate change monitoring, among others. With this in mind, global collaboration is key to positioning the Philippines as a regional hub for space data mobilisation excellence.
Under the Copernicus flagship initiative—the Earth observation component of the European Union (EU)'s space programme—the European Commission in January 2023 has signed a contribution agreement with the European Space Agency to build a national Copernicus data centre in the Philippines with EUR 10 million funding, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia. In April of the same year, the Philippines and the EU launched the Copernicus Capacity Support Action Programme for the Philippines (CopPhil) worth PHP 610 million. This will enhance the country's response capability and resilience to natural and human-made disasters through the strategic use of space data. In light of these developments, the Philippines-EU space cooperation exemplifies the strength of collaboration in furthering scientific discovery, technological innovation, and socioeconomic development.
On this account, the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) organises Beyond Gravity: Accelerating the Philippine Space Economy Through Partnership aimed at facilitating dialogue to learn about the state of the Philippine space industry. This is scheduled on 25 January 2025, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM, in Makati Commerce Tower. This engagement seeks to present updates on the country's multilateral space-based cooperation agreement with the EU and explore investment opportunities in the sector to boost the domestic space value chain. It will also provide a platform for government and industry stakeholders to engage in interactive sessions and networking opportunities, fostering partnerships for capacity-building initiatives.
In close partnership with government, businesses, civil society, and academia, ECCP passionately works to enhance the business environment for both European and Filipino companies.