Strategic Partnerships
Beyond the sixteen formal partners of the MELiSSA consortium, and the at least fifty other organisations that work with MELiSSA in various collaborations, the Foundation also runs a smaller number of targeted strategic partnerships, with global industry and with regional innovation ecosystems, that extend MELiSSA research into new sectors and new places.
Delft University of Technology
In 2026, the MELiSSA Foundation and SEMiLLA IPStar agreed to lend their plant growth chamber, together with a 100-litre raceway photobioreactor validated under ESA funding, to the Sanitary Engineering section of TU Delft’s Department of Water Management for around a year. TU Delft uses the equipment for research and, in the same period, upgrades its control system, sensors and lighting. The upgraded system will then return to MELiSSA-related work on circular food and water systems in Málaga.
University of Málaga & Málaga TechPark
In April 2026, the MELiSSA Foundation signed a framework cooperation agreement with the University of Málaga (UMA) and Málaga TechPark, anchoring MELiSSA-derived space technology research in Andalusia. The agreement runs through UMA innTECH, the university’s Office of Innovation and Technological Cooperation, which operates from Málaga TechPark itself under the joint innTech·4·Málaga collaboration banner.
The University of Málaga is a public research university in Andalusia offering undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programmes across a broad range of disciplines, with a dedicated Office for Research Results Transfer (OTRI) and a strong record of international research collaboration. Málaga TechPark, the rebranded identity of the Andalusia Technology Park (PTA), is one of Spain’s largest science and technology parks, hosting an ecosystem of established companies, startups and a joint PTA–University of Málaga Business Science Park, and positions itself as a hub for regional innovation aligned with the UN’s 2030 Agenda.
UMA innTECH →
uma.es →
Málaga TechPark →
Thales Alenia Space
Thales Alenia Space is a joint venture between Thales and Leonardo, and one of Europe’s principal space manufacturers, employing around 8,000 people across fourteen sites in seven countries. The company designs and builds satellite systems and orbital infrastructure for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation and exploration, and brings space engineering and systems-integration expertise that complements MELiSSA’s own life-support research.
Fondation Belem
In October 2021, the MELiSSA Foundation and the Fondation Belem signed a Memorandum of Collaboration for ECLSS@BELEM, an Environmental Controlled Life Support System on board the Belem, the last great French three-masted sailing ship of the 19th century, launched in 1896. The Fondation Belem preserves the ship as part of Europe’s maritime heritage and aims to make her a symbol of sustainable development. Under the memorandum, the two foundations explored how circular waste and water treatment derived from ESA’s MELiSSA programme could be applied on board, and how to share this knowledge through joint events and outreach.
European research projects
Beyond space, the Foundation brings MELiSSA’s closed-loop experience into European research on the circular economy, in particular on water.
SOLUCIR
SOLUCIR, Solutions for Circular Water and Decentralisation, is a Horizon Europe project running from January 2026 to December 2029 and coordinated by the National Technical University of Athens. Through 23 pilots and several large-scale studies with water utilities, it aims to speed up the adoption of circular and decentralised water management across Europe. The MELiSSA Foundation is one of the project partners.
NextGen
NextGen, Towards a Next Generation of Water Systems and Services for the Circular Economy, was a Horizon 2020 project coordinated by KWR Water Research Institute. Between 2018 and 2022 it demonstrated circular solutions for water reuse, energy efficiency and material recovery in ten demonstration cases across Europe. SEMiLLA IPStar, the commercial spin-off of MELiSSA technology, took part in the project, with strong support from the MELiSSA Foundation and the MELiSSA consortium.
Interested in collaborating with us?
We are always open to new partnerships, with industry, universities, research centres, cities and regions. Whether you want to apply MELiSSA knowledge in your own field, join a European project or support young researchers, we would be glad to hear from you.