The Regional Secretary for Tourism and Transport participated in the opening of the 22nd Meeting of the European VLBI Group for Geodesy and Astrometry - EVGA 2015, which is taking place at Teatro Micaelense. The event gathers nearly one hundred scientists and specialists in the area of space technology.

 Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the first meeting held in the Azores by the European Space Agency, Vítor Fraga highlighted the importance of the participation of some of the "world's leading experts" in regional event. "In addition to bringing knowledge that will be disseminated among our scientists, the event provides international experts with the opportunity to become acquainted with the path followed by the Region in this field."

 The Regional Secretary stressed that "the path followed by the Region in the field of aerospace industries puts it on the global map."

 "This is an area that is rapidly developing. According to European Union guidelines on these areas, it is expected to experience a considerable scientific development that will have a future practical application in business context, thus generating added value," added the government official.

 Vítor Fraga also highlighted the importance of the geostrategic position of the Azores, which has greatly contributed to the installation of the launcher tracking station of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the station of the Galileo project; they will be joined this week by the VLBI station.

 With regard to this season, which will open Wednesday, the Regional Secretary reminded that the Azores are competing with other European regions for its installation; the archipelago of the Azores was the chosen location. The installation of the VLBI station was the result of "a partnership between the Regional Government and the Spanish Government."

 Vítor Fraga pointed out that this project creates jobs, requiring a "highly skilled workforce." In will also bring "knowledge to the Region, which might be used by the university or by companies in the development of solutions, using data collected from these stations."