ESERO Ireland

What ESERO Ireland does

ESERO Ireland (European Space Education Resource Office) is the Irish national node of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Education programme, co-funded and hosted by Research Ireland at its Dublin headquarters. The organisation operates as a public-sector educational initiative managed on behalf of the Irish Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. It does not develop proprietary technology products; rather, it curates and distributes ESA-origin educational content to Irish schools, supported by a staff operating from the Research Ireland office at Three Park Place, Hatch Street Upper, Dublin.

ESERO Ireland's core offerings consist of a library of 118+ curriculum-aligned classroom resources covering Primary Level, Junior Cycle, and Senior Cycle subjects (Earth and Space, Physical World, Chemical World, Forces and Motion, Nature of STEM, Climate Change), alongside five flagship project-based learning programmes: Astro Pi (coding for Raspberry Pi computers aboard the ISS), CanSat (student-built miniature satellites), Climate Detectives (environmental investigation), Mission X (astronaut-training simulation aligned with Artemis II), and Moon Camp (lunar habitat design). Teacher support services include summer CPD courses delivered via Teachnet and the ESA Teach with Space Online Conference, plus space-career guidance resources. All resources and programmes are provided free of charge.

The business model is non-commercial: ESERO Ireland is funded by ESA and Research Ireland as part of Ireland's public engagement with space and STEM, with no user fees, no licensing revenue, and no investor ownership. Its go-to-market is community- and event-driven, relying on direct teacher engagement, CPD workshops, newsletters, and partner-mediated distribution through Curious Minds, SEAI, and Birr Castle Demesne. Customers are exclusively Irish primary and post-primary schools and their educators.

Name

ESERO Ireland

Legal name

European Space Agency (ESA) - ESERO Ireland

Website

https://esero.ie

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

ESERO Ireland is the Irish national office of ESA's Education programme, co-funded by Research Ireland. It provides free, curriculum-aligned classroom resources and STEM/space projects to all primary and post-primary schools and teachers in Ireland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Education Services

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB)

Keywords

• Space education resources
• STEM classroom materials
• Teacher professional development
• Space science curriculum
• Student STEM projects

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. ESA and Research Ireland Funding: ESERO Ireland is an education project of the European Space Agency (ESA) co-funded by Research Ireland. It operates as a non-profit educational initiative without direct revenue generation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ESERO Ireland delivers free, curriculum-aligned space-themed STEM classroom resources (worksheets, lesson plans, teaching guides) to Irish primary and post-primary schools, and runs five project-based learning programmes — Astro Pi, CanSat, Climate Detectives, Mission X, and Moon Camp — that connect students to authentic European Space Agency missions. The organization supplements these with teacher professional development, summer CPD courses, and the annual ESA Teach with Space Online Conference.

Product overview

ESERO Ireland is an education project of the European Space Agency (ESA) co-funded by Research Ireland, offering a portfolio of space-themed educational products and services. The core offering includes classroom resources (worksheets, lesson plans, teaching guides) aligned with the Science, Technology and Engineering curriculum. Project-based learning programs include Astro Pi (coding for ISS computers), CanSat (satellite building), Climate Detectives (environmental investigation), Mission X (astronaut training simulation), and Moon Camp Challenge (lunar habitat design). Teacher support services include professional development courses and the ESA Teach with Space Online Conference. The Space Careers program provides career guidance resources showcasing opportunities in the space industry. These offerings work together to spark young people's passion for STEM and empower them to pursue careers in space.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Classroom Resources A free library of 118+ classroom resources including worksheets, lesson plans, and teaching guides designed by ESA and Research Ireland's Curious Minds to support the Science, Technology and Engineering curriculum at primary and post-primary levels. Targeted at Irish primary and post-primary teachers and students.
• Astro Pi An ESA Education programme where students write computer programs for Astro Pi computers (special Raspberry Pi computers) located on the International Space Station. ESERO Ireland supports Irish school participation in the flagship coding challenge.
• CanSat An ESA Education project where student teams design, build, launch and operate a CanSat (a miniature satellite simulation) from concept to operation. ESERO Ireland coordinates the Irish national competition and selects teams for the European ESA CanSat events.
• Climate Detectives An ESA Education project where students explore their local environment and investigate climate change impacts through hands-on investigations, with the goal of understanding and protecting Earth. ESERO Ireland facilitates Irish school participation.
• Mission X An international ESA Education project (Mission X: Train Like an Astronaut) in which students complete activities focused on fitness, nutrition, and health, learning what it takes to stay strong in space and on Earth. ESERO Ireland delivers Mission X activities in Irish schools.
• Moon Camp Challenge An ESA Education challenge where student teams take on space adventurer roles and design a habitat on the lunar surface or explore other worlds in the Solar System using arts and crafts, 3D design, or robotics. ESERO Ireland promotes Irish school participation in the annual European competition.
• Teacher Support Programme Tailored support for primary and post-primary teachers including engaging workshops and professional development to bring space themes into STEM teaching across Irish schools.
• Space Careers A career guidance resource showcasing career profiles and videos featuring professionals in the space industry to help Irish students discover career paths in maths, physics, chemistry, engineering, and computing.
• Summer CPD Courses for Teachers EPV day approved summer professional development courses for primary level teachers, offered in partnership with Research Ireland's Curious Minds programme and delivered via Teachnet. Themes include scientific heritage, dark skies, climate, and space education.
• ESA Teach with Space Online Conference An annual international online conference by ESA Education where teachers and educators discover how space can be used as a powerful context for teaching STEM subjects, featuring talks by ESA experts and hands-on activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 118+ classroom resources available for Irish schools
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and regional.

• Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026ESERO Ireland and Research Ireland's Curious Minds partner with SEAI to deliver the Climate Science Champions 5-day summer course, combining climate education with space and STEM resources for primary school teachers.
• ESA Education (Mission X)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Mission X: Train Like an Astronaut is an international project coordinated by ESA Education. ESERO Ireland delivers Mission X activities in Irish schools, with ESA Astronaut John McFall providing training videos and activities aligned with the Artemis II mission.
• European Space Agency (ESA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESA Education established ESERO offices across ESA Member States as part of its European space education strategy. ESERO Ireland operates as an official ESA Education project, using ESA-developed resources, participating in ESA projects (Astro Pi, CanSat, Moon Camp, Mission X, Climate Detectives), and connecting Irish students to ESA astronauts and missions.
• Research IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch Ireland (formerly Science Foundation Ireland) co-funds ESERO Ireland and hosts the program at its Dublin headquarters. Research Ireland manages education and public engagement initiatives on behalf of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, including the Curious Minds programme that partners with ESERO on teacher professional development.
• Curious Minds (Research Ireland Programme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Curious Minds programme partners with ESERO Ireland on summer CPD courses for teachers, joint development of classroom resources, and coordinated STEM outreach activities across Ireland.
• Birr Castle DemesneregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the 'Connecting with your Local Scientific Heritage' summer course, connecting Ireland's astronomical history (Leviathan Telescope, I-LOFAR radio telescope) with space education.
• TeachnetmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTeachnet hosts and administers ESERO Ireland's summer CPD courses for teachers, providing the online learning platform and course delivery infrastructure for teacher professional development.
• ESA Education (Moon Camp)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoon Camp Challenge is an ESA Education project where students design lunar habitats using 3D design, robotics, or game-based applications. ESERO Ireland promotes and supports Irish school participation in this annual European competition.
• ESA Education (CanSat)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanSat is an ESA Education project where student teams design and build miniature satellites. ESERO Ireland coordinates the Irish national competition and selects teams to represent Ireland at European ESA CanSat events.
• ESA Education (Astro Pi)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAstro Pi challenges students to write computer programs for Raspberry Pi computers (Astro Pis) on the International Space Station. ESERO Ireland supports Irish school participation in this flagship ESA education program.
• ESA Education (Climate Detectives)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClimate Detectives is an ESA Education project where students explore their local environment and investigate climate change impacts. ESERO Ireland facilitates Irish school participation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ESERO UK: ESERO UK is the UK national office of the same ESA Education ESERO network that ESERO Ireland belongs to. It delivers essentially identical programmatic functions (classroom resources, teacher CPD, Astro Pi, CanSat, Moon Camp, Mission X, Climate Detectives) to UK schools, making it the closest direct structural peer.
• ESERO Spain (INTA): ESERO Spain is the Spanish national ESERO office operated by INTA. It serves the same function for Spanish schools as ESERO Ireland does for Irish schools: distributing ESA-aligned space education resources, coordinating Astro Pi/CanSat/Mission X participation, and providing teacher CPD under the pan-European ESA Education umbrella.
• ESERO France (managed by CNES): ESERO France is the French national ESERO office operated by CNES, ESA's French counterpart. It operates the same ESA Education framework for French schools, offering directly comparable classroom resources, teacher training, and project-based programs anchored in authentic space missions.

Broad incumbents

• European Space Education Office (ESEO): ESEO is a complementary ESA Education initiative providing university-level space education across ESA Member States. While it targets higher-education students rather than the K-12 audience ESERO Ireland serves, both are ESA Education programmes with comparable content-development and teacher/faculty engagement models.
• JAXA Space Education Center: JAXA Space Education is the Japanese space agency's K-12 and public education programme, providing classroom resources, teacher support, and student projects tied to authentic Japanese space missions. It is structurally analogous to ESERO Ireland as a national space-agency STEM education function, though serving the Japanese market.
• UK Space Agency Education Programme: The UK Space Agency funds space education and outreach across the UK alongside ESERO UK, including programmes that overlap with ESERO Ireland's offerings (teacher CPD, student competitions, curriculum resources). It is a comparable national space-agency education function but with broader UK-government portfolio scope.
• NASA Office of STEM Engagement: NASA's STEM Engagement division is the US-space-agency equivalent of the wider ESA Education program that hosts ESERO Ireland. It serves a comparable role — distributing authentic space mission content to K-12 schools and teachers — but operates across the much larger US market and as part of NASA's broader portfolio rather than as a focused national office.

Emerging players

• CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory: Blackrock Castle Observatory in Cork is an Irish science outreach centre delivering space-themed STEM education, workshops, and exhibits to schools and families. It is a partial peer — sharing the Irish space-education market and target audience — but is facility-based rather than a national resource office.

Others

• Science Foundation Ireland / Research Ireland Curious Minds: Curious Minds is Research Ireland's STEM public engagement programme that co-funds and co-delivers teacher CPD with ESERO Ireland. It is a parent/partner rather than a competitor, but its broader STEM engagement remit overlaps with ESERO Ireland's teacher and school audience in Ireland.

Regional players

• Armagh Observatory and Planetarium: Armagh Observatory and Planetarium is a Northern Ireland-based astronomy institution delivering space and STEM education programmes to schools, teachers, and the public. It shares ESERO Ireland's space-education focus and teacher-engagement model but operates within Northern Ireland rather than the Republic of Ireland, making it a complementary rather than overlapping provider.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Esero_ie
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ResearchIrelandDiscover
• Instagraminstagram.com/researchireland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ESERO Ireland