Funding from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator has enabled Irish space technology pioneer Mbryonics to bring its highly innovative StarCom Optical satellite-to-satellite and satellite-to-ground ultra high-speed secure data transfer product to commercial production. Part of the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme, the EIC Accelerator is the EU’s flagship innovation programme which provides grant funding of up to €2.5 million combined with an equity investment ranging from €0.5 to €15 million in a blended finance offer. Mbryonics received the maximum €2.5 million grant and €15 million equity investment recommendation.

Enabling high speed satellite communications

Put very simply, StarCom is an ultra-high precision, high-speed optical communications system installed on board satellites. It enables constellations of satellites to communicate with each other at speeds of 100 Terabits per second and above. Very importantly, these precision instruments are built to withstand the huge stresses experienced during launch and extreme temperature variations whilst still being quite lightweight with a very low-power requirement. In short, it gives satellite owners and operators more bang for their buck. “It makes communication between satellites much more efficient and opens up the opportunity for satellite operators to move more data around and have more users accessing satellite information,” explains Mbryonics Chief Science Officer Ruth Mackey. The core innovation is in coherent photonic-optical transceiver technology and advanced optical communications systems and networking capabilities for the new era of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations, and multi orbit networks, effectively building what the company describes as the “Internet in Space”.

Pioneering research

StarCom is based on research going back 20 years and within the company for the past 12 years. “Back in 2016 we applied for funding under the EU Horizon 2020 SME Instrument (a pre-cursor to the EIC Accelerator) and received a small grant of €50,000 in 2017. That honestly helped us to establish the business.” Back then, the company was working on a technology it called RAVEN – real-time access to a virtual Earth Observation Network. “At the time we were having to convince people that optical communications in space was a good idea,” she recalls. “What we were proposing was how to use a network of satellites in space to give global coverage. Now, all these years later, that’s exactly what people are doing.”

Since then, the Mbryonics team has been working on StarCom as part of its satellite optical transport and networking platforms. Having developed the technology, the next step was to take it from a validated prototype into scalable, volume production. That’s where the EIC Accelerator funding came in. It is supporting the transition from breakthrough R&D to volume manufacturing facilities in the west of Ireland. These are the Photon-1 facility in Galway, which opened in autumn 2025, and a high-volume manufacturing facility, Photon-2 in Clare, which is currently under development.

Funding tomorrow’s unicorns

Ruth Mackey, CSO of Mbryonics.

EIC Accelerator funding was particularly well suited to the StarCom project, according to Mackey. “The EIC had introduced this idea that it had to be an unbankable project,” she says. “The idea had to be so audacious that a typical investor wouldn’t be interested. What they were really after was future unicorns.”

In effect, the funding is targeted at high-risk projects which, if successful, will deliver rich dividends. “We applied three years ago and were approved for funding in 2024,” says Mackey. “It’s a two-year project that concludes this year. What’s great is that the grant and equity components happened in parallel; the grant funds the work to progress and de-risk the project while the equity investment scales it. We were fortunate to be approved for the full amount for both. It’s a highly competitive process and only three or four per cent of applicants are approved for funding.”

European Seal of Approval

Financial support isn’t the only benefit of EIC backing, she notes. “It’s a very good thing to have the European Commission saying you’re at the top in Europe in terms of what you’re doing and that they’re willing to invest in you. It’s nice to have that going into any investment round. That’s definitely a very strong benefit. It also means you are scrutinised at the technology level, as well as the commercial level and on the strategic nature of what you’re doing for Europe,” she continues. “It shows that you’ve crossed the threshold and that you really are relevant to the sovereign deep tech landscape of what could be the next big thing in Europe. We are also integrated into a pan-European innovation network which will facilitate future R&D collaboration and supply chain development.”

Enterprise Ireland support

Mackey highlights the importance of leveraging the national support network including agencies like Enterprise Ireland and the European Space Agency (ESA) delegation to successfully navigate the highly competitive and complex EU funding application processes. “Enterprise Ireland support was invaluable,” she says. “They provided long-term support through earlier R&D funding via the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) and co-funding of ESA projects, which helped us to achieve the technological maturity needed to apply for the EIC.” Support was also received from the Irish National Contact Point (NCP) for the EIC. “The NCP provided expert, technical guidance on interpreting the EIC call, refining the proposal to meet evaluation criteria, and coaching for the panel interviews. This support was essential for navigating the highly competitive selection process.” As the project nears conclusion, the Photon-1 New Product Introduction facility with a capacity of 500 units a year has been successfully established in Galway and fit out of the 5,000 unit capacity Photon-2 facility in Shannon is well underway.

The market opportunity

Market demand is strong for the StarCom units, as well as a suite of products across their platform. With several international contracts already secured, the company is seeing widespread acceptance of its technology. Mackey notes that while network operators are typically hesitant to overhaul existing hardware, the escalating demand for higher speeds is now forcing a shift toward these necessary upgrades.

“The market opportunity is very large. There are about 40,000 satellites in orbit already and the European Space Agency (ESA) predicts 100,000 satellites in orbit by 2030. Typically, you can have between three to six StarCom units per satellite.”

Beyond Mbryonics, StarCom also positions Europe and Ireland at the forefront of deeptech optical-communications technology, which is strategically critical for secure, high-speed space networks, she adds. There is also a wider economic impact including the creation of more than 150 high-value jobs in production, engineering, and sales in the west of Ireland by the end of the year, establishing an optics and photonics centre of excellence and directly supporting the Government’s ‘Silicon Island’ vision by anchoring advanced manufacturing capability here.

“We’re expanding very quickly,” Mackey concludes. “We are establishing all the processes required to support that growth. But we honestly feel delighted and very privileged to be able to create a global company right here in Ireland.”

If you are interested in learning more about the Horizon Europe programme, contact horizonsupport@enterprise-ireland.com or go to www.horizoneurope.ie