ESO – European Southern Observatory

The ESO was established in 1962 with the aim of promoting European cooperation in the field of astronomy and operating the largest ground-based telescope facilities. Today, it is considered the most productive observatory in the world.

ESO is funded by the following Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, along with Chile as the host country and Australia as a strategic partner. It is currently the workplace for around 700 people, including full-time staff, scientists, and engineers from various geographical locations and nationalities.

ESO headquarters (which includes the scientific, technical, and administrative centers) is located in Garching, near Munich, Germany. ESO Supernova, a large astronomy outreach center that includes a planetarium, is also located at headquarters. ESO's three observatories are in operation in Chile, more precisely in the Atacama Desert. At the Paranal Observatory, at an altitude of 2600 meters, the Very Large Telescope operates, a set of four telescopes, each with a main mirror 8.2 meters in diameter. The observatory at La Silla, at an altitude of 2400 meters, houses several optical telescopes with mirrors up to 3.6 meters in diameter. Chajnantor, at an altitude of 5000 meters, is home to the APEX telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the largest ground-based astronomy project with a revolutionary infrastructure in global astronomy. A new optical/infrared telescope with a primary mirror 39 meters in diameter, the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), is currently under construction.

Portuguese Participation

On July 10, 1990, Portugal signed a Cooperation Agreement with ESO, which guaranteed observer status and defined a transition process so that, within 10 years, it could become a full Member State. In 1999, Portugal applied for membership as a Member State, and Portugal's accession agreement was approved in December 2000.

As a Member State, Portugal contributes annually to the annual operating costs of the infrastructure (around 1.2% of the overall budget). Portugal's participation in ESO has given Portuguese research teams access to a top-quality observation infrastructure and enabled them to participate in scientific research in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics, which has made a decisive contribution to the growth of the scientific community, particularly in terms of doctorates and internationalization.

Since 1990, dozens of Portuguese researchers have obtained observation time on ESO telescopes. An average of 1,800 proposals for access to observation time are submitted annually by researchers from all countries. In terms of numbers, the observation time allocated to national researchers exceeds the national contribution percentage.

It should also be noted that in 2019, four Portuguese nationals have employment contracts in technical departments of the organization.

Industrial participation

In addition to the scientific benefits and advanced training in their country, as full members of the ESO, all Member States have the opportunity to reap industrial benefits, contributing to increased competitiveness and technological advancement in their industry.

The ESO is considered an extremely competitive and demanding technological market within the 16 Member States that make up the organization.

Information about ESO's procurement service and associated processes is available on the official website. For any questions or clarifications regarding the industrial link between Portugal and ESO, please contact the ILO.