DWPS 2025 Ricardo Conde

Ricardo Conde has served as President of the Portuguese Space Agency since 2020, following his appointment to the board of directors in 2019. With over 30 years of experience in the industrial and institutional space sector, he began his career in 1991 and has been involved in multiple national and international space programmes, covering both space and ground segments.

He holds a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), with specializations in telecommunications, radio frequency, and space systems engineering.

Ricardo represents Portugal in several international organizations, including the Council of the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), and the Administrative Board of the European Space Program Agency (EUSPA). In 2022, he served as President of the Eureka Network, the world’s largest organization supporting science and innovation for SMEs, during the Portuguese presidency.

He has been a speaker at various international conferences, addressing topics such as the role of emerging space agencies, space policy, sustainability, and how space technologies contribute to a more sustainable planet. In 2024, he was awarded the Medal of Scientific Merit by the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education.

Above all, he is the proud father of two beautiful girls.