René Oosterlinck

René Oosterlinck was awarded an engineering degree from the Higher State Technical Institute for Nuclear Industries of Brussels, Belgium in 1966. In 1969 he obtained a degree in civil engineering from the University of Leuven, Belgium and in 1977 he obtained a degree in law from the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.

René Oosterlinck started his career in 1969 as a teacher of physics and maths in Zaire (now Congo). Two years later he became a patent examiner at the Institut International des Brevets (IIB) now the European Patent Office in The Hague.

In 1979 he joined ESA, where he held the post of head of the intellectual property, transfer of technology and information policy office until 1984, when he became Head of the Personnel and Site Services Department.

After a period heading the Legal Affairs Department (1998-1999), he became Head of the Navigation Department, where he was in charge of the Navigation Programmes in particular Galileo and EGNOS.

In June 2005 Mr Oosterlinck took up his duties as director in charge of Legal Affairs, International Relations, Corporate Communication and Education. He is also heading the ESA Security Office and is Head of the HQ Establishment in Paris.  

Since 2004 he is, in addition, professor in Space Law at the University of Ghent (Belgium).