Mario Grotz started his career at the Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Craft, where he acted as advisor to SME’s in areas concerning business creation and business management. In 2001, he joined the Ministry of the Economy where his focus was on the evaluation of R&D projects implemented by the private sector. From 2009-2012 he was appointed Head of the Directorate for Infrastructures and Technology. From 2012-2020, he is the Director General for Research, Intellectual Property and New Technologies, responsible for the development of the technology-based sectors in Luxembourg: cleantech, biotech, ICT and space. He also represents the State of Luxembourg in different boards of private companies. From 2021, he is the Director General for Industry, New technologies an Research. In 2012, he became Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company Creos Luxembourg, the national grid company.
In 2018, Mario Grotz became President of Luxinnovation, the national innovation agency, which offers a wide portfolio of services to companies and public research organisations.
Mario Grotz has been a key advocate of the country’s space industry and commercial space activities. In context of the SpaceResources.lu initiative, he has played a crucial role in the setup of the regulatory, legal and financing frameworks that have positioned Luxembourg at the forefront of space resources utilisation. In September 2018, the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) officially launched operations with the goal of promoting the further economic development of the Grand Duchy’s space industry by attracting businesses, developing human resources, providing innovative financial solutions and supporting educational and research infrastructure. In 2021, Mario Grotz became Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Luxembourg Space Agency Foundation (LSA).