Author: Katie Snell

The Government have launched a campaign to ensure UK organisations, including the space sector, seize a share of the £82 billion funding opportunity for innovation, jobs, and global impact from Horizon Europe.

Last Autumn, the UK agreed to join Horizon Europe – giving UK businesses and researchers access to the world’s largest research and development collaboration programme.

As part of a push to drive up applications, businesses and researchers are being encouraged to seize the enormous opportunities presented by the programme. The average Horizon Europe grant is worth £450,000 to a UK business. In addition to funding, collaboration with European partners through the programme can help unlock export markets for UK businesses.

Researchers, academics, and businesses of all sizes can bid for a share of the more than £80 billion available through the programme. It builds on the government’s record-breaking backing for R&D, with a commitment to invest £20 billion in UK R&D by 2024-25, borne out in recent announcements like the £500 million boost to the AI Research resource and the £50 million for battery manufacturing R&D announced in the Autumn Statement.

Further information, including practical support on how to apply is available on Innovate UK’s website. Innovate UK and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) also host regular events that help guide businesses and researchers through the opportunities on offer and the application process. More info can be found via the above link.

The is also a national contact point for space, who can advise on how to form a consortium and how to apply for funding – email: NCP-Space@iuk.ukri.org.

Delivering a huge boost for space businesses in the East of England

Suffolk, 25th January 2024 – A Space Enterprise Lab providing users with the latest collaborative technology, resources and expertise launches today at Adastral Park in Suffolk – the latest addition to the Satellite Applications Catapult’s countrywide network.

Leading the launch is the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which has been supporting the development of a dedicated space cluster in the East of England for the last two years. More than 100 members now make up Space East, a cluster that brings together innovators to share knowledge, expertise, and capabilities. The aim is to establish the region as a leading player in the UK space sector.

The new Space Enterprise Lab provides a range of essential capabilities for space sector companies and innovators, enabling them to work together more effectively. It is part of a linked network of 13 such facilities around the UK which are responding to the way in which we now work. They are modular physical spaces for innovation that are digitally inclusive, offering users to collaboration software, virtual reality headsets and interactive screens, as well as a modern, professional and safe working environment.

Innovative and inclusive services at the Space Enterprise Labs facilitate the virtual delivery of meetings, business sprints, user engagement spark sessions and other services such as virtual whiteboards and built-in video conferencing, for everyone within the UK space sector to use.

Generous support for the Space Enterprise Lab at Adastral Park come from the Satellite Applications Catapult, BT, New Anglia LEP, Space East, Suffolk County Council and East Suffolk Council.

Julian Munson, Head of Enterprise Zones and Innovation at New Anglia LEP and Chair of Space East, said: “We are delighted to see Space Enterprise Lab Adastral come to fruition, supported by our local and national partners. This exciting project creates not only a regional base for the growing Space East cluster but a facility which will benefit local businesses and organisations seeking to explore the new world of space applications, unlocking commercial opportunities for multiple sectors from health, social care and agriculture to logistics, offshore energy and marine science”.

Nafeesa Dajda, Director of National Capabilities at the Satellite Applications Catapult, commented: “We are delighted to be launching the new Space Enterprise Lab at Adastral Park today to fully connect Space East to our space ecosystem. The UK’s vibrant space sector is active in every part of the country, and this lab will encourage collaboration between innovative organisations as they reimagine how we use satellite technology and create new applications to solve our biggest global challenges.”

Stuart Catchpole, Space Cluster Manager, said: “‘Space Enterprise Lab Adastral is an exciting addition to the Space East cluster. A free-to-use office space with the latest in smart conferencing technology, it not only provides an innovation space for businesses in and around the space sector to develop, but it further cements our relationship with BT, Adastral Park and the wider UK Space Ecosystem.”

Lisa Perkins, director of Adastral Park and Research realisation in BT’s Technology unit, said: “We’re delighted to host the Space Enterprise Lab at Adastral Park – BT Group’s research and innovation centre. Home to an exciting ecosystem of high-tech telecommunication and technology companies, the University of Suffolk and other partners, the lab will enable businesses in the space and satellite sector to tap into the skills, expertise and facilities that we have at the Park.

“As the UK’s leading provider of fixed and mobile telecommunications, we look forward to collaborating with others through the Space Enterprise Lab to explore the role that non-terrestrial networks can play in future telecoms, working hand-in-hand with our own research capability.”

Cllr Richard Smith MVO, Suffolk County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Transport Strategy and Waste, said: “We welcome the launch of the Space Enterprise Lab at Adastral Park, which is an exciting milestone in the growth of the space sector both in Suffolk and across the UK. The services offered at this new dedicated facility will create new opportunities for Suffolk organisations to innovate and collaborate in a pioneering industry.”

To find out more about Space East, visit www.spaceeast.co.uk or contact Stuart Catchpole at stuart.catchpole@newanglia.co.uk

BOOK YOUR LAB SPACE HERE 

The Space Placements INdustry (SPIN) scheme provides placement opportunities for those considering employment in the space sector and connects space sector organisations who want to find the most talented and enthusiastic people to ensure the future success of their businesses.The scheme has been running since 2013 and continues to grow in popularity. We always encourage enquiries from potential host organisations who have a short-term project (typically of eight weeks duration), and who would like to offer students the opportunity to gain new skills and an insight into their business.

Learn more

‘Space for our future’ was the theme for the 6^th UK Space Conference, held at the impressive ICC building in Belfast over three days from 21^st November 2023. Stuart and Julian from the Space East team were pleased to join their 14 space cluster counterparts from across the UK to promote the UK Space Ecosystem and the extensive work being undertaken to grow the UK Space sector within and across the cluster networks.

With a jam-packed agenda of exciting talks, workshops and events, the conference offered three content tracks of:

• Discover the potential of space. Where will technology take us, can space be agile, what pulls us out there and what are the game-changing innovations?
• Grow and let’s develop our space ecosystems and skills capability. Stepping beyond greenwashing and exploring the value and opportunities of data and AI.
• Secure our space. Addressing the risks, ensure resilience, future-proof assets and services, and take the challenges head on.

The conference drew a massive attendance from across the sector. The UK Space conference team highlighting the breadth and depth of the engagement and challenge-led discussion in their final conference communication, ‘We heard from innovators, researchers, legislators, business and military leaders. We heard about the need for bold decisions; alignment on key issues like skills and investment; and the challenge of developing a narrative to resonate across the city and the public.’

Of course, the 15 space clusters were in attendance with cluster leads supporting Satellite Applications Catapult and UK Space Agency Colleagues at the UK Space Ecosystem exhibition stand.

In addition, there were three sessions focussed on the aims, activities and benefits of the UK Space clusters, including:

• A ‘One Stop Support Shop workshop’, showcasing the fantastic Space Enterprise Community Resources
• A Panel Session in the main Auditorium on ‘Why Do Space Clusters Matter- Driving Innovation and Growth’
• A final workshop on ‘What can your space cluster do for you?’

Stuart had one of the speaker slots in the final workshop session and took the opportunity to detail how the clusters are focussed on delivering support and output for the key stakeholder groups of industry, academia and public sector as well as promoting the close relationship and cross-cluster collaboration across the UK space cluster ecosystem. He used the Space East pillars of Community, Business Support, Projects and Skills to illustrate the extensive number of benefits from engaging with your regional clusters. You can find these at https://spaceeast.co.uk/about-the-cluster/ We would also encourage you to sign up to the Space Enterprise Community platform to keep your finger on the pulse of the sector, events, funding, activities and opportunities  https://spaceenterprise.uk/

This really was a fantastic conference, and we had the chance to meet lots of new people, companies and collectively look towards a very exciting future for the space sector. It was also good to see cluster members Teledyne e2v and Gravitilab in attendance, with Rob Adlard, Gravitilab founder and Chair of the UKspace Industry Launch Committee launching the UKSpace Manifesto for UK launch capability at the conference as well as speaking on why the UK should aim to become the European leaders for launch.

A huge thanks to our colleagues at NI Space for being such generous hosts and to their cluster company Resonate Testing for a fabulous evening event at the Titanic hotel. We must also thank our UK Space Agency and Satellite Applications Catapult colleagues for their tireless work in developing and supporting the UK space ecosystem as well as all of our UK Space Cluster family. https://sa.catapult.org.uk/cluster-directory/

Today is the first day of the UK Space Conference in Belfast and we are delighted to announce that the UK is aiming to join Portugal and Spain as a member of the Atlantic Constellation and is contributing a new pathfinder satellite designed and built by a UK-based company adding to the innovative Earth and coastal monitoring and data sharing network. The Atlantic Constellation is a flagship, global project for the development of a constellation of small satellites for Ocean, Earth and Climate monitoring.

The UK Space Agency is providing £3 million to support the build of the new pathfinder satellite, intended to be one of the first in the Constellation, with co-funding from Open Cosmos, based on the Harwell Space Campus in Oxfordshire. This new commitment will further strengthen the UK’s national capabilities in Earth observation technology and complement the UK’s contributions to the EU Copernicus programme, European Space Agency and bilateral missions. Find out more here

London Economics are conducting this year’s annual review of the UK Space sector – if you produce or consume products or services from the sector then we want to hear from you!https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/sizeandhealth23/

Introduction:

The UK Space Sector, with its relentless pursuit of cosmic exploration and groundbreaking innovations, is an industry like no other. Yet, even in the vast expanse of space, there are challenges that transcend interstellar boundaries. Talent acquisition, the cornerstone of sector success, has come under the spotlight. We’ve combed through the insights gleaned from the Space Sector Skills Survey, where 218 organizations cast their cosmic net, and found that recruitment difficulties have become more prevalent in recent times. In this blog, we’ll explore the challenges, statistics, and a potential solution that could be the rocket fuel for success – tapping into the untapped talent in Civil, Structural, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering.

1. Insights from the Space Sector Skills Survey:

The Space Sector Skills Survey, a litmus test for the state of talent acquisition, provides us with key statistics:

Active Recruitment: An impressive 62% of the 218 organisations surveyed had been on a recruitment spree in the past 12 months. The primary motivation? Expansion. Nearly half (50%) of the recruits were ushered in to fuel the sector’s growth, while an additional 15% were replacing departing team members.

Rising Recruitment Hurdles: Alas, the space sector’s talent acquisition journey is not all smooth sailing. A whopping 80% of organisations reported recruitment difficulties, marking an increase of nearly 20% since the 2020 survey. The common culprits? The lack of specialist skills, knowledge, or qualifications among applicants and the scarcity of candidates overall.

Competitive Cosmos: But the main celestial adversary faced by organizations in the UK Space Sector is competition, as reported by 68% of survey respondents. And within the realms of competition, the heavyweight contender is engineering, accounting for 39% of the challenges.

1. Untapped Potential in Engineering:

So, where do we find the solution to this cosmic conundrum? The answer may lie closer to home than you’d think, in the form of professionals from Civil, Structural, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering disciplines. Here’s why these engineering fields are a treasure trove of untapped potential:

Transferable Skills: Candidates from these backgrounds bring a wealth of transferable skills to the table. Whether it’s structural analysis, project management, mechanical design, or electrical systems knowledge, they have a lot to offer.

Problem-Solving Prowess: Engineers are known for their problem-solving abilities. They are adept at dissecting complex issues and finding creative solutions, a skill highly valuable in the space sector, where troubleshooting is a daily routine.

Technical Proficiency: Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, in particular, bring their technical expertise to the space sector. They are well-versed in machinery, electronics, and systems, which are essential in spacecraft design and maintenance.

Adaptability: Candidates with experience of working within Engineering are accustomed to adapting to new challenges and learning quickly. The space sector is notorious for its rapid technological advancements, making the adaptability of these candidates a valuable asset.

Innovation Drive: Many candidates with engineering backgrounds are naturally inclined towards innovation and enjoy working on projects that push the boundaries of human knowledge. The UK Space Sector provides the ideal platform for these aspirations.

III. Strategies to Harness Untapped Talent:

Here are some strategies that can help organisations in the UK Space Sector tap into this pool of untapped engineering talent:

Customized Recruitment Approach: Tailor recruitment strategies to actively target candidates from Civil, Structural, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering backgrounds. Highlight the transferable skills and how they can contribute to the sector.

Training and Upskilling: Offer training and upskilling programs to bridge the gap between engineering expertise and the specialised requirements of the space sector. This can include courses on space systems, satellite technology, or orbital mechanics.

University Partnerships: Collaborate with universities offering engineering programs to identify and nurture talent. Develop internships, mentorship programs, and research collaborations to encourage engineering students to pursue careers in the space sector.

Career Advancement Opportunities: Promote the potential for career advancement within the sector. Engineers often seek opportunities to work on challenging projects and make a significant impact, something the space sector offers in abundance.

Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives: Ensure that recruitment efforts align with diversity and inclusion initiatives. This not only expands the talent pool but also fosters a more inclusive and innovative work environment.

Conclusion:

Talent acquisition challenges in the UK Space Sector are a real and growing concern. As the sector experiences rapid growth and intensifying competition, the demand for specialised skills becomes more critical. The untapped potential within Civil, Structural, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering disciplines can be a valuable resource to bridge the talent gap.

By customising recruitment strategies, offering training, partnering with universities, and promoting career advancement, the sector can harness this untapped talent and propel the industry further into the cosmos of innovation and discovery. The future of the UK Space Sector depends on its ability to assemble the right teams, and these engineers may just hold the key to reaching for the stars and beyond.

Alexander Associates, a premier recruitment firm dedicated to providing exceptional talent solutions to businesses in need of high-quality professionals, particularly those with a background in Engineering. Established in 1989, our firm has consistently upheld a reputation for excellence and personalised service that is unrivalled in the industry. For a confidential discussion on how we could help you or your business please contact peter.webb@alexander-assoc.co.uk or visit www.alexander-assoc.co.uk

The UK Space Agency is funding research into refuelling an upcoming mission to remove space junk, which could help prolong the life of satellites and prevent adding more debris to the space environment.

A total of £2 million is available for feasibility studies that can demonstrate the ability to refuel a UK national debris removal mission and look at opportunities for refuelling a commercial satellite as well.

Daily life relies on space services – from navigation and weather forecasting to financial services and TV. It is therefore essential that we preserve the space environment for future generations as we do here on Earth.

Millions of defunct space objects are currently orbiting the planet – almost 37,000 measuring larger than 10cm and an estimated 130 million measuring less than 1 cm.  These can be anything from old satellites to astronaut tools and even flecks of paint.  The speed at which they travel means they are a constant threat to ‘live’ satellites.

As part of a package of initiatives to help ensure the long-term sustainability of the outer space environment, the UK Space Agency is leading work to develop UK capabilities in this area and demonstrate leadership in more sustainable space operations.

One such initiative is a UK national debris removal mission, planned for launch in 2026 and designed to be refuellable.

As satellite launch costs continue to fall and new technologies – such as highly manoeuvrable satellites that can dock with others and perform tasks like refuelling – come online, the UK Space Agency is inviting bids from UK organisations to develop feasibility studies to support the mission and the development of future capabilities.

George Freeman MP, Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, said:

Millions of pieces of space debris and 3,000 redundant satellites pose an increasing threat to the satellite economy we now rely on daily – from telecomms to navigation, air traffic control and climate science. So it is vital that we act.

This new £2 million UK Space Agency programme will help to develop ways to refuel inactive satellites in space. UK businesses like Astroscale and ClearSpace developing in-flight refuelling, maintenance and other satellite servicing are key to reducing space debris, boosting space resilience and ensuring a vibrant space service economy.

Ray Fielding, Head of Sustainability at the UK Space Agency, said:

This is an exciting opportunity for the UK space sector.  In-orbit servicing is expected to be a key tool in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the outer space environment, so these refuelling studies will support our desire to make satellite operation a lot more sustainable and demonstrate UK leadership in tackling the increasing risks caused by space debris.

Richard Lowe, co-Chair of UKspace In-orbit Service & Manufacture (IOSM) Working Group, said:

Satellites provide huge economic benefit for people here on Earth – but they’re currently limited to one tank of fuel! In-orbit refuelling is a key technology that can extend the life of satellites. It can also enable development of more capable infrastructure in space and help us to reduce in-orbit debris. This investment paves the way for space services that deliver even more value than today in a much more sustainable way.

The announcement comes ahead of the UK Space Conference (21-23 November at ICC Belfast) – a global platform for government, industry and academic space innovators to gather and collaboratively shape the future of space.

The National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP), will support high-risk, high-reward projects designed by British organisations with the potential to accelerate the development of new space technologies, satellite applications, and services. It will also be incorporating the UK Space Agency’s Enabling Technologies Programme (ETP) as the NSIP Kick Starter. This portion of NSIP will provide targeted support to early-stage and disruptive innovation. I’ll share links to the press release and guidance documents when they go live.

For more information please see the press release: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-launches-65-million-funding-call-for-space-technologies-and-applications

The NSIP Kick Starter – Open  Call (Call 1) is now live. This call will close on 17 November 2023 at midday: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-space-innovation-programme-kick-starter-open-call-call-1

STEMPOINT is an educational charity that promotes Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) to young people across the East of England and encourages them to take up a STEM career.  Trusted by schools and industry partners for more than 35 years, we highlight opportunities within various sectors and Space has been a particular focus for us because of the fantastic range of organisations in the Eastern area and also because it feeds into young people’s continuing fascination for space.  By partnering with space-related companies and organisations such as Space East, we are able to shine a spotlight on some of the roles within the sector, which are often not well-known amongst pupils.  An example of this is our popular Space booklet, a free resource that has been downloaded by schools across the region and features some of our local STEM Ambassador volunteers. STEM Ambassadors who identify themselves as having an interest in space-related work were involved in a massive 295,000 engagements with pupils in the last academic year!

We are pleased to be a part of the Space East project, working with businesses to support them with links to schools and colleges across the region, and helping them raise awareness of career opportunities and igniting a passion for this important growing sector.

We’d love to hear from you!  Get in contact with us at admin@stempoint.org.uk for further details about how you and/or your company can get involved.

Or as a first step, why not help us raise aspirations by joining a network of over 45,000 STEM Ambassadors across the UK to help inspire local young people?  By sharing your career path, offering site tours, work experience or helping with hands-on workshops and activities, you can help secure a future talent pipeline.  To register as a STEM Ambassador volunteer, see: www.stem.org.uk  And don’t forget to tick the ‘Space Inspiration’ box in your profile under schemes!

How can you benefit from local Skills Bootcamp graduates?

Local businesses across the UK are seizing the opportunity to hire newly trained and vetted graduates of Cambridge Spark’s Skills Bootcamps in data literacy and data analytics.

Organisations such as Thames Water, AXA, the Financial Conduct Authority and others are hiring these graduates to fill roles such as junior data analyst, technical lead and solutions engineer.

Why are businesses like yours eager to hire graduates of short, data upskilling programmes to fill crucial data roles? The answer is twofold:

1. Sourcing qualified candidates is HARD: According to the World Economic Forum:

Organisations identify skills gaps and an inability to attract talent as the key barriers preventing industry transformation, with 60% of surveyed companies highlighting the difficulty in bridging skills gaps locally and 53% identifying their inability to attract talent as the main barriers to transforming their business.

2. These graduates are data EXPERTS: Though some are calling data “the new oil”, only those organisations with the requisite data skills can fully capture the value of their data. Bootcamp graduates complete the course with a mastery of essential skills needed to bring impact and transformation to organisations.

Their learnings span the fundamentals of building data visualisations and dashboards for informing better decision making, to automating manual data processing and analysis to drive cost and time savings.

Want to learn more about hiring some of the most qualified data talent available? Contact Sam Goose (07572 791292 or sam.goose@cambridgespark.com) from Cambridge Spark for details.

As a part of the UK-Australia Space Bridge in partnership with Austrade, Australian Space Agency, UK Space Agency and the Department for Business Trade, are organising a trade mission in partnership for the UK space industry to visit Australia during week commencing 4^th December 2023 to coincide with the 16^th Australian Space Forum, of which UK Space Agency will be a featured partner

This mission will include a visit to three destinations across Australia during the week to enable a thorough series of engagement opportunities across numerous space clusters to have direct discussions with industry, academia and government at both state and federal levels, as well as the opportunity for participation in one of Australia’s largest dedicated space conferences.

Please see here the link to register for the trade mission. Registration closes on 15^th September 2023. The number of participants will be limited to 15 this year to help keep numbers manageable within limited resources. Please note this mission is not funded or subsidised, and companies are required to cover their own financial expenses, however DBT will seek a discounted rate wherever possible.

Furthermore, we are organising a Space Bridge Export Academy for SMEs to learn about the principles of international trade in the lead-up to this mission. The Academy will provide a free online learning programme to enable SMEs to explore a range of topics including an introduction to the UK and Australian space sectors, trade policy, export finance, law and regulation, banking and tax, and business pitching. Spaces are limited, reserved for companies with limited exporting experience, and open to both UK and Australian entities. Registration closes on 1^st September 2023. Use the following link to register. https://forms.office.com/e/zgFxnpqssK

In addition, DBT are coordinating a number of international visitors to attend the UK Space Conference, including representatives from Australia, as an additional opportunity for B2B engagement. If there’s support we can provide you for engagement with our delegates, please express your interest (and any other questions you may have) at space@businessandtrade.gov.uk