Author: capsule

Norfolk & Suffolk is a hotbed of innovation – from agri-tech and life sciences to AI and 5G communications – and Space East is nurturing collaboration across sectors and champion exciting opportunities in space technology.

The applications of space and satellite technologies span the region’s leading industries including food and agriculture, offshore wind, coastal and marine science, health and social care, and transport and logistics. 

Combined with existing technology strengths and innovation assets including Adastral Park, Norwich Research Park, Hethel Innovation, OrbisEnergy, CEFAS, University of East Anglia, University of Suffolk, the opportunities for organisations to join our determined growth in the space sector are infinite.

The region is already a leader in areas such as artificial intelligence, 5G communications, microgravity R&D, agri-tech, life sciences and health tech, all offering exciting potential to unlock space-related commercial prospects.

Space East, which is hosted by New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, wants to engage with businesses across these and other disciplines. You might already be working in the space sector, using space technologies, or you might simply be interested in finding out what the sector can do for your and your business. 

Whatever your motivation, Space East aims to bring together innovative people from business and academia to share knowledge, expertise and capabilities to explore exciting opportunities and establish our region as a leading player in the UK space sector.

With the backing of the UK Space Agency and Satellite Applications Catapult, our strong cluster delivers support for business and facilitates collaboration, growth and development through our cluster community, promoting our region and space related activity, benefitting your business and the economy as a whole.

To get in touch and start the conversation, email Space Cluster Manager Stuart Catchpole at stuart.catchpole@newanglia.co.uk or call him on 07436 140185. 

Space East – a new regional cluster for the space technology sector – was officially launched by Science Minister George Freeman at the Connected Innovation Conference earlier this year.

New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership secured £163,000 from the UK Space Agency to help catapult growth in high impact projects for the region and UK, and establish a space cluster of businesses, science organisations, educational institutions, local authorities and investors.

The global space market is projected to grow from £270 billion to £490 billion by 2030 according to the UK Space Agency. Yet, it also found that £270 billion of UK economic output is now dependent on data from non-UK satellites. 

By injecting funding into regional space hubs and technologies, the UK Space Agency aims to enhance the country’s reputation as a science and technology superpower. It awarded the investment to the LEP as it recognised the leadership and opportunities in the area’s clean growth sectors such as renewable energy, communications and IT and agri-tech. 

The Space East cluster was launched at the Connected Innovation event at Adastral Park in Suffolk in March 2023. It was attended by representatives from Innovate UK, the Satellite Applications Catapult, BT, UK Space Agency, Tech East and other organisations and showcased a range of the region’s innovation centres, research institutes and technology hubs.

Norfolk & Suffolk has world-leading businesses and innovation hubs, including Adastral Park, Norwich Research Park, CEFAS, Orbis Energy, Hethel Innovation, University of East Anglia and University of Suffolk. They drive new technological innovations relating to space in areas such as health and social care, offshore energy, marine science and agriculture. 

Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive at the UK Space Agency, said: “We are investing in a wide range of space activities all over the country, from satellite communications to missions exploring our Solar System, so it’s fantastic to see a new hub of space organisations come together to highlight the brilliant science and engineering skills in Suffolk, Norfolk and surrounding areas in the East of England.

“The UK space sector is worth £16.5 billion to the UK economy, employing 47,000 people, and it’s growing rapidly thanks to the exciting work taking place across our space clusters from the South West, to the North East, and across Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. We look forward to working with colleagues in the New Anglia cluster to unlock market opportunities, develop STEM expertise and create more jobs.”

Julian Munson, Head of Innovation and Enterprise Zones at New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, which is hosting Space East, said: “From small businesses to research institutions, there is some world-class work being done which demonstrates that Norfolk and Suffolk are at the forefront of next generation technology and the space cluster represents an exciting opportunity to support our innovative businesses.”

Lisa Perkins, Adastral Park & Research Realisation Director at BT Group, commented: “I’m delighted that BT is part of the Suffolk and Norfolk ‘Space East’ cluster. A fast-growing key sector in its own right the space sector is also hugely important to other sectors such as energy, communications and transport. 

“BT’s Adastral Park is at the heart of research and innovation and is a thriving ecosystem within which the inclusion of ‘Space’ as a theme is a natural fit. I am excited to see how the ecosystem evolves and to see the purposeful innovative solutions that will materialise.”

Space East, the New Anglia LEP hosted Space Cluster, was delighted to support BT and Adastral Park in its marquee at the Suffolk Show 2023.

This year’s theme of ‘Space’ presented an ideal opportunity to provide knowledge and insights into how space tech touches all of our lives and inspire people of all ages to find out more.
The marquee was filled with exciting technologies, including a robot wars ring bringing the TV programme to life and giving visitors the chance to experience the thrill of a robot battle. There was also the opportunity to take control of a drone, navigating through an aerial obstacle course against the backdrop of a thermal imaging screen.

Creative challenges for the youngsters ranged from programming to colouring in and making the best paper aeroplanes. Visual imaging tech allowed the public to experience a 3D hologram booth and a fan that displayed images as it spun around, creating exciting moving images of space.

UK business Mvine showcased how its technology uses satellite data to aid understanding and management of crisis scenarios and immersive reality technology gave users a remote experience of walking around Adastral Park itself.

Space East was delighted to be able to use Occulus technology, provided by BT, to showcase the Satellite demonstrator software created by the Satellite Applications Catapult. This virtual reality kit put our visitors up into space, floating around and exploring what satellites look like and how they operate.

Visitors could use the handsets to manipulate the satellites and explore them from every angle. By clicking on their lasers, they could open up information videos that explained how they were powered by solar panels, used thrusters to position the satellite and communications technology to transmit data back down to earth. Further information explored how we use this data from agriculture, through forestry to data modelling activities.

Judges from the Suffolk Agricultural Association awarded BT first prize for Best Stand in the Show and Best Stand Representing Education.

Stuart Catchpole, Space Cluster Development Manager, said: “It’s been an amazing couple of days. This is such exciting technology and really brings to life what satellite technology is and how it supports us in our everyday life, often without us even thinking about it!

“We’ve had visitors from four years old to past retirement age use this virtual reality equipment and it’s been amazing to see their responses. It really is an immersive experience and we’ve got people thinking about space and technology, I hope we’ve managed to inspire some young people to look closely at this sector as an exciting career pathway.”

A ‘Space-Tech Meets Agri-Tech’ event was held at Easton College on Thursday 26^th January.

The event focused on the opportunities created at the intersection between agri-tech and space-tech which can be explored by Space East and Agri-TechE. Agri-TechE’s video report on the event can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRrtKn0fER0&t=714s

Speakers included Sonia Pietosi of Satellite Applications Catapult, Jodi Bardin of Citicourt and Emmanuel Mondon of Space Cooperative Europe. This was followed up by a ‘Space Safari’ where delegates explored exciting demonstrations from across the Space East Cluster.

Julian Munson, Head of Enterprise Zones and Innovation at New Anglia LEP is Chair of the Space East steering group; he commented: “The vision is to grow the space sector and there are significant clusters of activity across the region in sustainable agriculture, crop science, climate change, marine science, offshore wind, transport and logistics that will benefit from this.

“The proposed activity includes developing a regional satellite application hub and regional micro-gravity launch and test facility to enable testing of products in a ‘space environment’. The meeting will be an opportunity to discuss the plans and explore the requirements for the agri-tech sector.”

Dr Belinda Clarke, Director of Agri-TechE, says that prediction, decision-support and automation technologies are among those that are building on space-tech. “Over recent years we have seen how innovation at the intersections of different disciplines creates new business opportunities. High-resolution satellite data augmented by drones is enabling early detection changes in crop health and prediction of yield; this type of information is invaluable for risk mitigation and is just one illustration of the practical applications of space-tech in agriculture.

“However, the success of precision agriculture depends on creating a robust infrastructure for in-field and earth-to-satellite communications and we would see this as a priority for the new Space Cluster.”

This event was organised by Agri-TechE in partnership with New Anglia LEP’s Connected Innovation Programme.