Innovation
through to improving the efficiency of waste bin collections . The Agency has established the Space for Smarter Government Programme ( SSGP ) to help educate the public sector and to help companies to develop space-based solutions for government problems .
One such company is Sterling Geo , whose SSGP project uses Earth observation data to map changes which show where builds have happened – enabling planning authorities to identify potentially illegal building projects . Another example is Bluebel , a bicycle bell which links to the sat nav in your phone . It uses lights to indicate the route ahead so the rider doesn ' t have to get their phone out while cycling . It also uses the data gathered to improve its cycling routes in the future .
Supporting SMEs The Agency is supporting a vibrant regional SME sector , bringing in entrepreneurs who might not have considered the benefits space can bring to their business . To support new start-ups , the European Space Agency ( ESA ) Business Incubation Centre at the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire , has been funded by the Agency via its ESA subscriptions for six years . This has worked well , providing support for nearly 60 companies . To broaden its approach and engage with entrepreneurs who would not normally consider working in the space sector , the Agency has developed a strategic partnership with SETsquared , Europe ’ s number one university business incubator , which has six incubation centres across the south of England . The outcome of this partnership has resulted in SETsquared supporting 13 space companies within their incubator network and one of these early-stage companies has already secured £ 1.2m to grow their business .
The Agency has also developed and strengthened strategic relationships with the Devolved Administrations and Local Enterprise Partnerships , to help them better understand the existing space capabilities in their areas , and how space could benefit their other sectors .
In collaboration with the Satellite Applications Catapult , the Agency has co-funded two Regional Space Network Co-ordinators in Northern Ireland and Wales to identify and develop collaborations and projects that use space data in non-space applications
The SSGP helps develop space-based solutions for the UK government
Globally the industry is growing hugely . For the country and the sector there is an enormous opportunity in terms of economic impact
(' downstream ' activities ). Positive outcomes from this funding include a better awareness and interest in space in Wales and Northern Ireland at the local and national level .
Exciting times Given promising early signs from the SETsquared collaboration , the Agency decided to expand its business incubation support and increase its geographical coverage . In 2016 , following an open call , six business incubators in North England , the Midlands and North Wales were successful in bidding for £ 50,000 of funding each to expand their existing offers to support the space sector
Successful incubators ( Leicester Dock , UNIP in Nottingham , Loughborough University , Business Durham , Science and Technology Facilities Council ( STFC ) at its Daresbury Laboratory site and Glyndwr Innovations in St Asaph , North
Wales ) all submitted strong proposals that demonstrated how they could use their local connections to identify and support new space companies .
Mark Tock , operations director at UNIP in Nottingham , which is currently working with nine businesses , supported by the UK Space Agency ’ s programme , explained their rationale for applying for Agency funding : “ This is a really exciting time for the space sector . Globally the industry is growing hugely . For the country and the sector there is an enormous opportunity in terms of economic impact . We are able to connect entrepreneurs who would otherwise not have thought about the space sectors as an area of growth for their business . We are doing everything we can as an incubator to assist the businesses on our programme in growing their business . We take the pain away so they can concentrate on growing their business ”.
46 | UKSPA breakthrough | SPRING 2017