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Space West April Newsletter

30 April 2024

News from the cluster

Welcome to the April edition of our Space West Newsletter. With each newsletter, we aim to share the most recent discoveries, advancements, and stories from the world of Space in the South West.

About Space West

Space West is a regional consortium of academic and industry partners designed to accelerate growth and innovation in the space sector within the region and nationally. The Space West programme is hosted by the National Composites Centre, in partnership with West of England Combined Authority, the Centre for Modelling and Simulation, the University of Bath, the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England.

Space Cluster Impact Survey

BryceTech, on behalf of the UK Space Agency, is collecting insights and evidence into the impact and benefits space clusters have on organisations and the wider space ecosystem. As part of this research, you are invited to participate in a short 15 minute survey to provide your feedback.

To help provide further insights into the benefits our cluster provides, if we could kindly ask that you complete the survey using the link below by 3rd May 2024.

Your feedback will be analysed by BryceTech, and only anonymised or aggregated outputs of this analysis will be shared with UKSA and the space cluster.

 

Access the survey here

Exploring the Space Symposium - A success for South West Space Partnership

The South West Space Partnership is delivered in partnership with the West of England Combined Authority, Cornwall Space Cluster, Cornwall Council, Space West and the UK Space Agency.

The South West Space Partnership made its mark on the global stage at the recent Space Symposium in Colorado. Representing our region on an inward investment mission, we went to the US with high hopes and returned with plenty of leads and collaboration opportunities.

On the Tuesday evening the South West Space Partnership hosted a networking event for regional stakeholders and international businesses seeking to access European markets.  A targeted guest list facilitated better conversations and stronger connections.  Not only did the event help us to develop leads with international organisations, the UK contingent turned up in support of our message and activity.  A big take home for me from this was that the UK space sector is small, but very collaborative and supportive.  There is a collective desire to see UK business succeed and they will come together to support initiatives in which they can see value.  Thanks to all of you who joined us.

The experience and atmosphere of innovation and exploration was truly vibrant. One standout highlight was our visit to the Space ISAC, a fantastic example of in managing space threats collaboratively. The Space West region contains a huge amount of capability that could be drawn on to replicate this type of facility, to deliver the scale of monitoring required to protect UK assets.

A big thank you to the hard work of Jessica Ratty and Georgia Jaggs from Halo PR. Their dedication ensured the success of the South West Space Partnership event on Tuesday evening, fostering connections and sparking dialogue that will move us forward and take the South West Space Partnership to even greater heights.

The South West Aerospace Network (SWAN) is coming back to Bristol in May!

Come and join us for an informal evening of networking on 23rd May at the Stag and Hounds, and meet with space professionals and enthusiasts. This event will provide a relaxed and informal opportunity for both professional and personal networking and a chance to get to know your local space and aerospace community.

South West Aerospace Network (SWAN) is a network that welcomes both enthusiasts and professionals sharing a passion and curiosity for the space and aerospace sectors. With a vibrant and continually growing presence, multiple hubs, and a bustling activity in the aerospace community throughout the South West and the West of the UK, we host regular networking events in various cities across the region.

We're looking for sponsors and supporters for this and upcoming SWAN events. If you would like to engage with the local space and aerospace community, sponsoring a SWAN event provides a great avenue for connection. Your sponsorship can vary from providing a simple refreshment per attendee to offering a non-alcoholic package that includes food or snacks. To explore this opportunity further and arrange a meeting, please contact us at [email protected]. or DM us on our social media platforms! 

 

Register here for the SWAN event here

ESA Harmonisation Presentation by Dr Konstantina Kanari

National Composite Centre’s Dr Konstantina Kanari presented the UKs feedback on European Space Agency's (ESA) Composites Harmonisation Document this month. Dr Kanari was invited to present at ESTEC on the state of the art in composites in the UK as part of ESAs harmonisation process.  The harmonisation process takes place on a ten year cycle and is aimed at enhancing coordination in space R&D across Europe.  Dr Kanari highlighted the need for closer international cooperation across programmes and activities which was welcomed by ESA.

International Conference on Energy in Space

Dr Timothy Pelham from the University of Bristol presented on his research area ‘LyceanEM: GigaScale Electromagnetics for Beamforming and System Planning’ and he shared his insights into the event.

"The International Conference on Energy from Space was a great opportunity to hear from technology experts, industry, Space Agencies, and members of Parliament about the challenges and opportunities of Space-Based Solar Power. As we develop the scalable electromagnetics required to model full size space based solar power systems it was encouraging to hear the appetite for the climb as we get closer to Gigascale modelling. "

Space Census

Join Space West in supporting the launch of the 2024 Space Census. 

Organised by the Space Skills Alliance, the census is for people working in the space sector, engineers, marketers, academics and PhD students, recruiters, and more. Participation in the census will contribute to shaping a more inclusive and dynamic space sector. Let's work together to drive positive change.

 

Access the census to have your say and make sure your voice is heard

UKSA Grants Consultation Request for Information - Closing date 13 May

The UK Space Agency plays a major role in delivering the government's National Space Strategy.

As a delivery-focused government agency, we want to ensure our future offering is best in class and better supports the needs of our unique sector. To meet these ambitions, we are consulting on a range of flexibilities we could consider deploying as part of our future grants offer. This is an early-stage consultation to gather feedback and this Request for Information exercise makes no commitment to pursuing any of these options.

If you believe this opportunity will be of interest to you or your organisation, please review the RFI document available here: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/b92322cd-7648-410a-8b5e-914eebb5a2fe and complete the questionnaire, returning by email by 00.00 on Monday 13th May to [email protected].

Spotlight on Riskaware 

Riskaware is a leading incident modelling solutions provider. We excel at delivering actionable insight on environmental, human and security challenges worldwide. With over 20 years’ experience working with global government departments, and science-led R&D partners – we provide organisations with the intelligence necessary to safeguard lives and protect environments globally.

One of the key focus areas for Riskaware is that of Space Domain Awareness and the safe use of the space environment, how threats to space assets can be analysed, and how these are translated into risks to the services they provide.

Our SpaceAware programme provides information and intelligence to those organisations that rely of services from space to fulfil their operational requirements. 

SpaceAware is a tool that can be used in several contexts. As an orbital analytics tool SpaceAware is used to assess threats to spacecraft operations and to plan appropriate mitigations. As a planning tool SpaceAware is used to determine the current threat level to terrestrial operations and to support decision makers in determining the correct course and action. As a communication tool SpaceAware is used to communicate risks and threats to government and industry stakeholders to enable the safe coordination of assets and responses.

SpaceAware Protect: is a comprehensive multi-tier decision support tool that ingests multiple data sources and calculates combined probability of impact to satellite systems and impact on spacecraft operations.

SpaceAware Detect: is a next generation multi- object tracking and classification system that can determine the nature of an object and its intent, determine changes in state, and monitor pattern of life behaviour. 

SpaceAware Resilience is a business planning tool that enables users to identify second and third order impacts from degraded space effects by providing risk and threat analysis to identify the key space assets and analyse the potential impact on the operations from service degradation.

Research in Focus 

Professor Cathryn Mitchell is an academic at the University of Bath and a Royal Society Industry Fellow with Spirent Communications on “the Future of Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT)”.  She is a member of Bath’s Space, Telecommunications and Atmospheres Research Group (STAR). 

STAR conducts theoretical, computational and experimental research which has a range of science applications from space weather to climate monitoring and study of the solar-terrestrial environment, including the Earth’s ionosphere, atmosphere and oceans.  STAR’s research also has important practical applications for communication, surveillance radars and navigation systems. The group was originally established in 1998 and has delivered research and technology products for many companies and sponsors in the UK and overseas including for research council and industry and collaborate closely with UK research laboratories, including projects for the defence and commercial sectors. 

Professor Mitchell’s interests and expertise include GNSS navigation and timing, tomography (data assimilation), HF communications and radio propagation. Thevulnerability of GNSS signals to ad-hoc and military jamming threatens the reliability of critical national infrastructure and PNT-reliant systems and it is critical to inform users and help them to test their systems and adopt alternative solutions.  Professor Mitchell’s research with Spirent Communications is focussed on complementary PNT technologies; LEO Navigation; Space Weather and the Future of Space Navigation.

Further information can be found at: https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/persons/cathryn-mitchell

Opportunities

    Read more about Announcement of opportunity: 2024 Exploration Science

    Announcement of opportunity: 2024 Exploration Science

    Who can apply: Academics working at UK research organisations to fund studentships, post doctoral research associates (PDRA) and fellowships

    Funding: Up to £500,000 for studentships and £1.5 million for standard grants

    Closing dates:

    science overview deadline (for PDRA and fellowship applicants only): 4pm on Thursday 18 April 2024

    full proposal deadline (for all applicants): 4pm on Thursday 9 May 2024

    Please note that to be eligible for standard grants (post doctoral research associates and fellowships) you must submit your science overview by 4pm on 18 April 2024. This does not apply to studentships. 

    Read more about C-LEO programme

    C-LEO programme

    Funding type: Research, innovation and development

    Who can apply: UK-based companies and organisations, including academia

    Funding: up to £60 million

    Deadline: Midday BST on Wednesday 8 May 2024

    The UK Space Agency Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit (C-LEO) programme will provide up to £160 million of grant funding and contract awards over the next 4 years to UK companies and researchers to develop innovative satellite communications technology.

    This first call will provide up to £60 million over the next 4 years.

    Find out more and apply for the C-LEO programme

    Read more about Announcement of opportunity: Unlocking Space for Business

    Announcement of opportunity: Unlocking Space for Business

    Funding type: Research, innovation and development

    Who can apply: UK-based companies and organisations working in financial services or transport and logistics, in partnership with satellite data or service suppliers

    Funding: up to £3.5 million

    Deadline: 4pm BST on Wednesday 22 May 2024

    Proposals are sought for innovative pilot projects, funded by the UK Space Agency’s Unlocking Space for Business programme.

    Up to £3.5 million is available to trial new solutions that use satellite data and services to benefit their organisation.

    Find out more and apply for Unlocking Space for Business funding

    Read more about South Australian Space Collaboration and Innovation Fund – SASIC

    South Australian Space Collaboration and Innovation Fund – SASIC

    The South Australian Space Collaboration and Innovation Fund aims to support the rapid transition of space technology to operational use while growing the South Australian space ecosystem through international collaboration.

    They are seeking applications from South Australian-based start-ups or SMEs in collaboration with at least one international partner organisation, with an emphasis on NewSpace technology.

    ESA Space Solutions Funding Opportunities Funding | ESA Space Solutions

    Read more about Defence Technology Exploitation Programme (DSTEP)

    Defence Technology Exploitation Programme (DSTEP)

    Run by the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) aims to inspire companies to win new business, develop industrial capabilities, and provide new cutting-edge answers to defence problems at home and abroad, ensuring the UK expands its competitive, pioneering and world-class defence and security industries.  The £16 million programme is designed to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the UK to develop innovative materials, technologies and processes, and to enhance defence supply chains.  

    Read more about ESA Space Solutions

    ESA Space Solutions

    A notice of a key ESA Space Solutions theme for 2024: Commercial Applications of Space-Enabled Robotics

    This funding is looking to combine some of the breakthroughs in robotics (enhanced autonomy, dexterity, and interaction capabilities) with parallel advancements in the space sector meaning that satellite technologies now have the capability to enable novel services utilising robotics.

    There will be 6 sub-theme dates through 2024:

    Smart Cities and Infrastructure: 1st March 2024 – 1st May 2024

    Transportation and Logistics 1st April 2024 – 1st June 2024

    Energy and Utilities: 1st May 2024 – 1st July 2024

    Health and Safety: 1st June 2024 – 1st September 2024

    Maritime: 1st September 2024 – 1st November 2024

    Agriculture: 1st October 2024 – 1st December 2024

    Read more about Made Smarter West of England

    Made Smarter West of England

    West of England Combined Authority are supporting businesses in the region to explore the benefits from the implementation of digital technologies. Providing access to grant funding, bespoke expertise and guidance for your business as well as skills and training.

    Read more about European Space Agency

    European Space Agency

    The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.

    Read more about Defence and Security Accelerator

    Defence and Security Accelerator

    The Defence and Security Accelerator find and fund exploitable innovation to support UK defence and security quickly and effectively. Check it out for open calls for funding. 

    Read more about UK Research & Innovation: EO DataHub (EODH) programme

    UK Research & Innovation: EO DataHub (EODH) programme

    The EO DataHub (EODH) programme has been instigated by UKRI to address challenges around effective exploitation of Earth Observation Data. It represents a first phase of a national asset, supported by the government and specified with the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) alongside NERC. The programme is a pathfinder project led by the National Centre for Earth Observation and a partnership of public sector bodies.

    Read more about Core Competitiveness

    Core Competitiveness

    ESA's ARTES Core Competitiveness programme helps European and Canadian industry to develop innovative satcom products, services, systems and partnerships.

    Read more about South West Investment Fund (SWIF)

    South West Investment Fund (SWIF)

    The South West Investment Fund is the first in a series of new Nations and Regions Investment Funds being launched by the British Business Bank, and it will deliver a £200 million commitment of new funding to the area. The fund aims to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunity for new and growing businesses across the South West.

    Read more about Navigation Innovation Support Programme (NavISP) - Open until further notice

    Navigation Innovation Support Programme (NavISP) - Open until further notice

    Since 2017, the UK has invested €50 million into NavISP to support the UK space PNT sector to innovate the next generation of space-enabled and space-supported navigation products, services and applications.

    The UK investment in the programme is available to support UK organisations to undertake technology research and development focused on commercial innovation.

    Read more about General Support Technology Programme (GSTP) - Open until further notice

    General Support Technology Programme (GSTP) - Open until further notice

    The UK Space Agency is looking to provide support to companies and academic institutions across the UK in developing innovative technologies to grow UK capability. We are keen to engage with start-ups and SMEs (from both within and outside the space sector), as well as established companies and organisations. Collaborative proposals are also welcomed.

    Events

      Read more about The South West Aerospace Network (SWAN) is coming back to Bristol in May

      The South West Aerospace Network (SWAN) is coming back to Bristol in May

      Come and join us for an informal evening of networking on 23rd May at the Stag and Hounds, and meet with space professionals and enthusiasts. This event will provide a relaxed and informal opportunity for both professional and personal networking and a chance to get to know your local space and aerospace community.

      SWAN is a network that welcomes both enthusiasts and professionals sharing a passion and curiosity for the space and aerospace sectors. With a vibrant and continually growing presence, multiple hubs, and a bustling activity in the aerospace community throughout the South West and the West of the UK, we host regular networking events in various cities across the region.

      Read more about Bath Digital Festival

      Bath Digital Festival

      Join us at Bath Digital Festival for ‘Space Day’ where you can learn more about investment in spacetech startups, find out what threats there are from space and get up to speed on what NASA has done for us! Space West Cluster Manager, Rebecca Huffee will be presenting. 

      Read more about Defence Readiness Event - Expressions of Interest

      Defence Readiness Event - Expressions of Interest

      With an increase in defence spending increasing, Space West is keen to help our businesses to have visibility of opportunities in the supply chain, the funding landscape and compliance required to operate in the defence sector. If you are interested in attending this event please complete this survey. 

       

      Stay connected with the latest updates from Space West!

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      Space West 2024 Activity Page

      Stay connected and witness our exciting endeavors throughout the year. Explore upcoming events, collaborative initiatives, and engaging projects.

       

      Space West 2024 Activity Page

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