Insight 42 - Magazine - Page 29
Space East cluster expands
in Hertfordshire
H
ertfordshire Futures and the
University of Hertfordshire
join Space East to help further
strengthen the region’s credentials in the
global space sector.
The announcement was made yesterday,
Tuesday 26 November, at Airbus Defence
and Space’s UK headquarters in Stevenage
as it marked the first year of Community
for Space Prosperity, known as CUSP. The
industry initiative fosters collaboration
across the space ecosystem to connect,
inspire and grow the UK’s £18.9bn space
sector.
More than 40 different organisations
gathered to celebrate and recognise
CUSP’s impact in 2024 and hear from the
cohort of nine start-up / SME companies
who have recently completed the 14-week
Airbus Space Accelerator programme.
Space East is the UK’s newest space cluster
and brings together leaders from across
industry, research and Government in the
East of England to develop and champion
exciting new opportunities in space
technology and unlock the potential for
further commercial development. The
region is the 3rd largest in the UK in terms
of income generated from space-related
activities and it possesses world-class
strengths across a range of converging
sectors, including the manufacturing of
satellites, probes, spacecraft and rovers.
Hertfordshire Futures and the University of
Hertfordshire are the latest organisations
to join the Space East cluster to help share
knowledge, expertise and capabilities.
Hertfordshire already has a strong
foothold in Space East’s regional map.
Research carried out by Hertfordshire
Futures, has identified around 60
companies operating in the manufacturing
supply chain within a thirty-mile radius of
Stevenage. This includes Airbus; Hempsell
Astronautics; Calnex Solutions; MBDA;
MDA Space and Parker Meggitt, alongside
other businesses, research and academic
institutions across the East of England.
The University of Hertfordshire has strong
links with space and STEM covering
everything from space law to ethics.
Its School of Physics, Engineering, &
Computer Science (SPECS) recently
benefited from a £100m investment in
Spectra, its new STEM building, that
opened to students in September.
Within Spectra academics have worked
on range of space-related fields including
communications research with the
European Space Agency and data
analysis tools to support Low Earth Orbit
observation for crop and environment
sustainability. It has also worked closely
with local industry to develop a pipeline of
talent into aerospace programmes.
Hertfordshire Futures also has a long
track record of supporting advanced
manufacturing and STEM development.
The STEM Discovery Centre received £1m
funding from Hertfordshire Futures, in a
joint partnership with Airbus and North
Herts College. Its Generation careers
events and extensive community outreach
enable young people to find out about
career pathways into a range of industries
including space.
Professor Mairi Watson, Deputy
Vice-Chancellor, University of
Hertfordshire, said: “Joining Space East,
alongside Hertfordshire Futures and our
longstanding partners in the space sector,
is our way to demonstrate our long-term
commitment to the underlying education
and research that will support growth in
this region and ensure that Hertfordshire
continues to be recognised for the
innovation and excellence of its space
related activity.”
Adrian Hawkins OBE, Chair,
Hertfordshire Futures, said: “We
were delighted to be here to celebrate
the first anniversary of Airbus’s CUSP
programme. Together with the University
of Hertfordshire and other space partners
we look forward to playing a full and active
part in the development of the wider
space community in the East of England
and build on its potential to maximise the
global opportunities arising from space.
The possibilities are infinite!”
Stuart Catchpole, Cluster Manager,
Space East said: “We are excited to
welcome Hertfordshire Futures and the
University of Hertfordshire to the Space
East community, joining existing members
Airbus. The region is home to an exciting
array of upstream and downstream
innovation, activity and technologies.
This commitment further cements the
strength of the regional space offering as
we develop a new East of England Space
strategy that unlocks opportunities in the
sector and delivers growth for the region.”
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