Industry Q & A

We’re excited to be helping North East engineering and manufacturing businesses launch into space on 2nd July, when we host The Space Opportunity – the fourth event in our Opportunities Series.

And joining us will be Elaine Scott, Cluster Director at Space North East England, which is dedicated to growing the space economy and developing its ecosystem in the region.

Space North East England supports pioneering advancements in space technologies and exploration as well as helping businesses to enter the sector by bringing together businesses, academia and institutions to unlock opportunities.

It also helps businesses to exploit the use of satellite data, technology and applications to gain a competitive advantage.

The organisation provides both one to one support and events such as the North East Space Conference on 5th June, which will be taking place at the Raddison Blu hotel in Durham.

Ahead of the conference, we caught up with Elaine to explore space in North East England…

Tell us about your role…

My role as Cluster Director is to build the networks and a team to enable the North East, from Northumberland to Tees Valley, to capture the opportunities that the global space sector has to offer businesses and academia.

This involves working with stakeholders regionally, nationally and sometimes internationally to connect with these opportunities that will bring investment and commercial or research relationships here.

We are one of 15 regional clusters in the UK; most are co-funded by the UK Space Agency to develop space ecosystems in our own localities.

How does Space North East England help organisations and individuals working in or with the space sector?

Space North East England has three main roles.

First, we are a gateway for businesses to access advice and connections to funding, expertise and supply chain opportunities. We’re experienced in supporting funding applications to the UK Space Agency and European Space Agency, for example, but we also signpost businesses to other relevant funds. What’s more, we also get under the skin of businesses to understand where they want to be and help identify collaboration opportunities.

Another role is about sector leadership in the region, where we work with the Space North East Leadership Group to drive the vision here. This cuts across industry, academia and public sector. So, we try and support activities and investments to bring the right skills for businesses too.

Finally, we also work with end users, such as ports, who might not know anything about space and show them how satellite applications can be part of the mix to provide a better solution.

How has the North East grown as a space cluster over the last ten years – and where is it headed?

We have certainly punched above our weight. According to the last UK Space Sector: Size and Health report – an annual report commissioned by the UK Space Agency – the North East generated ￡129 million revenue and had just over 1300 employees in the sector in 2021. The revenue growth increased by 14 per cent on the previous year, when the national average was just over six per cent.

Our goal is to grow the business base and enable the sector to offer 10,000 jobs by 2030. We have been putting the building blocks to achieve this, focusing on three key addressable markets: resilient communications including satellite communications; space sustainability; and earth observations for climate change.

What are North East England’s strengths as a space cluster?

We have much to offer. Space business is many things but mostly it is about engineering, manufacturing, science, geography and data. We have capabilities across these areas like in some of the other regions, but we do have a few additional strengths anchored in our industrial experience and also existing natural and innovation assets. Let’s take the oil and gas, or subsea sectors. We could absolutely take the know-how from here in making things for harsh environments. Those kinds of skills and that experience is needed now for space.

Many of our space businesses are well-established in other sectors such as defence, electronics and telecommunications. We’ve seen how their revenue share in space has grown over the years, especially when space is an increasingly part of the enabling infrastructure in these areas.

What have been Space North East England’s key achievements to date? And how is it making a difference?

When the North East Satellite Applications Centre of Excellence, the precursor of Space North East England, was set up in 2014 with Business Durham we did not have many space businesses to speak of. Today, we have over 40 businesses, including companies such as Raytheon UK and Airbus. Without a doubt, we’ve raised the profile of the North East beyond our own boundaries and have gained recognition nationally for investments. Over the years, we have supported activities totalling more than ￡20 million in the region.

In the last year, we have seen two major investments in universities to grow this sector: the announcement of the ￡50 million NE Skills and Space Technologies Centre led by Northumbria University in partnership with Lockheed Martin and the new establishment of Durham Space Research Centre will further boost interest in the region.

The North East Space Conference is taking place on June 5 – what should delegates expect from the day and why should people attend?

This is our annual conference that brings together our space community and is usually attended by 150-200 people. A number of our businesses and all five universities will be exhibiting on the day. We have some great speakers from industry to talk about how the business of space is changing too – so other businesses, existing and new to the sector, can draw ideas and inspiration from them.

Delegates can expect to learn more about the sector and meet with large and small businesses including our sponsors such as Lockheed Martin and Orbex.

The Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, Andrew Griffith MP, will also be attending along with the UK Space Agency to share the Government’s plans to investing in the sector.

Aside from the North East Space Conference, what does the rest of 2024 have in store for Space North East England?

We run a number of events throughout the year, mostly in partnership with others.

We have a monthly event called Space North East Cascade and Network which is held in the morning on the last Thursday of every month except December. We are also running two further events in the North East in June as part of Technext Festival – one focusing on the use of earth observation data to build digital solutions in Newcastle, and another on cybersecurity and space in Durham.

We will also be having a North East pavilion at Space Comm in Glasgow in September, where we will be bringing regional businesses and universities along to enable them to raise their profile.

The best way to keep up to date is to sign up to our alerts through our website: www.spacenortheastengland.com and join our LinkedIn group: Space North East England.

Book now for The Space Opportunity

The Space Opportunity will explore how you can diversify and grow in the space sector, as our expert speakers explore the North East’s existing cluster, highlight supply chain opportunities and help you to understand the space technology landscape.

Elaine will be joined at the event by Ralph Dinsley, founder and Managing Director of Alnwick-based 3S Northumbria, which provides sustainable space solutions grounded in the principles of a circular economy for space, and Mark Small, Area Sales Manager of Boyd Technologies, a leading innovator in sustainable engineered material and thermal solutions. Ralph and Mark will be providing further insight into how companies can engage with the space sector.

The Space Opportunity will take place between 12 and 2pm on 2nd July at Horizon Works, Northumberland Business Park, Cramlington, NE23 7RZ.

Book for the event here.