Catapult announces three new Centres of Excellence
The Satellite Applications Catapult, an independent technology and innovation company, has announced the launch of three new regional ‘Centres of Excellence' in satellite applications. Each new Centre will act as a focal point for Catapult activity in its local area, consolidating the links between the science knowledge base and the business community.
The East Midlands Centre, is a consortium which includes GRACE, who will represent The University of Nottingham, the British Geological Survey and The University of Leicester, who will lead the work. The Centre will enable the development of applications and solutions in the Satellite industry, linking academics, large industry and SMEs, as well as engaging with the wider user markets. Similar work will be done in the North East by Business Durham, and in Scotland by the University of Strathclyde.
The selection process was carried out by a select team comprising Catapult, and external advisors representing business, and academia. The open selection process attracted more than a dozen proposals.
Stuart Martin, CEO of the Catapult, said, "We were delighted with the interest shown in our regional Centres concept, and these three proposals really stood out because of their expertise in specific areas: Business Durham offered an impressive partnership looking at opportunities to unlock a range of high-value market opportunities within the region; University of Strathclyde will focus on launching commercial opportunities in energy, future cities and other key growth sectors; and the University of Leicester and its partners will act as a focal point to support the acceleration of growth of satellite applications across the East Midlands."
Stuart continued, "These Centres of Excellence are an essential part of our national engagement strategy and will help us deliver our core objective: to help foster growth across the UK economy through the exploitation of space. Our central location in Harwell, with its unique concentration of space and other high-tech organisations, provides access to a wealth of expertise and facilities. Now, these Centres of Excellence will extend our reach throughout the UK, helping us support the national objective to capture a 10% share of the global space market by 2030."
Each Centre will commence activities from April 2014 with an agreed plan of actions, activities and events. Once the model is established and the value demonstrated, the Catapult plans to extend its network to include further Centres into other regions.