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The 2017 edition of the Copernicus Masters – Europe’s leading innovation competition for Earth observation (EO) – presents the immense prize pool of more than EUR1.5 million. It aims to power the transformation of great business ideas into real ventures. In addition to this huge prize pool, the European Space Agency (ESA) is opening up the competition to upstream entries with its Sentinel Small Sat (S^3) Challenge.

But that is not all, the European Commission (EC) is hosting a total of six Challenges which enrich the overall Copernicus Masters prize portfolio. Moreover, the EO innovation competition is now even accompanied by dedicated Associated Regions which highlight its European regional dimension. To top it off, the Overall Winner will be invited to attend the satellite launch of ADM-Aeolus in Kourou, which is accompanied by a further cash prize.

Future-oriented teams and individuals from the realms of business, research, and higher education now have the chance to win their share of the tripled Copernicus Masters prize pool. The largest international competition in the commercial use of Earth observation data is in search of outstanding ideas, applications, and business concepts that make use of bespoke information in everyday life. Submissions are welcome from 1 April until 30 June 2017.

“We’re very proud to have seen the Copernicus Masters develop into one of the innovation drivers for Earth observation in the last years. The launches of additional Sentinel satellites will continuously boost the commercialisation of related services,” states Josef Aschbacher, Director of ESA’s Earth Observation Programmes.

ESA Makes the Copernicus Masters Go Upstream

ESA has annually provided an exciting Challenge ever since the competition’s initiation. The 2017 Challenge is the next level of growth. The winner of the Sentinel Small Sat (S^3) Challenge will be awarded EUR 1 Million for the design and development of the mission and shall be provided with a launch service free of charge. In addition, the winner will receive EUR 10,000 cash prize. The goal of this Challenge is to stimulate ground-breaking satellite design, testing and manufacturing solutions leading to small missions complementary, or providing added value to current Sentinel family missions.

Six Brand-new Additional EC Challenges

The EC is deeply involved in the Copernicus Masters with six new EC Challenges. Each Challenge has is topic-specific, covering the topics: Sustainable Development, Government, Big Data, B2B, Copernicus Services and -Security. The winner will be rewarded with a cash prize of EUR 5,000. Moreover, the winner will benefit from a substantial satellite data quota worth the same value. These new features powered by the EC, complement the EC programme Copernicus Accelerator. Thereby, the top 50 entrants of the Copernicus Masters have the opportunity to join the Copernicus Accelerator – an outstanding tailored business coaching service.

“The popularity of the Copernicus Accelerator programme results mainly from its unique characteristic: involving future-oriented entrepreneurs as mentees and high-level professionals as mentors. The perfect interaction between these two core assets of the tailored business coaching service is what makes this EC programme so unique.” underlines Philippe Brunet, Director of Aerospace, Maritime, Security and Defence Industries, EC.

Powerful Copernicus Masters Partner Network Supporting New Business Models

With support from its international network, the Copernicus Masters aids participants in realising their applications and business models. This year’s edition once again features Challenges and corresponding prizes to be awarded by a series of prominent partners, including ESA, the EC, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Stevenson Astrosat Ltd., CGI, and the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. The University Challenge, meanwhile, is geared specifically towards students and research employees. The topics addressed by these Challenges will include innovative uses of Earth observation data in the fields of upstream services, energy, health and the environment, disaster management, sustainable living, big data, digital transportation, and smart cities.

The following significant startup, which experienced a major boost through winning the Copernicus Masters and being part of the Copernicus Accelerator 2016, impressively showcases how smart use of big data from space enables new types of business.

The Copernicus Masters Value Chain Boosts Sinergise to the Next Level

Before submitting their idea to the Copernicus Masters in 2016, the Sinergise team already had a working solution, but only very few users. “Becoming the Overall Winner of the competition and benefitting from the follow-up coaching service provided by Francesco Liucci from Catapult, within the Copernicus Accelerator framework, helped us to boost our idea even further and to gain confidence from experts worldwide.” says Grega Milcinski, CEO Sinergise. To mention some figures, the company’s newly released EO Browser has the impressive number of 1.1 million processed requests by nearly 12,000 users.

Europe’s Leading Earth Observation Innovation Competition

Since 2011, the Copernicus Masters competition has evolved into the leading innovation platform for promoting user uptake of Earth observation data in a commercial and societal context. “The Copernicus Masters scouts and showcases new ideas and trends each year. Put into figures, the competition already selected a total of 50 winners from among more than 1,200 entrants from 50 different countries, who have submitted over 900 cutting-edge business ideas.” explains Thorsten Rudolph, Managing Director AZO. He adds: “Each year, we are honoured to have Europe’s most renowned space stakeholders host their own prizes in topic-specific Challenges”. Along with cash prizes, the winners will receive access to a leading international network, corresponding data, startup funding, and other support valued at more than EUR 1.5 million in total.

For all of the details on this year’s prizes, partners, and terms of participation, please visit www.copernicus-masters.com
Additional information on the Copernicus programme and www.copernicus.eu.

International Kick-off Event in Brussels

The joint international kick-off event of the Copernicus Masters and the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) took place on 5 April 2017 in Brussels, kindly hosted by the Representation of the Free State of Bavaria to the EU. The regional dimension as a propulsion component of the EU Space Strategy and the innovation competitions skyrocketing growth and entrepreneurship across Europe were hot topics of the roundtable discussions. The event offered the perfect chance to interact with the European space community and experience first-hand how the partners of the innovation network drive space-related topics. Use your opportunity to become part of the network and register now to boost your business idea with prizes at www.copernicus-masters.com and www.esnc.eu.

Festive Awards Ceremony and Space Conference

The festive Awards Ceremony for Europe’s largest innovation competitions for commercial space applications – the Copernicus Masters and the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) – takes place in early November 2017. This exciting event brings together the important players of industry, politics, entrepreneurship and research to showcase the most disruptive space applications and discuss trendsetting developments in the satellite downstream sector and its various application fields.

AZO – an Experienced Organiser

Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen (AZO) has been organising the Copernicus Masters competition on behalf of ESA since 2011. By leveraging its extensive experience as a specialist in building and maintaining global innovation networks and organising related competitions, AZO supports business innovations and the creation of new companies, primarily in the field of commercial aerospace applications. Next to the Copernicus Masters, AZO organises the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC), the Space Exploration Masters, carries out the INNOspace Masters and manages the ESA Business Incubation Centre Bavaria.

The Sentinel-2 mission provides unprecedented multi-spectral observations with a five-day revisit at the equator, a spatial resolution of up to 10 meters and systematic global coverage of the Earth’s land surface. The operational provision of globally and temporally consistent data provided by Sentinel-2 is expected to allow unmatched characterization of dynamic surface processes from national to continental scales.

Sentinel-2A was launched on the 23rd of June 2015 and was most recently joined by Sentinel-2B on the 7th of March 2017 as part of the European Earth Observation (EO) program Copernicus led by the European Commission, in which ESA is the coordinator of the Space Component and operates the Sentinel-2 mission.

The Sentinel-2 mission consists of two identical satellites and with recurrent satellite units ensuring long-term operational observations for the next 20 years. All Sentinel-2 data are available to users under a free and open data policy, which underpins the development of long-term, sustainable EO applications.

This special issue will report on the status of the mission, quality of the Sentinel-2 products and innovative research results based on Sentinel-2 observations. The wealth of information provided by improved data quality, resolution and increased temporal frequency together with the sheer data volume calls for innovative algorithms and new data exploitation strategies, for example such as those linked to cloud computing capabilities. Furthermore, dense time series over large geographic regions provided by Sentinel-2 as well as opportunities for combining the data with that from complementary systems, such as Landsat-8, allow for studies of natural and human-induced processes in unparalleled detail.

In particular, this Sentinel-2 special issue will focus on the following topics:

  • Sentinel-2 mission
  • Sentinel-2 products quality and cal/val approaches
  • Atmospheric correction and cloud screening methods
  • Agriculture
  • Aquatic ecosystems:
  • * Inland water quality
  • * Coral reef monitoring
  • Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services
  • Biophysical variables retrieval
  • Coastal mapping and monitoring
  • Data fusion and multi-sensor data integration techniques
  • Disaster risk reduction and recovery
  • Forest mapping and monitoring
  • Land cover and its change
  • Land degradation and soil condition
  • Natural hazards
  • Snow and ice mapping
  • * Glaciers
  • * Sea Ice
  • Time series analysis & hotspot detection
  • Urban mapping
  • Water resources management

In the spirit of Open Science, we aim to support accepted publications included in this special issue as open access. ESA funds the open access with the support of Elsevier for up to 24 papers accepted within this Sentinel-2 special issue.

Submissions are due by September 30th, 2017. Submit your paper under the “Sentinel-2 Science Special Issue” using RSE’s online submission system. The authors are kindly requested to follow RSE author guidelines. The Sentinel-2 special issue will follow the concept of a virtual special issue which ensures a timely publication of the individual accepted papers.

Guest Editors,
Bianca Hoersch, Benjamin Koetz, and Alan Belward
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This is the last image of the Indian Ocean Region taken by Meteosat-7 on 31 March at 11:30 to 12:00 UTC.


Meteosat-7’s last image, taken on 31 March 2017

On 3 April 2017 at 21:25 CET, the thrusters started firing, the first in a week of manoeuvres that will take the satellite to its ultimate resting place in graveyard orbit, about 300km above the geostationary ring.

More information on the “graveyard orbit” and how Meteosat-7 will get there, can be found in the EUMETSAT Science Blog . Keep an eye on the EUMETSAT Science Blog and website for updates on this event.

Meteosat-7 is the last of the first generation Meteosats, geostationary weather satellites that shaped the success story of satellite meteorology in Europe. Modern weather forecasting began 40 years ago, with the launch of Meteosat-1. In 2016, when the EC approved the Space Strategy for Europe, it recognised the Meteosat programme as a key European success story.

With almost 20 years in orbit, Meteosat-7 also has had the longest operational lifetime of any European meteorological satellite.

Meteosat-7 Facts and Figures

Meteosat-7 (launched on 2 September 1997) was developed under the Meteosat Transition Programme (MTP). It was designed to fill the gap between the Meteosat Operational Programme (encompassing Meteosat-4 to -6) and the first satellite of the second generation, Meteosat-8 (launched on 28 August 2002).

The satellite provided the prime 0° longitude Full Earth Scan Service from 3 June 1998 until it was replaced by Meteosat-8 on 16 May 2006. On 11 July 2006, Meteosat-7 moved to the Indian Ocean where it arrived on 10 October 2006. It became the prime provider of the Indian Ocean Data Coverage (IODC) Service at 57.5° East on 5 December 2006 until 1 February 2017, when Meteosat-8 took over.

Space Apps NYC takes its overall direction from NASA’s Space Apps incubator program who sets the tone of the hackathon each year. They determine the global main stage, the hackathon theme and challenges, and where to deploy NASA resources and speakers.

The rest is up to the local organizers (that’s us). We at Space Apps NYC are all volunteers who have participated in a previous Space Apps Challenge event. Most of us are technical, but just like our community, we have a diverse background. Few of us have production and fund raising experience, the only qualification is a passion for space innovation in NYC.

What Are Space Apps NYC’s Core Objectives and What Is Its Approach to Reach Those Objectives?

Our core objectives are to:

Cultivate innovation in the NASA and the greater space industry through open sourced communities

Promote STEM among women and underrepresented demographics in the field

We have a community of over 1800 hackers who are made up of technologists, scientists, designers, artists, educators, entrepreneurs, software developers, students, and anyone else interested in space exploration. Everyone comes together for one weekend and teams up to solve high reaching challenges posed by NASA. They use open sourced data sets and technologies to build innovative products which are then presented at the end of the weekend. At Space Apps NYC we do our best to promote these projects outside of the event in order to facilitate extending and funding these projects within other incubator programs.

We also run a Women in Data bootcamp series leading up to the hackathon. It’s our goal to bring in women in leadership and technical positions to speak to our community, and to run technical workshops with a female attendance of over 50%, most of whom are still in school.

What Is the Core Service That Space Apps NYC Delivers and What Makes This a Unique Proposition to Its Audience?

Our core distinction is NASA. There are many hackathons around the city, country, and world, but this hackathon is unique in that NASA posts the challenges, and those projects which do well are adopted and developed further by NASA and its affiliate organizations. This is an opportunity to basically work with NASA in developing next gen space exploration technology. We offer open NASA data sets, sometimes opened for this event, and hackers have the ability to work with and ask questions from NASA reps in developing their ideas.

Space Apps NYC also runs a Commercial Space, Science, and Frontier Technologies conference the same weekend as the hackathon, which is free for all our registered hackers. The conference attracts leaders in the commercial space industry, including astronauts, who give talks related to their domain expertise. Through these talks our hackers are given context around the challenges posed to them by Space Apps, and are also encouraged to mingle with our speakers and VIP guests throughout the conference.

What Are Space Apps NYC’s Growth Objectives over the next 5 Years?

Each year our local community is growing beyond most other locations globally. This year is our first expansion, we merged with Space Apps Brooklyn, and we plan on opening more locations in other boroughs and around the city. Only ~10% of our community get to participate at an NYC location each year due to venue constraints, and we plan on solving that problem.

Space Apps NYC runs the Commercial Space, Science, and Frontier Technologies conference, going on its 3rd year. It is the largest space conference in NYC and the largest amateur space conference in the country. In 2015 we were designated the Space Apps global main stage location for the second time in a row, and the conference’s original purpose was to provide a platform for the numerous speakers that came with that title. The conference has taken off and we are using it to promote NYC’s tech, VC, maker, scientific, and academic communities and establish NYC as a new international space hub.

What Competitive Changes Does Space Apps NYC Envisage Within the Space Industry over the next 5 Years and What Impact Will This Have on Space Apps NYC?

More and more engineering teams at NASA, JPL, and other affiliate organizations are open sourcing their software. This is a huge opportunity to engage with the wider community to spark innovation and contribute back to these initiatives. NASA is at heart an innovation organization. They conceptualize, design, and develop the technologies of tomorrow with the intention of commercial space industries adopting and developing these technologies further. So many new companies will be born out of this growing commercialization of space.

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Vietnam targets to self-develop Lotusat-2 by 2022 when its technical facilities for satellite research, assembly, integration and testing are ready to operate, according to the Vietnam National Satellite Center (VNSC).

Pham Anh Tuan, director of VNSC, was quoted by local Nhan Dan (People) newspaper as saying on Friday that after developing one-kilogram PicoDragon, the first Vietnamese self-produced mini satellite which was sent into the orbit in 2013, his center will continue a project of satellite manufacturing to make NanoDragon (weighing 4-6 kg), MicroDragon (50 kg) and Lotusat (600 kg).

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(29 March 2017) Users of Copernicus services are set to benefit from a new partnership which improves access to pan-European maps and land information from official sources.

The cooperation agreement signed today between the European Environment Agency (EEA) and EuroGeographics signals a commitment to make more national authoritative geospatial information available through the European Commission’s flagship initiative for earth observation and monitoring.

Mrs Ingrid Vanden Berghe, President, EuroGeographics said: “Our members, the European National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authorities, already provide data to crisis response teams through the Copernicus Emergency Mapping Service. This new agreement strengthens and builds on their relationship with the EEA and will benefit people across Europe by supporting wider initiatives underpinned by pan-European harmonised data.”

Dr Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director, EEA said: “Policy makers, researchers, commercial and private users, as well as the global scientific community, all use information provided by the different Copernicus services to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Europe. We are delighted to be working with EuroGeographics and its members to improve the awareness, availability and benefit of geospatial data for a wide range of applications, including climate and energy, public health, urban and regional planning, biodiversity and environmental protection, and transport and safety.”

The partnership agreement has five main objectives:

  • To improve Copernicus access to EuroGeographics data and services, produced using official geospatial data from its members.
  • To enhance the dialogue between Copernicus and EuroGeographics members.
  • To foster knowledge exchange between Copernicus and EuroGeographics members.
  • To promote awareness raising activities.
  • To support initiatives to provide pan-European harmonised data services.

To facilitate coordination and communication between the two organisations, EuroGeographics is establishing a dedicated knowledge exchange network to share expertise and experiences.

Feedback from the EEA will also provide invaluable input into the delivery of future European Location Services which are being developed by EuroGeographics and its members. The vision is that these will provide the single access point for international users of harmonised, pan-European, authoritative geospatial information and services; and enable national mapping, cadastral and land registry authorities to be recognised in their international effort to contribute to the wider public good.

For further information please contact Rhian French on +44 1264 300126, +447892 698 350(mobile) or email press@eurogeographics.org.

EuroGeographics

EuroGeographics is an international not-for-profit organisation (AISBL/ IVZW under Belgian Law. BCE registration: 833 607 112) and the membership association for the European National Mapping, Cadastre and Land Registry Authorities. It currently brings together 61 members from 46 countries.

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) plans to create a joint remote earth sensing system by integrating the space- and ground-based capabilities of its member states, to include Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, by 2019.


“In the first half of 2018, the Eurasian Economic Commission plans to draft an intergovernmental agreement and an intergovernmental program on integrating the existing orbital and ground space system resources belonging to EAEU members, as well as expanding a joint remote earth sensing satellite constellation. The start of operations of such a joint constellation is planned for 2019,” Nikolai Kushnaryov, Director of the Department of Industrial Policies at the Eurasian Economic Commission, told the Izvestia newspaper.

The EAEU remote sensing project involves the creation of a commercial company that will integrate the space- and ground-based systems and provide satellite imaging to global customers, Kushnaryov explained. The provision of this satellite imagery will through an integrated web portal that will allow users to monitor urban and industrial areas, infrastructure and transport corridors, as well as agricultural land management applications. Not mentioned by EAEU, but presumably available, will be satellite imagery for security applications.

Russia has a variety of civilian earth observation satellites, such as its Kanopus and Resurs satellites, that it will presumably provide to the new EAEU commercial company, while Belarus operates the BKA (formerly known as Belka-2) earth observation satellite, said to be based on the Russian Kanopus earth observation satellite design. Kazakhstan operates KazEOSat-1 and -2, both built by Airbus Defence and Space, and will launch KazSTSAT, built by Surrey Satellite, sometime in 2017. Armenia and Kyrgyzstan do not operate earth observation satellites, but are presumably offering ground-based capabilities towards the EAEU project.

The Izvestia newspaper also quoted Eurasian Economic Commission sources who claim that it plans to jointly produce next-generation earth observation satellites, with plans to launch the first EAEU satellite by 2020. Funding for the earth observation project is expected to be provided by the Eurasian Development Bank, which has suggested that it is interested in the project.

Should the EAEU project come together it will be an alternative, if less capable, source of satellite imagery for Middle East customers, as well as users in the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Original published at Spacewatchme

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The Dutch government is freeing up EUR1.4 million for the purchase of satellite data to improve the sustainability and efficiency of farming. Among other things, the data contains detailed information about the soil, the atmosphere and crop development. Specialised companies can analyse the data to provide farmers with targeted advice on irrigation, fertilisation and crop-spraying activities. The satellite data will be made available online as open data, allowing everyone to have free access to it.

The Dutch agricultural and horticultural sector enjoys a very strong international reputation, and the government is keen to support this leading position by investing in innovation. Satellite data enables farmers to monitor crop progress very closely and to take corrective action precisely where it is needed, thus resulting in greater efficiency and sustainability. This will help to secure the Netherlands’ position at the forefront of the agriculture and horticulture industry and enable the country to continue to do its bit to solve the global food crisis in the future.

Specialised remote sensing equipment

The data is collected by Earth observation satellites that are orbiting at between 500 and 900 kilometres above the Earth. Using highly specialised remote measuring and sensing devices, the satellites gather unique information about soil quality, humidity, temperature and atmospheric conditions. It is also possible to analyse the development of biomass and the nitrogen and starch content in the crops, plus the satellites collect information on numerous other aspects such as changes in water quality, forestation and the environment. The satellite data will be available for the upcoming production season via satellietdataportaal.nl.

Open access to satellite data

It is far from easy to decipher the raw satellite data. Generally speaking, the data will primarily be analysed by scientific institutes and specialist companies. They will then convert it into information that farmers can utilise in their existing operations – such as up-to-date information about vegetation (www.groenmonitor.nl) or targeted advice on fertilisation and irrigation (www.akkerweb.nl). Smart crop production methods can generate substantial savings for farmers in terms of fuel, seeds, artificial fertiliser, crop protection agents and water.

National Testing Ground for Precision Farming

The purchase of satellite data is a good fit with the Dutch National Testing Ground for Precision Farming (NPPL) project, which recently received EUR2 million worth of government subsidy. The project is aimed at accelerating the adoption of precision farming in the Netherlands by connecting and strengthening existing initiatives and also by creating additional scope for experimentation where necessary.

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(Doreen Andoh, 23 March 2017) The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has commissioned an earth observation data receiving satellite in Accra as part of measures to ensure sustainable use of fisheries resources in the sub-region.

It will also be used to collect and provide fishermen with information to ensure their safety while at sea.

The commissioning of the satellite formed part of the implementation of the ECOWAS Monitoring for Environment and Security in Africa (MESA) project, initiated in 2010 to ensure continuity of past investments on the use of earth observation data in Africa, among other objectives.

MESA is an ECOWAS initiative funded by the European Union to provide member countries with innovative tools to help manage fisheries resources effectively, among other objectives.

The satellite is located at the ECOWAS Coastal and Marine Resources Management Centre at the University of Ghana, Legon.

As part of the MESA project, the satellite will facilitate the gathering of information and data about the earth’s physical, chemical and biological systems to be used to improve management of the environment and security in Africa.

Under the project, Geospatial maps of potential fishing grounds integrated with vessel traffic will be provided to decision-makers to aid monitoring, control and surveillance against Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing.

Additionally, forecast of ocean conditions will be communicated to mariners and artisanal fishers through SMS and other media.

Steering Committee meeting

The earth observation Data receiving satellite was commissioned at a ceremony to open the third steering Committee meeting of MESA in Accra yesterday.

The objectives of the meeting were to provide an overview of the MESA project at the regional and national levels, to review activities carried out since the start of the project in 2014 and engage in a policy dialogue to harmonise strategies for the monitoring of small-fishing vessels.

Other objectives include formulating measures to promote the use of geospatial information for the management of marine ecosystems, providing orientation to all stakeholders

The five-day meeting is on the theme “innovative technologies in support of the fisheries sector in West Africa”.

Remarks

In his remarks at the opening ceremony, ECOWAS’ Director of Environment, Dr Johnson Boanuh, said the satellite would facilitate the overall implementation of the MESA programme, which was launched in 2014.

He said despite the efforts of the ECOWAS region, in collaboration with development partners, the fisheries sector of the continent continued to face challenges that hampered its harmonious development.

Those challenges, he said, were preventing the sector from contributing maximally to food and nutrition security and poverty reduction within member countries.

He cited some of the challenges as the lack of effective and transparent management of fisheries resources; illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing practices; the low development of aquaculture below the hydrographic potential of the region and the weak processing and transparent infrastructure for intra-regional trade of fisheries products.

He was optimistic that the effective implementation of the MESA project would help address the challenges facing the fisheries sector in particular.

In a remark made on her behalf, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ms Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, expressed the government’s commitment to sustainable management of the fishing industry in Ghana.

“Ghana is currently implementing a marine fisheries management plan, which involves a two-month closed fishing season for tuna vessels and industrial trawlers, supposed to recover depleted fish stock,” she stated.

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The UK Space Agency has awarded just under 150,000 pounds to three business incubation centres across the UK which will support entrepreneurs and small companies in the space industry.

The Agency is working with UK industry to deliver world-class science innovation support, in line with the Government’s Industrial Strategy, which emphasises the importance of science, innovation and skills.

The business incubation centres in the Solent, Scotland and the South West of England, will support start-up companies by providing advice and support, giving access to facilities and resources and collaborating on events and initiatives with other business incubators.

+ Just under 50,000 pounds has gone to a joint scheme between the National Oceanography Centre’s Marine Robotics Innovation Centre, in Southampton, and the University of Portsmouth’s Innovation Space. The money will be used to provide an innovation hub in Southampton with world-leading expertise in developing next generation Marine Autonomous Systems and an incubation centre in Portsmouth.

+ In a scheme led by the University of Exeter, the South West Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications Partnership has received 50,000 pounds to run the SpaceTech Incubation Initiative, which will support start-ups and innovative SME’s to exploit space technology. SpaceTech will be delivered by SETsquared EXETER with high-potential businesses being provided with ‘grow-on’ space at Goonhilly Earth Station, Helston.

+ A further 50,000 pounds has gone to the Scottish Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications, based at the University of Strathclyde, to work with Tontine in Glasgow, a high-tech acceleration and growth space for new businesses. The money will be used to support new start-up and scale up businesses.

The space sector is a UK success story, with growth averaging over 8% a year over the last decade, a turnover in excess of 11 billion pounds a year and ambitious plans to achieve 10% of the global space market by 2030. Much of this growth is anticipated to come from companies using space-derived data or services in a broad range of different sectors.

Helen Roberts, Regional Growth Manager at the UK Space Agency, said: “We are delighted to extend the network of incubators supporting space sector start-ups to cover even more of the UK.
“These new business incubators add to the existing network of SETsquared, Leicester Dock, UNIP in Nottingham, Loughborough University, Business Durham, Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) at its Daresbury Laboratory site, Glyndwr Innovations in St Asaph, North Wales and the European Space Agency’s business incubator at Harwell. We look forward to working with them and seeing them help exciting new businesses to develop and flourish.”

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The space sector is a UK success story, with growth averaging over 8% a year over the last decade, a turnover in excess of 11 billion pounds a year and ambitious plans to achieve 10% of the global space market by 2030. Much of this growth is anticipated to come from companies using space-derived data or services in a broad range of different sectors.