Portsmouth: University’s new centre to foster economic growth by promoting satellite applications

The University of Portsmouth is to host a new South Coast Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications. In addition to promoting economic growth in the UK’s space sector, it will help South Coast businesses tap into new satellite technology which could improve their products and services and make new products and services commercially available.

The Centre will be led by the University’s Institute of Industrial Research, and will be co-funded by Satellite Applications Catapult and the UK Space Agency.  It and the new centre being established in the South West will complement the existing centres in the East Midlands, North East England and Scotland. The market-focus areas will be maritime, marine and autonomous systems.

Jo Johnson, minister for universities and science, said: "The Government is backing the UK's successful space sector and ensuring more businesses can benefit from space technology through the Satellite Applications Catapult. These new and extended centres will deliver more support to businesses and scientists across the country, and help the space industry reach its ambition to grow to £40 billion by 2030 and generate 100,000 new jobs.”

Stuart Martin, CEO of the Satellite Applications Catapult, said it was the hope that the network’s expansion to the southern region would help in “developing new commercial opportunities for the UK’s space sector” and also “generate further understanding and awareness of the opportunities that satellite data and technology can provide – especially among market sectors not currently engaging with them”.

David Brown, the University’s professor of industrial systems, said: “The centre will encourage and promote collaboration between universities and industries, especially SMEs.”