£50m for UK space infrastructure fund
The UK Space Agency has launched a fund for Space R&D Infrastructure ahead of a new space strategy.
The Space Clusters Infrastructure Fund (SCIF) will award more than £50 million in matched funding to boost the capability, capacity, and connectivity of the UK’s space R&D infrastructure.
The fund is open to organisations of all sizes and locations, with a weighting towards those outside of the Greater South-East, to accelerate pioneering products and applications that will become critical for the success of future space missions.
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The competition will run for a period of 6 weeks and the last date for applications is midday on 5 July 2023. Proposals will be evaluated by a team of independent experts over three weeks for a shortlist to be included in the Full Business Case, which is subject to final approval by the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
The aim is to establish industrial R&D facilities outside London and South-east to boost the reputation of local Space clusters as hubs for the development of cutting-edge technology and products for space.
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The main objective is to establish a pilot programme to fund strategic investments in UK space R&D infrastructure, with investments completed by March 2025.
The fund also aims to create a census of UK Space Infrastructure and work with the space sector to improve the co-ordination and availability of infrastructure assets throughout the UK. It will also look to raise awareness, connect opportunities and link up clusters locally and nationally to increase the number of collaborations and partnerships between local businesses, universities, clusters, and infrastructure facilities.
Investment in UK lags behind that of other nations such as France and Italy, who spend between five and ten times more on their national space sectors.
The UK Government has established a National Space Council as a Cabinet Committee and has promised to publish a new UK Space Strategy, and the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee is conducting an inquiry into a new UK Space Strategy and UK Satellite Infrastructure.
The Government points to steps to improve its satellite infrastructure through the joint acquisition of OneWeb and the completion of consultations relating to the legislation required to allow spaceflight including satellite launches in the UK.
Proposals for the SCIF should be submitted to scif@ukspaceagency.gov.uk email address with the closing date for applications at midday on 5 July 2023.
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