Opportunities for Midlands companies as government unveils £99m UK space boost

Space Minister Liz Lloyd announced a £99 million package of UK space sector investment at the start of this week (Mon 20 Jul).

Monday’s announcement– on the first day of Farnborough International Airshow – revealed a range of funding opportunities from the Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit (C-LEO) Programme (£42 million), the National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) (£20 million) and the Space Clusters Infrastructure Fund (SCIF) (£37 million).

The C-LEO Programme is offering £42 million to UK businesses, universities and research organisations to develop new satellite communications technologies.  Projects must focus on one or more of five areas: on-board processing, active antennas, optical links, networking and routing, or user terminals.

The £20 million call from NSIP aims to fuel space innovation, supporting the development of all areas of space technologies across UK industry and academia.  Funding is available through two routes: Kick Starter, for early-stage ideas, and Major Projects, for businesses looking to grow and commercialise.  Up to 40% of the project budgets awarded will focus on Space Domain Awareness and In-Space Assembly and Manufacturing – two areas where UK domestic capability is vital to understand and respond to threats in orbit.

Opening this autumn, the SCIF funding call will award £37 million in grants by 2030, strengthening regional space infrastructure and capabilities, reducing dependence on international partners for access to critical space assets.  Organisations interested in applying are encouraged to register their interest before the full call opens later this year.

Commenting on the government’s aims behind the funding, Space Minister, Liz Lloyd, said: “Strengthening domestic capability in these areas, alongside working with international partners, will help ensure the UK remains secure, resilient and a leader on the world stage.”