News
The Space Opportunity touches down at Horizon Works
4th July 2024
North East England can combine its passion for innovation, its engineering expertise and its higher education ecosystem to drive ahead in the space sector, according to guest speakers at our Space Opportunity event, which took place on July 2.
Delegates from the engineering and manufacturing sectors, and higher education, attended the event, which was run in association with Space North East England, an organisation dedicated to growing the space economy and developing its ecosystem in the region.
Speakers provided insight into the evolution of the space sector, industry trends and supply chain opportunities. They also shared their personal experiences of working in the space industry and gave advice to delegates on how to engage with the sector, from cluster engagement to securing funding and business support.
At the event, headline speaker Elaine Scott, Cluster Director of Space North East England, pointed to the North East’s engineering experience in areas such as subsea. She suggested that this generated specialist expertise within the region in solving complex problems and working in harsh environments: both of these capabilities are in high demand in the space sector.
She also said that the North East England’s five universities – Durham University, Newcastle University, Northumbria University, Teesside University and The University of Sunderland – were a “powerful asset” for the space sector, and that the industry can tap into the talent and capabilities generated by the region’s higher education institutions.
Speaker Ralph ‘Dinz’ Dinsley, Managing Director and founder of Alnwick-based 3S Northumbria, which provides sustainable space solutions grounded in the principles of a circular economy for space, added that schools and universities could play a crucial role in producing new talent and capabilities for the sector.
Ryan McGlen, Advanced Technology Manager and Ryan Waterston, Applications Engineer from Boyd, an innovator in sustainable engineered material and thermal solutions, which has a site in Ashington, also presented at The Space Opportunity. They highlighted the company’s work in manufacturing products that are used in space applications, including on NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover, and revealed how Boyd is developing graduates and apprentices to fulfil specialist engineering roles in the space sector.
North East England’s space sector made headlines recently, when Sedgefield-based Filtronic, a leader in high-performance mmWave technologies, announced that it had signed a strategic partnership and commercial agreement with SpaceX.
There are more than 40 businesses, including Raytheon UK and Airbus, working in the region’s space sector and Space North East England is aiming to increase the number of jobs in the industry to 10,000 by 2030, building on the last ten years of growth.
Samantha Vassallo, Managing Director of Horizon Works, said: “Our Opportunities Series was designed to open up new horizons for the engineering and manufacturing sector, and with The Space Opportunity, we’ve explored what for many businesses is unchartered territory… and given them a lot of food for thought.
“We’d like to thank all of the speakers for sharing their experiences and giving delegates such valuable insight into a vibrant, rapidly evolving sector that could play a major role in North East England’s economic growth.”
Elaine Scott, Cluster Director of Space North East England, said: ““It was great to speak with a range of regional engineering businesses who are currently not in the space sector but are curious enough to find out more about doing business in this emerging but fast growing market.
“The North East has much to offer and we hope to support more local businesses to diversify into this opportunity nationally and globally.”
Held at out Event Space, The Space Opportunity was the fourth event in our Opportunities Series, a programme of workshops and seminars delivered for manufacturing and engineering businesses. Run in conjunction with industry partners, the series highlights regional and national opportunities for engineering and manufacturing companies. Previous events have featured speakers from Advance Northumberland, Make UK Defence and the North East Automotive Alliance.
Space North East England supports pioneering advancements in space technologies and exploration as well as helping businesses to enter the sector by bringing together businesses, academia and institutions to unlock opportunities.
Providing both one to one support and events, Space North East England also helps businesses to exploit the use of satellite data, technology and applications to gain a competitive advantage. Its vision is to build the best possible ecosystem to create North East England as a world-class, vibrant UK region for space businesses to grow.
Space North East England’s partners include Business Durham, Invest North East England, Durham University, Newcastle University, Northumberland University, the University of Sunderland and Teesside University.
For more information on Space North East England, visit www.spacenortheastengland.com