Funding awarded to support Midlands companies to Pivot into Space

With the UK’s space industry set for significant growth over the next few years, the UK Space Agency has announced £6.5 million funding to support 18 projects aimed at boosting the space sector across the UK.

The Midlands will benefit from two new projects that are part of the UK Space Agency's levelling-up boost for the sector.

The ‘Pivot into Space’ project, led by the MAA, is a £1m R&D programme with £500,000 of UKSA funding matched by industry in which innovative engineering companies across the Midlands will be supported with pivoting their technologies and capabilities into the UK’s growing space industry, focusing on the design and manufacture of spacecraft and the infrastructure required to launch them into space.

The MAA will also be a key partner in a new £284,000 UKSA Midlands ‘cluster development’ project, led by world-leading space industry experts at the University of Leicester, that will bring together a range of universities and partner organisations to develop the space cluster ecosystem in the region.

“Establishing a network of space clusters and high impact projects will accelerate the development of the thriving space ecosystem the UK needs to realise the full economic potential of space across the UK,” said Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency. “We’ve been working with the regions to understand their strengths and the needs of their local space economies so that we can back these clusters of excellence to collaborate, grow and thrive.”

Read the full announcement from the UKSA and discover the 18 projects across the UK that have been awarded funding here. 

Discover more about ‘Pivot into Space’ and the opportunities it could create for your business at the MAA Conference on 23 March. MAA Technology Manager, Frank McQuade, will be sharing insights into the project.’