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An preliminary artist’s impression of the North East Space Skills and Technology Centre constructing at Northumbria University.
Credit: Northumbria University
Investments from Lockheed Martin, the UK Space Agency and Northumbria University forge pathway for NESST’s world prominence
Northumbria University, Newcastle has secured a complete of £50 million in funding to create a world-leading space expertise, analysis and know-how centre within the North East of England.
Major funding awards that had been confirmed immediately from the UK Space Agency and world aerospace big, Lockheed Martin have been match-funded by the University itself to create the North East Space Skills and Technology Centre.
The centre, which will likely be referred to as NESST, will likely be a “game-changer” for the UK space financial system. NESST is anticipated to straight help the creation of over 350 jobs and inject over £260 million into the North East financial system over the following 30 years, taking part in a vital position within the authorities’s levelling-up agenda and instantly changing into a catalyst for the broader improvement of the UK space sector within the North East area.
Announced immediately throughout the UK Space Conference, the UK Space Agency has awarded £10 million to Northumbria University to help the event of NESST. In addition to this, Lockheed Martin dedicated an extra £15 million funding in NESST to work with Northumbria’s consultants on collaborative analysis, know-how improvement, in-demand expertise provision and STEM engagement actions over a 10-year interval.
Through this strategic settlement, Lockheed Martin will turn out to be the primary anchor tenant in NESST, creating unprecedented hyperlinks for UK corporations to entry the worldwide space market.
In recognition of the University’s excellence in all elements of space analysis, and the transformative affect of NESST on the North East area and past, Northumbria University confirmed it might match-fund the UK Space Agency and Lockheed Martin awards with an extra £25 million, bringing the general whole funding in NESST to £50 million.
Located within the coronary heart of Northumbria University’s Newcastle metropolis campus, NESST will likely be a brand new nationwide space asset that brings collectively business and tutorial to collaborate on internationally vital space analysis and technological developments.
NESST will put the UK on the forefront of analysis and innovation in areas together with optical satellite tv for pc communications, space climate and space-based power, and can prepared the ground in offering specialist schooling and coaching to make sure the UK space sector has the extremely expert staff it wants sooner or later.
Lockheed Martin and Northumbria University first joined forces in 2022 to help the event of expertise, analysis and know-how within the space sector. Lockheed Martin has beforehand invested £630,000 into collaborations with the University on quite a few trailblazing tasks, together with working collectively to create machine studying algorithms to detect and report nanojets, in addition to becoming a member of forces to speed up the usage of space-based solar energy. Its award of £15 million will likely be cut up evenly throughout capital tools for use within the centre and analysis and improvement work.
The UK Space Agency award to Northumbria was the most important of all of the tasks funded and the utmost quantity that could possibly be granted underneath the organisation’s new Space Clusters Infrastructure Fund (SCIF) – an initiative aimed toward growing the potential, capability, and connectivity of the UK’s space analysis and improvement infrastructure – and is a transparent signal of the UK Space Agency’s confidence within the University’s ambitions.
The University’s Wynne Jones constructing, which overlooks Newcastle’s central motorway, will likely be remodeled right into a distinguished, iconic residence for NESST. The constructing, which is because of re-open in 2025, will characteristic world-class laboratory, testing, educating, collaboration and workplace areas, and the encircling public areas will likely be extensively regenerated to create a gorgeous new surroundings.
A serious stimulus to the thriving native space cluster ecosystem, NESST will likely be residence to a few of the University’s key present partnerships with native, nationwide and worldwide organisations and also will be open to companies of all sizes working within the space sector.
Northumbria University is without doubt one of the UK’s main universities in solar and space physics, receiving quite a few vital funding awards in latest months together with £5 million from the UK Space Agency to take ahead work to construct a new laser-based satellite communications system and awards totalling £2.6 million from the Science and Technology Facilities Council to fund research into the Sun’s activity and its impact on Earth and to create a brand new Centre for Doctoral Training in the field of data intensive science.
The flagship NESST improvement marks an extra step-change for Northumbria’s status as one of many UK’s main universities for analysis and educating, following its success within the newest Research Excellence Framework and being named Times Higher Education’s University of the Year 2022.
Professor Andy Long, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Northumbria University, stated: “This is a pivotal second, not only for Northumbria University, however for the broader North East area and certainly, for the UK space sector as an entire.
“This catalytic funding from both the UK Space Agency and Lockheed Martin recognises the world-leading excellence in all aspects of space research at Northumbria University. Quite simply, NESST will be a game-changer for the whole of the North East, ensuring the region becomes a major hub for innovation in the global space economy.”
Nik Smith, Regional Director for UK and Europe, Lockheed Martin, stated: “NESST is one part of Lockheed Martin’s investment plans for our space business in the UK and will provide early prototyping and test facilities for new capabilities that could eventually be manufactured onshore. It will also be a reskilling hub, providing the pipeline of talent we will need to deliver national and even global programmes. With this investment, Lockheed Martin is thrilled to further our collaboration with Northumbria University and the UK Space Agency, and be a part of such significant initiatives for the region and the entire UK space sector.”
Andrew Griffith MP, Minister of State on the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, stated: “Making Britain a space superpower means backing sensible concepts up and down the land and harnessing the complete potential of expertise in our rising sector – from Dundee to Newcastle, Cornwall to Snowdonia.
“By investing with the private sector in research and facilities across the UK, we are ensuring they become home to global industries that support the growth of our £17.5 billion space sector, create hundreds of new jobs and build dynamic businesses across the UK.”
Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, stated: “Our space sector has been concentrated in London and the South East, however lately we’ve seen the emergence of vibrant clusters throughout the entire of the nation and vital investments from world-leading corporations similar to Lockheed Martin. This is a implausible alternative for Northumbria University to additional propel the UK to the forefront of world-class analysis and innovation with the North East Space Skills and Technology Centre (NESST), serving to us prepared the ground in optical satellite tv for pc communications, space climate and power analysis, schooling and coaching.
“It’s a brilliant example of the potential of our thriving space sector across the length and breadth of the UK to develop innovative infrastructure that helps us deliver increasingly ambitious missions and capabilities. The Space Clusters Infrastructure Fund highlights the government’s commitment to space and will help deliver the goal set out in the National Space Strategy to build one of the most innovative and attractive space economies in the world, developing new skills and creating jobs.”
Cllr Nick Kemp, Leader of Newcastle City Council, stated: “The North East Space Skills and Technology Centre is an extremely thrilling improvement for our metropolis and the broader area.
“This is a chance to make Newcastle a significant participant within the UK space business whereas offering a big enhance to the native financial system and offering tons of of recent alternatives for individuals.
“We are very lucky in Newcastle to have the world-leading tutorial establishments that we do, and securing the funding for this landmark mission is an excellent achievement for Northumbria University, and is testomony to the excellence of the analysis it undertakes.