Guest blog from William Wells, Commercial Director, University of Leicester
After a long hard journey to secure the funding, secure partners, investors, and, finally, build it during a pandemic, the first phase of Space Park Leicester opened in summer 2021 with the second phase opening just four months later in November.
The University of Leicester co-created a vision for exploiting our research excellence with our City Council, Local Enterprise Partnership, Midlands Engine and strategic partners including industry, the UK Space Agency, various Catapults and the National Space Centre. The vision centred on a new space-focussed Research and Innovation cluster integrating industry with academia: Space Park Leicester (SPL).
The concept for the Park involved four key priorities – high quality research and development; agile innovation; inclusive education and public engagement. Crucially, the operating model envisioned Space Park as a “collaboratory” between co-located industry and academic staff, supporting the need equally of both sets of actors. The overall masterplan envisioned a research and development facility (housing industry and academia) together with an open-access national centre for satellite manufacturing.
(Space Park Leicester)
In a region whose productivity is below the UK average, Space Park is set to be a beacon of Leicestershire’s place-based recovery. It is at the heart of plans to promote Leicester as “Space City” providing a regional centre of excellence, the fully realised vision promises up to 2500 jobs and an economic boost of £750m per annum SPL will deliver research, innovation, training and public engagement in a sector shaping the UK’s future.
Working with Department of International Trade we have already secured the co-location of 4 international businesses (Omnidea, AST Space Mobile, CGI and Northrup Grumman). These companies are complemented by a host of SMES of different sizes and most recently that stalwart of UK industry –Rolls Royce. A feature which defines all of our partners is a commitment to working with us on research, innovation and getting access to our student body.
(Rolls Royce announce their arrival at Space Park Leicester)
At Leicester we have a great track record in delivering business support and innovation programmes. We have complemented the physical buildings by developing an unrivalled innovation support offer which includes a European Space Agency Business Incubator and connecting capabilities fund project (SPRINT) and a number of ERDF projects which support firms to access facilities and innovate.
Whilst the various restrictions imposed by the pandemic have, at time reduced the number of people on site – it has also created opportunity. Space Park is focussed on collaboration, connection and access to technology –key reasons to be in a physical environment and not at home. The place buzzes with serendipitous connections being made and problems being solved. Recent have been hugely diverse including a conference on COP 26 and solutions coming out of Leicester, the launch of the Satellite Applications Catapult’s commercialisation engine and local STEM outreach.
It has been a great year, albeit exhausting, and we look forward to building on our hard work to date in 2022.
Space Park Leicester were awarded the Place-Based Initiative of the Year Award at the 2021 KE Award Ceremony. Watch the finalist videos here.