Overview
Northern Ireland has developed world-class capability in areas such as advanced sensors, predictive analytics, and cyber security. With a strong heritage in aerospace and advanced materials, the region is increasingly applying its expertise to upstream space systems, satellite components, and resilient communications. Key academic and industrial assets are enabling cross-sector innovation in propulsion, space surveillance, telecommunications, AI, and quantum technologies.
Belfast, in particular, is a growing focal point for space entrepreneurship, home to startups and SMEs working on satellite manufacturing, data analytics, and launch vehicle systems. The city is also ranked as one of the top global destinations for cyber investment.
See the Northern Ireland Space Office strategy document here.
Join the Northern Ireland Space Cluster Group in the Space Enterprise Community Platform here.
Key Contacts
Facilities, Assets, and Academic Institutions
BRCD Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC) funded by the Belfast Region City Deal, AMIC includes the Polymer Processing Research Centre
The Catalyst Belfast Innovation Centre is an epicentre of innovation in Northern Ireland providing everything that innovators and entrepreneurs need to reach higher and succeed faster – a home, a powerful community, enhanced by international networks of venture capital, and market development support.
Based at Queen’s Titanic Quarter is the UK’s largest research, the Centre is focused on the development and exploitation base in Physical Layer wireless, and one of the best ranked in Europe. Our 70-strong team of research academics, postdocs, PhD students and engineers develop innovative underpinning technologies, focused on the themes of RF through to THz Systems, and Signal Processing & Communication Theory.
The Digital Twin Centre, led by Digital Catapult, will provide common, shared physical and digital infrastructure to support the development of digital twins, elements of which include common data architecture, tools, models, software, systems and hardware. The centre will initially focus in sectors including maritime, aerospace and defence but have the capability and plans to explore other sectors.
The NI Cyber Security Centre works to make Northern Ireland cyber safe, secure and resilient for its citizens and businesses.
Northern Ireland Advanced Composites and Engineering Centre (NIACE) in Belfast – Ulster University (Composites Engineering and Advanced Metal Forming groups) is a joint partner with Queen’s University Belfast in the Northern Ireland Advanced Composites and Engineering Centre (NIACE). This industry led, university hosted centre is a technology hub for the research and development of advanced engineering and advanced materials technologies, particularly in the area of advanced composites technologies, across a range of industrial sectors.
Queen’s University Belfast is a global leader in radio frequency (RF) and millimetre-wave research through its Centre for Wireless Innovation (CWI). Ranked among the world’s top institutions in telecommunications engineering, CWI houses advanced facilities including an 11m anechoic far-field chamber, a planar near-field scanner, and a Keysight millimetre-wave laboratory.
Commercial test house for organisations in need of high quality testing and certification services. Resonate Testing has developed its own bespoke shock and pyroshock testing facility that can recreate the complex shocks that are experienced in the most extreme environments with a wide range of impact devices and shock transfer media.
Located at the Propulsion Integration Centre in Thales Belfast, and on Harwell’s Science and Innovation Campus, Oxfordshire TAS teams design and build propulsion systems modules for Thales Alenia Space’s telecommunications satellites to keep them safely positioned in orbit. They also develop low cost, exportable, electric propulsion system for single satellites and constellations. Together, these teams are known as the Propulsion Centre of Competence for the whole of Thales Alenia Space JV.
Partners
NI companies and organisations with an interest in space.
Regional Development Agency for Northern Ireland.
Comprised of senior representatives from the leading prime organisations, SME’s, local government / public sector and academic stakeholders from both world class universities engaged in the space sector.
The Northern Ireland Space Office (NISO) supports regional space cluster development and highlights regional capabilities both nationally and internationally. NISO works closely with InvestNI, the Regional Business development Agency, ADS the national Aerospace, Defence and Security trade association and the UK Space Agency to signpost opportunities for collaboration and commercial growth.
Regional Strengths
For more detail, see the Space Capabilities Catalogue. For more information on the technical areas, see the Investor Launchpad Capability Brochures.
