Highlands & Islands to be part of Scottish Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications
Marketing
In an exciting development to the Satellite Applications Catapult’s Centres of Excellence Programme, the Scottish Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications is growing its reach into the Highlands & Islands.
Since 2014, the Scottish Centre of Excellence has created a new focal point for the Catapult, linking the science base with industry in central Scotland. This acts as a driver for business engagement with relevant academic expertise from across the Scottish research base and wider UK space sector.
By partnering with Highland & Islands Enterprise (HIE), the Centre will identify and exploit innovative concepts and technologies developed within its research base to generate economic impact within the Highlands & Islands, creating employment opportunities and attracting investment into the region.
This follows the recent addition of two more Centres of Excellence (on the South Coast and in the South West), extending the Catapult’s network to five Centres. Co-funded by the UK Space Agency, the Centres are in response to the growing interest in how satellite data and technologies are helping businesses generate new ideas and solutions to grow.
The expanded Scottish Centre’s partners will now include HIE and University of Strathclyde. Its market focus areas cover Healthcare, Renewables, Marine Sciences and Digital Economy.
Dr. Nick Veck, Head of the CEO’s Office at the Satellite Applications Catapult, said: “The Scottish Centre of Excellence has made great strides in the past two years in terms of engagement throughout mainland Scotland. We hope that this expansion into the Highlands & Islands will generate new opportunities in a region not previously exposed to the far-reaching benefits offered by satellite-derived applications and solutions.”
Dr Colin Baldwin, UK Space Gateway Programme Manager at the UK Space Agency added: “We have been in discussion with Highlands & Islands Enterprise for some time about the particular opportunities that space and satellite applications could bring to the Highlands & Islands.ΓΏ We are delighted to co-fund this proposal which will enable the Scottish Centre of Excellence to extend its reach, bringing benefits to the whole of Scotland”.
