Business Support // Community & Capability Discovery
Space Enterprise Labs
Local places for space innovation
About the Space Enterprise Labs
The way in which we work has fundamentally changed over the last few years, and communicating virtually is now no longer the exception. To ensure our stakeholders can innovate and collaborate effectively and efficiently, we have created the Space Enterprise Labs (SELs), a UK-wide network of local places for space innovation that are free-to-use and digitally inclusive.
As physical anchors for the UK Space Ecosystem and complementing the Space Enterprise Community platform, the Space Enterprise Labs (SELs) bring communities together, both locally and nationally. They include free access to resources, virtual demonstrations and expertise, as well as technology including:
- Large interactive touch screens and virtual canvas with full connectivity capabilities, enabling seamless delivery of meetings, business support sessions, capability demonstrations and opportunity development workshops
- Video conferencing licenses and professional webcams to run high-quality webinars and engage the community
- Virtual Reality Headsets for demonstrations of space capability (1-on-1 or at events) such as our bespoke Virtual Reality Satellite 101 demonstration featuring the launch, deployment and operation of a satellite
Locations
First launched in 2021, there is now a network of 13 Space Enterprise Lab locations open across the UK:
- SEL Adastral (Ipswich, Suffolk)
- SEL Belfast (Queen’s AMIC Harbour)
- SEL Daresbury (Liverpool City Region)
- SEL Edinburgh (South-East Scotland)
- SEL Glasgow (Central Scotland)
- SEL Harwell (Oxfordshire)
- SEL Leeds (Space Hub Yorkshire)
- SEL Leicester (Leicestershire)
- SEL NETPark (County Durham)
- SEL Newport (South Wales)
- SEL OpTIC (North Wales)
- SEL Spaceport Cornwall (Cornwall)
- SEL Surrey (Guildford, Surrey)
- SEL Westcott (Buckinghamshire)
An initial pilot group of Space Enterprise Labs were funded and set up by the Satellite Applications Catapult in partnership with the local hosting institutions. These have been a great success, and we recognise a demand to set up SELs in other localities. We therefore operate a franchised model where we are happy to work with new hosts who would like to fund their own SEL and join the network.
If you are interested in setting up a Space Enterprise Lab in your area to contribute to the growth of the local space sector, please contact sel@spaceenterprise.uk for more information on franchising opportunities.
Use Cases
The Space Enterprise Labs are equipped with a digital kit that facilitate collaborative work and engagement with organisations across the ecosystem. They offer the perfect environment for hosting hybrid meetings, running demonstrations, or organising events, providing endless possibilities for collective innovation. The SELs have various capacities, from 1 to 20 attendees, though larger events might also be accommodated on site at other spaces upon request subject to the hosts agreement and terms.
It is also important to note that the free usage of these spaces is specifically intended for collaborative purposes and project delivery, rather than individual organisation use. Some of these are listed below, showing how different users and stakeholders have benefitted from their local Space Enterprise Lab for collaborative purposes. If you wish to use them for other use cases, please contact sel@spaceenterprise.uk.
Stakeholder Meetings
Bringing together local stakeholders and cluster teams to discuss and collaborate
SEL NETPark: Ministerial visits, leadership team meeting, and UKSA/SME project kick off.
Business Support
Meetings, workshops and training sessions with experts in person or remotely
SEL Leicester: Delivery of Space Commercialisation Engine (SCE) Business Support sessions.
Networking & Workshops
Hosting or participating in networking events, webinars, and engagement events
SEL OpTIC: Satuccino dial-in monthly networking event series.
Skills & Knowledge Exchange
Hosting or delivering activities around workforce, education and knowledge sharing
SEL Leeds:Launch of Space Hub Yorkshire (SHY) Strategy sessions and Space Leadership meeting.
Collaborative Working
Developing proposals, consortium meetings, and project reviews
SEL Harwell: Management of Local Growth Collaboration project between Satellite Applications Catapult and UKSA.
Capabilities Demonstrations
Delivery of demonstrations of space enabled technology and applications
SEL Adastral: Awareness raising with local stakeholders SME technical expert support meetings
UK SPACE ECOSYSTEM
Space Enterprise Labs are local places for space innovation, and part of a range of tools to support the UK Space Ecosystem
Satellite Applications Catapult and the UK Space Agency (UKSA) are working with partners to develop a thriving and connected UK Space Ecosystem. Together we accomplish this by supporting businesses to start up, scale and innovate, connecting communities to benefit from space, and stimulating the growth of national capabilities.
Complementing this network of local places for space innovation, the Space Enterprise Community is the online community hub for the UK Space Ecosystem, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing. Together, they integrate online engagement with real-world development.