Unlocking Space for Business

Programme Overview   

As part of the government’s plan to make the UK a science and technology superpower, the National Space Strategy sets the ambition to use space to deliver for UK citizens and the world. Unlocking Space for Business will play a key role in enabling this ambition, through the delivery of a range of government initiatives to support the realisation of business, operational and environmental benefits from innovative uses of satellite data and services. Initiatives will include:  include:

• information

  Information hub:hub

  Access access to insights on how businesses in the financial services, and transport and logistics sectors can unlock value from satellites, with examples of activity from across the world

• insightworld.

  Exploration andworkshops

  Dedicated networking events: hosted interactive events that bring the customer and supplier ecosystems together to shape opportunity areas, hear from experts, experience live demonstrations and build new connections. Sign up to keep updated for future events

  • Join us at our upcoming event ‘The Shipping Forecast to 2025: Variable, Space outlook, Good’. Representatives from the maritime sector will highlight key issues affecting commercial operations and foster a meaningful dialogue between satellite service companies and owners of maritime challenges, stimulating collaboration and insights. The event will be held at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton on Tuesday 26 March 2024, and will bring maritime customers and space supplier ecosystems together to shape opportunity areas, hear from experts, and build new connections. Find out more and register your attendance here
• exploration workshops: dedicated advisory support and expertise through a series of focused workshops to help businesses identify and develop satellite data and service opportunities. Sign up and register your interest in attending an Exploration Workshop
• learning.

  Learning and development:development

  The the programme is now accepting registrations for our learning and development programme, which will be held throughout the first half of 2024. The initial sessions are for those in the Financialfinancial Servicesservices or Transporttransport and Logisticslogistics sectors in alignment with the programmes strategic objectives. If you are in either of these sectors and want to find out how to implement innovative solutions using space-derived data in a series of tailored sessions, register to secure your spot

  • the.

    The programme is also planning a dedicated series of sessions later in the year, tailored specifically for suppliers and integrators of space data. Once confirmed, these sessions will be promoted in the Unlocking Space for Business Newsletternewsletter and on this page

  • anpage. An overview of all sessions will be available once they have concluded
• concluded.

  Funding call

  Our grant funding call:call applyhas fornow opened. There is a sharetotal of up to £6£3.5 million ofavailable governmentto fundingde-risk topilot helpprojects launchfinancial innovativeservices pilotand projectstransport and thelogistics deliverycompanies ofto newpilot solutions that use satellite data and serviceservices opportunities.delivering Fundedbenefits projectsto willtheir haveorganisation. opportunitiesProjects to sharebe theirfunded successeswould be expected to run up for 9 months from July 2024 to March 2025 .

  The call is open to end-users with a supplier of space data or services as a partner and learningsthere is a requirement for all applicants to be able to match the grant funding with their own sourced funding (not through governmentother showcases.grants).  Find Ourout Smallmore.

  Register to attend our Unlocking Space for Business Researchgrant Initiativecall (SBRI)webinar.

  Insights competitionand hasnetworking nowevents

  Join closed,us signat upour upcoming networking events:

  • ‘unlocking satellite-driven insights for updatesfinancial services: managing risk and informationdriving sustainable finance’ at PwC More London, SE1 2RT, on futureMonday funding15 opportunitiesApril in2024. 2024Find out more and register your attendance
  • ‘unlocking satellite-driven insights for transport and logistics: establishing connected and intelligent operations’ at PwC 1 Embankment Places, WC2N 64H, on Monday 29 April 2024. Find out more and register your attendance

  Ahead of future funding activities, these interactive events will bring together stakeholders across financial services, transport and logistics, technology and space sectors. This allows businesses to learn about latest use cases from suppliers, suppliers can learn more about business challenges and requirements, and all attendees can establish connections across the different sectors to accelerate exploration of high value opportunities.

  Sign up to keep up to date on future events.

  Important information for participants  

  • Unlocking Space for Business aims to implement a number of customer-focused initiatives to support and enable greater awareness, engagement, learning and development and demand for satellite data and services. It is expected to run until March 2025, and funded projects must be completed within the 18-month lifetime

  • lifetime.

    As a new pilot programme, continuous learning and feedback is encouraged from participants of events, workshops and recipients of funding

  • funding.

    The focus areas for the programme are businesses within the Financialfinancial Services,services, and Transporttransport &and Logisticslogistics sectors

  • sectors.

    The programme will be open to opportunities across all satellite domains (including satellite imagery, satellite connectivity and communications, satellite position, navigation and timing), in combination with complementary data types

  • types.

    Funded projects should be targeting a tangible benefit to the UK, whether that’s the realisation of benefits to UK businesses and citizens, or contributing to the growth of the UK space sector

  sector.

  Further information

  Sign up to the Unlocking Space for Business Newsletter and upcoming events.

  Our privacy notice sets out how we will process personal data received through the sign up form for the Unlocking Space for Business Newsletter and upcoming events.

  A live webinar took place on Monday 6 November to launch Unlocking Space for Business, looking at what the programme involves and how it could benefit you.

  Unlocking Space for Business live launch webinar

  If you would like any further information, have any questions or feedback about this programme, or would like to request the newsletter and events sign-up form in a different format, please contact the team at UnlockingSpaceforBusiness@ukspaceagency.gov.uk.

  Unlocking Space for Business by the UK Space Agency.

  Other UK Space Agency initiatives

  Business Applications and Space Solutions Programme (BASS) (ARTES) 

  As part of the ARTES programme, the Business Applications and Space Solutions Programme (BASS), in partnership between the UK Space Agency and European Space Agency (ESA), is a commercially focussed space applications programme that delivers innovative uses of space assets and data. 

  Earth Observation 

  Find further details on open funding opportunities for earth observation projects. 

  Apply for funding: space-related R&D, innovation and education 

  Find further details on open funding opportunities from the UK Space Agency, the space sector, academic, education and community partners.