South West Satellite Applications Centre of Excellence

The South West Satellite Applications Centre of Excellence will be based at Goonhilly Earth Station with the University of Exeter as the lead delivery partner. The centre partnership includes GES Ltd, the Met Office, Plymouth University, Falmouth University, PML, and Rothamsted Research, and has extensive commercial partner backing. Additional space and personnel will be employed at Exeter, Plymouth and Falmouth.

The South-West region has strong and well-established expertise in Satellite Applications; Goonhilly Earth Station acting as a catalyst for space communications and business growth, the Met Office setting a global standard for Earth and Space Weather observation and science, and a strong network of local, national and international universities and research centres. Specific research in highly relevant Satellite Application areas includes: global maritime supply chain and logistics, eWellbeing, Smart Built Environment, Agritech, Cyber Security, Smart Transport and Earth Observation for the aquaculture industry.

Regional Innovation Centres engage in award-winning knowledge transfer programmes (Exeter: SetSquared, Falmouth: Launchpad]. Local Enterprise Partnership specialisations for future Sat Apps development include: Space & Aerospace, eHealth, Agritech, Marine and Digital Economy. Consequently, the LEPs may directly support future investment in Sat Apps businesses.

The centre is running a programme of:

1. Wide engagement of existing business/innovation networks in the target markets, to transfer knowledge and to develop new satellite application concepts
2. Industry-led thematic engagements to focus researchers, business, communities and investors around specific satellite application opportunities

Wide engagement with network events will raise awareness amongst research and business communities, and help map expertise, needs and opportunities through value chains. The majority of events will be delivered by leveraging existing business/innovation networks around the South West region.

Key initial themes are:

• Marine/Maritime industry
• Agritech/food supply
• eHealth/eWellbeing