World Space Week (4-10 October) may be drawing to a close, but Space South Central is keeping the spotlight on space with the launch of 70 Years Shaping the Future of Space, a campaign highlighting South Central England’s remarkable heritage and contributions to the global space industry.

Each month, Space South Central aims to bring together a curated list of the latest and best funding opportunities for businesses working in the space sector across the South East.
 
The list is not exhaustive – for that, see the Satellite Applications Catapult’s Space Enterprise Network.
 
If you see an opportunity below that could be suitable for your business, reach out to the team at info@spacesouthcentral.com, who will offer advice, expertise, support and connections to help you create successful bids. Since 2016, we have helped regional organisations secure £37.5M.

Each month, Space South Central aims to bring together a curated list of the latest and best funding opportunities for businesses working in the space sector across the South East.

The UK’s thriving £18.6 billion space economy is a powerful driver of both national prosperity and regional opportunity - yet the sector faces urgent calls for innovation, agile research, and critically, a fresh wave of skilled talent. Over half (52%) of UK space organisations are continuing to report severe skills shortages, underlining why Space South Central welcomes the launch of the new Surrey Space Institute at the University of Surrey as a transformative step for the region and the UK.

A team of students from the University of Surrey, the University of Portsmouth and the University of Southampton are working to fit equipment they designed, made and tested to a suborbital launch vehicle which aims to launch 500km into space.

Surrey NanoSystems has joined forces with scientists at the University of Surrey, led by astrophysicist Dr Noelia Noel, to tackle the increasing issue of satellite brightness, which threatens ground-based astronomical research.   

Southern England is fast becoming the UK’s launchpad for upstream space innovation, and the Made Smarter South-East programme is accelerating that trajectory for ambitious space SMEs. With £1.55 million in government funding and a powerful regional partnership behind it, Made Smarter South-East is transforming how manufacturing and engineering businesses, including those at the cutting edge of space build, satellite manufacture, payload, and sensor development, embrace digital technology.