Space South Central forges strategic alliance with Taiwan to accelerate satellite innovation and supply chain growth
Space South Central has officially formalised a major international partnership with Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to boost bilateral trade, startup acceleration and technological exchange.
From left: Will Lovegrove, Chair of Space South Central (UCL); Professor Nigel Williams, University of Portsmouth; Ambassador Vincent Chin‑Hsiang Yao, Taiwan’s Representative to the United Kingdom; Lewis Chen, Director General of ITRI’s Commercialisation and Industry Service Center; and Professor Adam Amara, Chief Scientist at the UK Space Agency, following the signing of the MOU in London on Wednesday. © Chen Yun‑yu, Central News Agency, London.
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed on Wednesday, 4 March, at a special evening reception at UCL East during the Space-Comm Expo in London, marking a significant milestone in UK-Taiwan space relations.
The MOU follows Space South Central’s involvement in several inward and outward academic and trade delegations between Taiwan and the UK since 2023. It aims to fast-track business collaboration, specifically targeting the satellite supply chain, startup ecosystems and talent development, leveraging the distinct competitive advantages of both regions.
Space South Central represents more than 210 organisations – including big names like Airbus, BAE Systems, and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) – and its four academic partners, the universities of Portsmouth, Southampton, Surrey and UCL. The region is responsible for approximately 25% of the world’s geostationary telecommunications satellites and accounts for nearly 20% of the turnover generated by UK space businesses. Taiwan is globally renowned for its high-level mass production capabilities, particularly in semiconductors and computer systems.
Space South Central’s ongoing relationship with Taiwan is already seeing results, with Guildford-based startup Stars Edge and Taiwanese company SPACEVLEO working together on Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) satellite technology.
Beyond hardware, the partnership also covers AI technology – increasingly vital for analysing vast amounts of space-based data – and skills. Both parties are committed to enhancing education and training programmes to upskill students, engineers and professionals.
A delegation of innovative startups and SMEs travelled from Taiwan for the MOU signing, representing sectors including satellite manufacturing, ground equipment and payload applications. They were joined by representatives from ITRI and the TAcc+ startup accelerator programme, which is supported by the country’s Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Space South Central’s International Partnerships Manager, Toby Marchant, said:
“Following several years of engagement between Space South Central and our partners in Taiwan, this MOU formalises a relationship based on clear, complementary strengths.
“The agreement is designed to generate tangible commercial outcomes and creates a structured path for UK and Taiwanese companies – including startups and SMEs – to collaborate, innovate, grow and reach new markets.”
Addressing the 100 guests at the reception, Ambassador Vincent Chin-Hsiang Yao noted that the UK's Industrial Strategy and Taiwan's Five Trusted Industries initiative – covering semiconductors, AI and next-generation communications – are highly complementary, helping to build a more resilient global space supply chain.
