Enterprise Lab joins Northern Ireland to UK space network

Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) has opened a new NI Space Enterprise Lab (SEL) at its Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre’s Harbour site, providing users with access to the latest collaborative technology, resources and expertise of 14 other SEL’s through the Satellite Applications Catapult’s UK-wide network.

Announced at a Stormont event to launch World Space Week (4th – 10th October) in the UK, the opening marks a significant milestone in fostering use of space data and technology, powered locally through the longstanding commitment of the Northern Ireland Space Office.

Queen’s AMIC is a £100m collaborative, innovative powerhouse of advanced manufacturing led by Queen’s University Belfast in partnership with industry, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, Ulster University, and supported by the UK Government and Northern Ireland Executive through the Belfast Region City Deal. It has a team of expert engineers with experience in delivering design programmes, materials processing, and digital manufacturing projects for a range of sectors, including aerospace, automotive, and precision engineering. 

As the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, the SEL will provide a dedicated facility for space innovation – enabling collaborations between local industries and helping increase space-based economic activity in Northern Ireland and beyond.

Dr. Nafeesa Dajda, Director of National Capabilities at Satellite Applications Catapult commented: “We are delighted to be launching the new Space Enterprise Lab at Queen’s AMIC – Harbour today to fully connect the Northern Ireland Space cluster to our space ecosystem. With this new addition, we now have nationwide coverage, removing barriers to collaboration and ensuring that support for businesses and academia is accessible regardless of where they are based in the UK. The UK’s vibrant space sector is active in every part of the country, and this SEL will encourage collaboration between innovative organisations as they reimagine how we use satellite technology and create new applications to solve our biggest global challenges.”

Robert Hill, NI Space Cluster Manager, said: "Northern Ireland has a growing space sector across advanced manufacturing, cyber and resilience and data analytics. However, space is a global endeavour, and we do not work in isolation. The establishment of the Space Enterprise Lab at AMIC will bolster and support new collaborations in research and industry and accelerate national space ecosystem growth."

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