£40m million international space centre to be established at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus

The announcement, which was made at the launch of the new UK Space Agency, establishes Harwell in Oxfordshire as a world leading centre for space research and endorses its status as a global centre for science, technology and innovation. The creation of the International Space Innovation Centre (ISIC) at Harwell is being funded through £24 million from Government and supported by £16 million investment from the space industry. The new ISIC, will be based alongside the European Space Agency facility, which opened at Harwell in July last year.  The Centre will help establish the UK as a hub to exploit data generated by earth observation satellites, use space data to understand and counter climate change and advise on the security and resilience of space systems. 

Dr Sally Ann Forsyth, Director of Science Parks at Goodman, said: “This is excellent news for Harwell, which provides a supportive environment for open innovation and is attracting key technology clusters at the forefront of science and enterprise. The new International Space Innovation Centre will be in good company at Harwell, joining the European Space Agency, the Science and Technology Facilities Council and a wide range of other space related high tech companies who are based on site. 

“It has been recognised that Britain’s space industry has defied the recession and is aimed to grow to £40 billion a year, creating 100,00 jobs in 20 years. Harwell is at the heart of this vibrant growth sector and we look forward to working with all our partners towards its continuing success.”