Business Durham has been appointed to lead the North East Satellite Applications Centre of Excellence until March 2022, having provided support to the sector since 2014.
The Satellite Applications Catapult and the UK Space Agency, which funds the centre, confirmed that the economic development arm of Durham County Council will lead the North East consortium.
One of the three centres of excellence across the UK, the North East Centre, is based at the North East Technology Park (NETPark) in Sedgefield.
Business Durham has led the North East Satellite Applications Centre of Excellence since April 2014, engaging with more than 670 organisations, seeding 277 links between business and universities; and helping companies secure £9.2m worth of funding.
Sarah Slaven, interim managing director of Business Durham (pictured above) , said: “Over the past six years, the North East Satellite Applications Centre of Excellence has become a focal point of activities for space and satellite technologies within the region, acting as a catalyst for sector growth.
“The Centre has already made a positive impact and we are excited to build on that momentum. Over the next two years we will focus on the continuing growth of the space sector and raising the profile of the North East within the wider space network, nationally and beyond.”
The centre is supported by a regional consortium of Business Durham, North East Local Enterprise Partnership, and the Universities of Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside, as well as other regional support organisations.
