Paul Bate CEO of the UK Space Agency Visits South Central Region
Last week Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, visited the University of Portsmouth to hear about the future plans for the south-central region’s space sector and meet key regional stakeholders including the University of Surrey, SSTL and those involved in the developing Space South Central partnership.
Dr Paul Bate has been CEO of the UK Space Agency, an Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), since September 2021. The UK Space Agency’s Chief Executive leads a team of more than 250 people who provide technical advice on the government’s space strategy and guide the UK space sector to deliver the government’s vision. This was an important moment for the south-central region, as this was the first time Paul Bate had visited since the start of his tenure as CEO.
The UK Space Agency designs and delivers programmes that implement the government’s strategy, including as a sponsor of national capabilities and an early-stage investor in space research and development. They promote the UK space sector’s interests and achievements, connecting industry and academia, and representing the UK in international space programmes.
Both Universities presented a collaborative approach focusing on the future of space in our region, which draws upon the ideas discussed at the University of Portsmouth’s recent ‘Mission Space’ event that took place in April along with regional capabilities presented in the recent UK Space Agency Size and Health report. The sector is particularly buoyant in the South East with revenues increasing by 44% over the course of the last year, accounting for a quarter of all UK space industry income, and employing almost 10,000 people.
The meeting took place at the Centre for Creative and Immersive Extended Reality (CCIXR) at the University of Portsmouth. A £7 million facility and the UK’s first purpose-built centre designed to bring together a whole suite of the very latest XR technologies under one roof to support innovation in virtual, augmented and extended realities.
Paul Bate CEO of UK Space Agency and Pippa Bostock Business and Development Project Manager CCIXR exploring the facilities
The south-central region is integral to the UK space industry and you can see the whole spectrum of space activity within it; including both upstream and downstream; as well as customers, primes, manufacturers and academic institutions with rich space heritage. Paul Bate was taken on a journey to explore all facets of the sector, and the potential for growth and development in this region whilst visiting the University of Portsmouth.
Collaboratively there is a great vision to build on the expertise already in the area, forge new partnerships between academia and industry and to further cement the region’s role in meeting the ambitious targets within the National Space Strategy. Aspirations are large, and this meeting is one of many that will see the south-central region soar, a sentiment encapsulated by Paul Bate’s parting words. When asked about the scale of the region’s ambition, he replied “The bigger the better!”.