Unlocking Space for Business
Unlocking Space for Business is a new UK Space Agency programme supporting companies to deliver operational, customer and environmental benefits through the use of innovative satellite data and services.
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The UK Space Agency Unlocking Space for Business programme logo.
Programme Overview
Unlocking Space for Business plays a key role in enabling the government’s ambition to accelerate innovation and investment through world-class science, research and development. Unlocking Space for Business is delivering a range of government initiatives to support the realisation of business, operational and environmental benefits from innovative uses of satellite data and services for end-user businesses in the financial services and transport and logistics sectors.
Since launching in October 2023, the programme has engaged over 300 organisations through initiatives, including in-person networking events, customised exploration workshops and learning and development webinars.
Sign up to the Unlocking Space for Business Newsletter to stay up to date on upcoming initiatives.
Information hub
Learn more about how businesses in the financial services and transport and logistics sectors can unlock value from satellites, with examples of activity from across the world.
Insight and networking events
The programme has now conducted its first series of in-person sector specific networking events, which brought together stakeholders across financial services, transport and logistics, satellite data and technology communities.
Held across London, Manchester and Southampton from November 2023 to April 2024, these five events provided attendees with the opportunity to network with end-user businesses and suppliers, hear from expert panellists on innovations and trends in the sector, experience real-life showcases of satellite services in action from suppliers and share key insights from the programmes engagement with the sector.
Registration is now open for our upcoming event ‘Insights for Suppliers and Integrators of Satellite Data and Services’. The event will be held twice at different locations.
The event is tailored specifically for suppliers and integrators of satellite data and will share lessons, feedback and insights taken from engaging with end-user organisations through the programme, supporting suppliers and integrators to better engage and market their space solutions.
If you want to find out more and register for the event at either location, please see the below for details:
- Wednesday 3 Otctober 2024, 9.30am to 2.30pm, Harwell
- Wednesday 23 October, 9.30am to 2.30pm, Leicester
Please note, attendees are welcome to register to attend the event at both locations, but the programme reserves the right to restrict registrations based on demand.
For information about privacy and personal data, please see the Unlocking Space for Business Privacy Notice and UK Space Agency Events Privacy Notice.
Exploration workshops
The programme has now held over 40 exploration workshops with end-user organisations interested in exploring potential opportunities to leverage satellite data and services.
These customised workshops provided organisations with dedicated support to help explore value propositions, prioritise areas most relevant to their current business needs, understand the supplier ecosystem and develop a forward-looking delivery plan.
These exploration workshops have now concluded.
Learning and development
The programme held a series of bite-size learning and development webinars for current or potential users of satellite data and services within the financial services and transport and logistics sectors.
These interactive sessions explored topics relating to the procurement and integration of different types of satellite data and services and discussed specific use cases for financial services and transport and logistics sectors.
Short summary videos are available to watch below:
Watch the sessions for the financial services sector.
Watch the sessions for the transport and logistics sector.
Funded projects
The Unlocking Space for Business programme has provided funding for twelve feasibility study projects through Contracts for Innovation (previously Small Business Research Initiatives).
Contracts are up to £200,000 each and aim to develop innovative and commercially viable feasibility studies that combine ground-based and satellite services for the transport, logistics and finance sectors. Each project will run for 6 months to July 2024.
Important information for participants
Unlocking Space for Business aims to implement a number of customer-focused initiatives to support and enable greater awareness, engagement, learning and development and demand for satellite data and services.
As a new pilot programme, continuous learning and feedback is encouraged from participants of events, workshops and recipients of funding.
The focus areas for the programme are businesses within the financial services, and transport and logistics sectors.
The programme will be open to opportunities across all satellite domains (including satellite imagery, satellite connectivity and communications, satellite position, navigation and timing), in combination with complementary data types.
Further information
Sign up to the Unlocking Space for Business Newsletter and upcoming events.
Our privacy notice sets out how we will process personal data received through the sign up form for the Unlocking Space for Business Newsletter and upcoming events.
A live webinar took place on 6 November to launch Unlocking Space for Business, looking at what the programme involves and how it could benefit you.
Watch the Unlocking Space for Business live launch webinar.
If you would like any further information, have any questions or feedback about this programme, or would like to request the newsletter and events sign-up form in a different format, please contact the team at UnlockingSpaceforBusiness@ukspaceagency.gov.uk.
Watch a video about Unlocking Space for Business by the UK Space Agency.
Other UK Space Agency initiatives
Business Applications and Space Solutions Programme (BASS) (ARTES)
As part of the ARTES programme, the Business Applications and Space Solutions Programme (BASS), in partnership between the UK Space Agency and European Space Agency (ESA), is a commercially focussed space applications programme that delivers innovative uses of space assets and data.
Earth Observation
Find further details on open funding opportunities for earth observation projects.
Apply for funding: space-related R&D, innovation and education
Find further details on open funding opportunities from the UK Space Agency, the space sector, academic, education and community partners.
Updates to this page
Last updated 27 August 2024 + show all updates
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Links to video sessions for the financial services and transport and logistics sectors have been added to the landing page. Information about upcoming events and links to register for them have been added to the landing page.
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Content on the landing page has been updated.
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Slight updates to the Privacy notice for Unlocking Space for Business programme - HTML attachment
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Information about networking events and a grant call has been added. There has been a slight style and structure change to the page to improve clarity. No information has been updated or removed as part of this change.
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New sub bullet added to the 'insight and networking events' bullet under the programme overview heading on the landing page. The bullet outlines a relevant event happening in March 2024.
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There has been a change to the wording of the learning and development bullet under the programme overview heading, including a link to register for the learning and development programme.
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Addition of links to business registration form in details section of the page.
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In details section, date for the transport and logistics event Manchester changed to 5 December 2023.
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All changes under Details heading on main page. Update to 'insight and networking events' bullet point, addition of specific events. Link to SBRI competition added to 'funding call' bullet point. Small paragraph of text added to introduce webinar recording. Webinar recording also added.
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Slight updates made to the privacy notice document. The Cabinet Office has been added to the list of organisations with whom data will be shared, and a paragraph has been added about email communication.
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First published.