UK Space Agency launches £50 million SCIF fund for space infrastructure

Basically, SCIF aims to help build or upgrade R&D facilities and equipment that can bring high value space technologies to market. Specifically, it will award match funding to UK organisations “to develop the R&D infrastructure needed to make space products mission-ready and sell them into commercial markets”.

It’s a pilot project that will support approximately 5-10 projects of up to £10 million each, with the financing available to both industry and academia.

The projects will provide “critical anchor points at the local level” for new businesses, investment and research, says the agency, with the aim “to create hundreds of jobs in areas of the UK that need it most”.

“The UK space industry – worth £17.5 billion to the UK economy and creating new companies and careers all around the country from Glasgow Space City to Spaceport Cornwall – is a key part of the UK Innovation Economy,” said the Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, George Freeman MP (pictured).

“This £50 million Space Clusters and Infrastructure Fund is the UK’s first fund dedicated to support the space industry develop the R&D facilities key to growing the space clusters across the UK, helping to generate investment, create jobs and enable UK space companies’ cutting-edge technology to be made mission-ready for new commercial satellite markets.”

Funding

Back in January, the UK Space Agency allocated £50m for satellite comms projects, to boost the UK’s satellite communications industry”. The funding was part of the wider Advanced Research in Telecommunications Services (ARTES) programme, which is overseen by the European Space Agency.

And in April, it launched a £20 million International Bilateral Fund aiming to help build international space partnerships.

See also: UK Space Agency sizes UK space industry growth