Surrey's new space innovation centre launches aiming to attract £25 million of investment

Friday 6 May 2011

The centre will be the first spoke into the £40m central ISIC Hub based at the Harwell Science Campus in Oxfordshire.
ISIC-Surrey at the Surrey Research Park - owned and developed by the University of Surrey and co-funded by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) - is ideally located to support space related businesses in the South East; a region that accounts for around 75% of the UK's turnover in the space industry.
Support and facilities on offer at ISIC-Surrey include: access to highly-specialist space modelling software; business development support and mentoring; training and skills development; and collaborative opportunities between academia and industry.
Links with the University’s Surrey Space Centre - Europe's largest academic research group in the field of Space Engineering - will add invaluable international academic expertise to the business incubation guidance offered at ISIC-Surrey.
The aim is to give a head start to UK companies working in this exciting sector to enable them to become world leaders in their fields and emulate the scale of success achieved by local company Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd - a spin-out from the University of Surrey which is now the world's leader in small satellite design and manufacture.
ISIC will also be running an opening ceremony simultaneously on Friday 6th May 2011 based at Harwell - a public-private partnership providing a unique environment where government, universities and industry work together.
Keith Robson, Director of Research and Enterprise Support at the University of Surrey said that by 2014 ISIC-Surrey aims to support 70 SMEs/start-ups, engage 100 businesses in knowledge based collaborations, attract over £25m of venture capital and business support, and support 500 people in their skills development.
He added:  "The University has a world-class reputation for its research, knowledge transfer and skills development in the space industry - therefore ISIC-Surrey is in an ideal position to support regional businesses and to help nurture further innovation and growth. Bringing together start-up companies and SMEs, academic researchers, and major international companies will foster an entrepreneurial and innovative business environment to support this exciting period of growth in the UK space industry."
Malcolm Parry, Director of the Surrey Research Park, added:
“ISIC-Surrey is a fantastic addition to the ongoing work on the commercialisation of science and technology on The Surrey Research Park. Over the last 26 years, the Park has incubated over 800 start-up companies and created in excess of 1,500 new jobs, with many of the companies still trading as independent businesses or seeing their technology reach the market, having been acquired by large corporates, and we’re committed to continuing with success with ISIC-Surrey. The presence on the Research Park of the Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), which is one of the most successful UK University spin-outs ever created, combined with the ISIC-Surrey is certainly going to add to Surrey’s momentum and worldwide reputation for its developments in space innovations.”

Pam Alexander, Chief Executive of SEEDA, said:

“SEEDA’s £900K investment in ISIC-Surrey supports our previous investment in the space industry in the South East, which will generate new ideas from the unique facilities and networks for exploiting space at Surrey and at Harwell. I’m delighted that this global hub and spoke are being launched simultaneously today, demonstrating the powerful partnerships in the South East which are leading the UK’s fast growing space sector. Our investment will help small businesses and start ups create jobs and growth to build the country’s future economic success."

Dr Barbara Ghinelli, Executive Chair of ISIC said:
‘We believe the ISIC is the catalyst that will bring  UK space activities and capabilities together and position us to win a larger share of a growing global market. ISIC integrates four cutting-edge facilities - an Earth Observation Hub, a Security and Resilience Unit, a Visualisation and Application Centre, and a Concurrent Design Facility as well as linking to the wider Harwell Space Cluster which includes the ESA Centre, the ESA-STFC Business Incubator Centre and a growing number of commercial companies. Built around these facilities will be a supported innovation environment, encouraging the sharing of ideas and stimulating growth amongst aspiring space and non-space businesses. ISIC will operate in a hub and spoke model, linking national and international capabilities.’
The UK space industry is supported by the UK Space Agency, an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The UK government committed £10 million to the UK space industry in the 2011 budget.
ENDS
For more information about ISIC-Surrey please contact Hannah Murray on 01727 737997 or hannah@communicationsmanagement.co.uk
For more information about the University of Surrey contact Howard Wheeler, Press Office Tel: 01483 686141, or mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk
For more information on the Surrey Research Park please contact Andrew Ball on 01483 537890 or andrewb@chazb.com

For more information on ISIC-Harwell please contact Karen Rogers 07841 066839  or karen.rogers@vegaspace.com

Notes to Editors
The development comes when the world is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first man in space – the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s heroic first ever human space flight
About the University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is one of the UK’s leading professional, scientific and technological universities with a world class research profile and a reputation for excellence in teaching and research. Ground-breaking research at the University is bringing direct benefit to all spheres of life – helping industry to maintain its competitive edge and creating improvements in the areas of health, medicine, space science, the environment, communications, defence and social policy. Programmes in science and technology have gained widespread recognition and it also boasts flourishing programmes in dance and music, social sciences, management and languages and law. In addition to the campus on 150 hectares just outside Guildford, Surrey, the University also owns and runs the Surrey Research Park, which provides facilities for 140 companies employing 2,700 staff.
The Sunday Times names Surrey as ‘The University for Jobs' which underlines the university’s growing reputation for providing high quality, relevant degrees.
Surrey is a member of the 1994 Group of 19 leading research-intensive universities. The Group was established in 1994 to promote excellence in university research and teaching. Each member undertakes diverse and high-quality research, while ensuring excellent levels of teaching and student experience.
www.1994group.ac.uk
About Surrey Research Park
A major centre of excellence in technology, science and engineering, The Surrey Research Park is widely regarded as the best of its kind in the UK. Owned and developed by The University of Surrey as a 70 acre (28.33 ha) low density, development close to its campus in Guildford, The Surrey Research Park provides a high quality, working environment. Large landscaped areas and water features, provide a serene and tranquil backdrop for over 110 companies engaged in a broad spectrum of research, development and design activities.

About South East England Development Agency (SEEDA)

SEEDA, the South East England Development Agency, is the Government-funded agency responsible for the sustainable economic development of the South East of England – the driving force of the UK’s economy. Through supporting businesses, encouraging innovation, developing skills and engaging with public and private partners, we aim to create a successful, sustainable future for the region.
SEEDA’s support helped deliver the following over the period 2009-2010:
 Over 10,000 jobs created or safeguarded, including 7,000 jobs created through inward investment work
 65 inward investment successes
 Some 52,000 businesses were supported to improve performance
 Over 5,700 new businesses created and demonstrating growth
 Nearly 16,000 people assisted to improve their skills and over 15,000 assisted to gain employment

For more information please visit www.seeda.co.uk.
About ISIC
The International Space Innovation Centre (ISIC) is the first centre of its kind in Europe. ISIC’s is a public-private partnership providing a unique environment where government, universities and industry work together to drive innovation and enterprise, creating new technologies, and developing applications and intellectual property for the benefit of the UK.
With a forecast growth in the space market of between five and seven percent per annum to 2020, ISIC will help create a strong, innovative and dynamic community of space science and technologists. Through partnership and close collaboration ISIC will bring together key UK space capabilities, providing more cost effective ways for delivering commercial and government services.
ISIC comprises five facilities, an Earth Observation Hub, a Security and Resilience Unit, A Visualisation Centre, a Business Incubator and Concurrent Design Facility.
ISIC began trading on 1 April 2011. Founding members include; Astrium Services; Astrium GEO-Information Services; Logica; NERC/NCEO; STFC; SSTL; TSB: UK Space Agency and VEGA Space Ltd and University of Surrey.

Media Enquiries

Howard Wheeler, Press Office at the University of Surrey, Tel: +44 (0)1483 686141, or Email mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk