1 May 2023

Developing Northern Ireland Space

Robert Hill, InvestNI Space AdvisorChair, NI Space Special Interest Group

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Fastest growing population in the UK

One of Europe’s youngest populations 60% under the age of 40

Unemployment 6.0% (Aug 2015)*

Academic results for NI school leavers more than 10% above the UK national average

77% of school leavers undertake Further & Higher Education

2 world class universities: Queen’s University Belfast & Ulster University

6 colleges of further education - 142,500 students

Resilient physical & telecommunications infrastructure

*Belfast has been named as the world’s most business friendly small to medium sized city

*(fDi’s Global Cities of the Future 2014/15)

Northern Ireland at a glance

Population

1.85 million

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Northern Ireland – Upstream development

2013 NI Partnering for Growth Strategy

launched at Stormont

Endorsed by Minister for

Employment and Learning (DEL)

and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment

(DETI)

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Key outcomes • Establishment of a Northern Ireland Space Special Interest Group

(NISSIG)

• Collaboration with other non space sectors eg: Renewables,

Digital, Security & Law Enforcement, etc..

• Be a key player in relevant high profile initiatives

• Agreements in place with relevant downstream sector players

and bodies

• Ensure delivery with robust monitoring and reporting on

progress and success achieved

• Have recognised talent of motivated competent young people

involved in STEM activities

Developing capabilities and skills regionally but outwardly focussed on

potential markets

Alignment with UK Space IGS

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Next Steps…

• Work together with appropriate industry and academia to

establish key areas

• Identify key areas of competency and match these to

opportunities (UK and ESA support)

• Map downstream capabilities and opportunities and agree areas

of maximum potential

• Work with industry and educators to establish effective ways of

encouraging STEM engagement. Celebrate success to clearly

demonstrate opportunities that space can provide

• Create ‘access to space’ events and workshops for relevant

stakeholders

Build trust

Match capabilities to ‘needs’

Demonstrate regional success

Develop partnerships

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Northern Ireland Space Capabilities

2014NI Space Capabilities brochure launched at

Farnborough Airshow

32 NISSIG

companies

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Hosted by ADS NI

NISSIG quarterly meetings

Champion to follow up on relationship development

Attract primes and higher tier industry

Develop regional capabilities

Northern Ireland Space Special Interest Group (NISSIG)

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NISSIG: Is it working?

Cluster provides a ‘voice’ for regional

stakeholders

Primes and Higher Tier companies

willing to work with cluster to identify

opportunities

Regional Govt recognition of the value of ‘space’

Primes and higher tier companies interested in developing relations with regional clusters and inward investment potential

Supported by Local Government and Regional Development Agency

National agencies and funding organisations welcome opportunities to present to regional networks eg: Innovate UK, UK Space Agency, Catapult

Opportunity for members to promote new innovation and projects with local academia

Companies now discussing collaborative projects

Scoping of needs and requirements of members leads to relevant workshops to develop skills and capabilities

Example: ESA EMITS workshop Belfast

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Developing the downstream

Tracking and communications Intelligence, covert operations

Agrictech GIS, GPS, EO Telematics

Simulation using space assets Telecare monitoring

Tourism apps Defence

and Security applications

Field boundary detection Flood modelling

Feature extraction Land cover change

Air survey Ordnance Survey Land cover mapping

Forestry mapping / UAV imagery Soil

Glaciers Marine

Image classification LiDAR/GPS/RADAR

DEM and point-cloud error quantification and integration

NI Downstream capability mapping

Academic engagement

Creation of a Downstream cluster

or collaborative group

Supported by InvestNI

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Satellite Applications Catapult and Regional support

• NI capabilities mapped against UK ‘needs’ and key targets

• SME development of feasibility

• Catapult engagement validates initial proposition and identifies

potential markets etc..

• Regional Development Agency gains confidence in the SME

proposition for regional funding support

• Regional seed funding granted to develop further

• Example: Sixty 5 Agritech

Validation

Confidence

Focus

Wider UK engagement

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Space for Smarter Government Program

• Collaboration between local government, Satellite

Applications Catapult, UK Space Agency and InvestNI

• Regional Government ‘problem owners’ workshop

• Identification of priority key issues to be addressed

• Call for solutions

• Regional government department manage contract

• IP retained by the winning company

UK Space Agency program

SSGP in NI

Regional stakeholders

UK solutions

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Proposed Regional workshops and presentations

NI Defence and Security Interest Group

Partner: ADS NI

Copernicus and Satellite Applications

Partner: IET NI

Connected Health: Space enabled futures

Partner: Ulster University / CHiC

Growers and Producers / Connected Farming

Partner: NI Good Food / Taste of Ulster

Marine/Maritime Blue Economy NI workshop

Partner: Titanic Centre Oceanography Department / Eurisy

Awareness

Potential

Capability

Support

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Space Science Technology Level 2 Qualification

STEM Qualification

OFQUAL Approved

First vocational qualification of its kind for this

age group in Europe

Developing our next generation

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Unit 1: Human Space Flight

Unit 2: Mapping with a GIS

Unit 3: Technology Impact on Society

Unit 4: Distant Light in the Universe

Unit 5: Composite Technologies and the Aerospace

Industry

Unit 6: Location Aware Computing

Unit 7: Using Satellite Data

Unit 8: Remote Sensing of Earth and Space

QCF Space Science Technology Level 2 modules

Each module mapped against wider industry ‘needs’ in NI

Aerospace

Data Analytics

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NI Supply chain and academiaHighly skilled and educated workforce available

Strong STEM future skills capability pipeline

Largest KTP centre in the UK at Queen’s University

Existing Northern Ireland Space Special Interest (NISSIG)

stakeholder forum

Increased awareness of regional supply chain capabilities to

wider space sector stakeholders

Ability for universities to establish an industrial impact element

to research and academia

Regional space industry helping to retain graduates in the local

economy

Development of new programmes at Third Level

New start-up’s in manufacturing for space

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World Space Week 2015 October 4th to 10th

• NASA Greg ‘Box’ Johnston Astronaut visit to NI 1st to 3rd October

• Collaboration with DEL, IET, Armagh Planetarium, InvestNI, Ulster

Museum, Belfast Metropolitan College, NI Science Festival, Titanic

Centre, Visit Belfast, etc..

• Industry brunch

• UK Rocket Challenge

Regional promotion

events

Linking to National and International programmes

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• Principia and Tim Peake missionPromote NI and

UK Space to future

taxpayers!

Highlight opportunities

for careers

Business Networking

International VIP visit to promote NI

space activities

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Thoughts for developmentMap capabilities and SWOT Analysis – not necessarily in the space sector

Create network/cluster with meaningful outputs

Assign a regional champion

Generate strategy with cluster members, linking to relevant key government strategy and targets eg: Space IGS

Engage with national stakeholders – UK Space Agency, Satellite Applications Catapult, Innovate UK, STFC, Relevant Government Dept’s

Create Space STEM events and promotion opportunities

Start now!

Thank You!Robert HillInvestNI Space Advisor Chair, Northern Ireland Space Special Interest Grouprabhill@hotmail.com