Welcome
A warm welcome to the International Space Innovation Centre-Surrey (ISIC-Surrey), based at the Surrey Research Park in Guildford, UK.
These are exciting times for the UK space industry, which is growing in real terms by around 10 per cent every year. With an annual turnover of £7.5 billion, the industry directly employs 25,000 people, and has a six per cent share of the global market.
The UK Government is committed to supporting the space industry. The Space Innovation & Growth Strategy – drawn up by government, industry and academia – is targeting an increase in UK space industry turnover to £40 billion a year, with the aim of employing 100,000 people and increasing the global market share to 10 per cent. And, in the 2011 Chancellor’s Budget, £10 million funding was made available to support new technologies used in spacecraft systems.
Within the UK, the space industry is concentrated in the South East of England, with around 75 per cent of UK annual turnover in this region. The industry is characterised by Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and it is estimated that 71 per cent of companies have less than three employees, with 96 per cent having less than 300 staff.
Against this backdrop, ISIC-Surrey provides dedicated business support for SMEs and start-up companies operating in the space industry, and specifically for businesses in the South East region.
ISIC-Surrey is directly aligned to the ISIC hub, which is located at the Harwell Science & Innovation Campus. It is also directly linked to the University of Surrey, with its world-class reputation for research, innovation, knowledge transfer and skills development in the space industry. ISIC-Surrey is therefore in an ideal position to support regional businesses and help to nurture further innovation and growth.
