South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) has launched a new strategy to set out how the South of Scotland can use its natural resources for the benefit of the region, and support the Scottish Government’s national Space Strategy.
The new Space Strategy will aim to awaken entrepreneurial opportunities, inspire new thinking, and create space jobs in the region, which is now Scotland’s Natural Capital Innovation Zone.
The strategy – which was produced by AstroAgency and commissioned by SOSE – proposes a pragmatic approach whereby SOSE and partners can help the region to:
- Become a significant link in the UK Space Cluster Chain
- Set up series of innovation hubs in the South of Scotland
- Incubate and attract space businesses, workforce, and investors
- Cement strategic partnerships to unlock the value of space
SOSE has already been engaging with local businesses who are interested in filling supply chain opportunities in the space sector, such as geospatial analytics, precision agriculture or space data.
The global space economy is projected to grow from an estimated £270 billion in 2019 to £490 billion by 2030, with the Scottish Government aiming to create 20,000 sector jobs by 2030.
The strategy has been launched on the eve of Space-Comm Expo Scotland, which takes place in Glasgow on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 September and will see SOSE in attendance alongside the Scottish Government and other enterprise agency partners.
Jane Morrison-Ross, Chief Executive of SOSE, said:
“As Scotland’s Natural Capital Innovation Zone, the South of Scotland has a key role to play in supporting the national Space Strategy.
“Space tech can give us tools to use in precision agriculture, biodiversity, and help us to innovate in engineering, food & drink and textiles. The South of Scotland has rich collateral to draw on here.
“The region’s DNA is intertwined with innovation, with our natural capital and with innovation led by traditional industries.
“Our DNA is evolving to build innovation in emerging industries – carbon capture, energy transition, hydrogen and agri-tech to name a few.
“Now that the strategy has been published, we will focus on delivering the benefits and opportunities, and our work with local partners, and international partners in the space sector, who see the huge potential in the South of Scotland.”
Business Minister Richard Lochhead said:
“Scotland’s first Space Strategy, launched in 2021, was a joint effort between government, industry and academia setting out a shared ambition to capture a £4billion share of the global space market and create 20,000 jobs over the next decade.
“South of Scotland Enterprise’s Space Strategy brings a focus to how the sector’s vast potential can work for the region – not just in terms of growing its share of the space market, but utilising the technology as a force for good across right across the economy.”
Richard Osborne, Chief Technology Officer at AstroAgency, added:
“From the outset, it was clear to us that South of Scotland Enterprise were already well aware of the opportunity that space applications could bring to their region, an area rich in natural capital with a heritage of entrepreneurialism.
“With this strategy, their passionate team is now equipped to leverage space technology to drive the wellbeing economy forward and supercharge the drive to net zero.”
