Rebecca Huffee, Space Cluster Manager said, “The West of England region is uniquely placed as one of the space agencies of the UK. It has a strong aerospace heritage which builds the foundation of the UK’s space sector. In addition to that, it has a large defence cluster where we see some of the highest levels of defence spending in the country.
We’re very lucky to have three world-class universities - the University of Bristol, the University of Bath, and UWE Bristol - all delivering leading research and talent. In fact, we have more PhDs across the region than the Oxford-Cambridge Arc. That talent pool is not only driving innovation but attracting the investment businesses need to deliver the next generation of space technologies.”
The region’s space and aerospace cluster includes:
- 10 space manufacturing organisations
- 9 satellite applications companies
- 7 universities and research centres
- 11 consultancy and support service providers
- 10 outreach and engagement organisations
- 5 major engineering consultancies
This ecosystem is underpinned by the wider South West aerospace cluster - the third largest in the UK - making the West of England a hub of technical expertise, innovation, and commercial opportunity. The region also accounts for 11% of the UK’s space organisations outside London and the South East (UK Space Industry: Size & Health Report 2020).
With tailored business support from Invest Bristol & Bath, international companies have access to local insight, talent pipelines, and soft landing services that help them establish and grow in the UK space market.
