UK space spend to increase £60m

Chancellor George Osborne has increased spending on space technology by £60m per year over the next two years. The investment is part of a plan to increase the UK's contribution to the European Space Agency. The government hopes this will attract more hi-tech jobs and contracts to Britain. Overall spending in civil research has, however, declined by 5% in real terms since 2010 - a reduction which is set to continue. Mr Osborne made the announcement in a speech to the Royal Society, callingor a national debate on where the UK can lead the world in scientific excellence. The European Space Agency (Esa) investment will lift UK's contribution to the Paris-based organisation by an average of 30% at a time when many other nations are struggling to meet their contributions or even reducing them. By increasing its contribution, the expectation is that the UK will get more research contracts in return and this will increase the competitiveness of British space companies, enabling them to win future orders in what is a growing global market for products and services. Recent data have shown that the UK space industry recorded a total turnover of over £9.1bn in 2010/11, representing an average annual growth rate of 7.5% since 2008/09. While other sectors have shrunk during the recession, these figures gave Science Minister David Willetts powerful ammunition to persuade the Treasury to back space as a key sector for further growth. Continue reading the main story Analysis Jonathan Amos Science correspondent When the 19 member states of the European Space Agency (Esa) meet in Naples in 11 days' time, you'll be able to tell the British delegation from quite a distance. They'll be the ones with a bit of a swagger in their step. The Chancellor George Osborne has just told them they can now commit substantially more money to the intergovernmental organisation's projects. Currently, the UK invests an average of £170m a year in Esa. This is going to rise to an average of £240m over the period from 2013/14 to 2017/18. It is a significant uplift at a time when many other member states have been frantically stuffing their hands down the back of the sofa to find the cash just to pay their existing subscriptions. This Naples Ministerial Council will be key in setting the priorities of the agency in this decade, and Britain has now indicated it wants to play a leading role - but with a very clear purpose: to spur economic growth at home. Read more from Jonathan "We have underestimated the strength of our space industry," he told BBC News. "In fact, we are a global player in satellite and telecommunications technology. This additional investment is a signal to Esa and commercial companies that we are going to continue to support space science and technology." Sir Martin Sweeting, the executive chairman of Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, which specialises in manufacturing small spacecraft, welcomed the chancellor's announcement, saying: "The UK space industry is a world leader and has been one of the fastest-growing parts of the economy over the past decade. "Today's announcement will help to maintain the UK's lead in this rapidly growing market." The commitment to Esa will see the agency base its satellite telecommunications headquarters in the UK, expanding its recently opened technical centre in Harwell, Oxfordshire. In his speech, Mr Osborne set out seven further areas where the government thinks Britain is a world leader and can and must go further: computing, synthetic biology, regenerative medicine, agricultural science, energy storage, robotics and advanced materials including nanotechnology. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. //

UK space spend to increase £60m 2012-11-11T11:02:00-08:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Undercover 999