Satellite Applications Catapult to establish Sino-British Cooperation Centre in Chengdu

Above: the Satellite Applications Catapult at the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire.
Courtesy Satellite Applications Catapult

The centre, which will be based in Jinjiang District, Chengdu, will provide both Chinese and British enterprises working in the field of satellite applications with partnership and investment opportunities. It will assist UK SMEs looking to enter the Chinese market, support UK companies to collaborate on innovative projects in the Chinese and Asian markets and lead research and development projects to drive collaboration between China and the UK.

By 2025, the centre aims to create a $4bn opportunity for global export, by identifying significant global challenges which can be addressed using data from satellites.

This development marks the beginning of a new focus of activity for the Satellite Applications Catapult which already has operations in South America and has worked on innovative projects in over 22 countries. This centre will be the Catapult’s first base in Asia and will create significant opportunities for it to continue its work in growing the UK economy, co-located in the world’s second largest economy.

The Catapult has already engaged innovative UK SMEs in initial discussions with Chinese partners, and will be actively seeking more UK companies and research organisations who are interested in developing products and services both for the Chinese market and in collaboration with Chinese businesses, researchers and investors.

The deal has been supported by Professor Yu Xiong, Chair of Technology and Operations Management in Newcastle Business School of Northumbria University, who has been an advisor to and initiator of the project and Mr James Wang from ELI Holdings, who is acting as the Catapult’s sponsor in Chengdu.

Stuart Martin, CEO of the Satellite Applications Catapult said: “The Satellite applications industry is by its very nature, global and the growth of the UK space sector relies on the take-up of innovative products and services by customers around the world. By creating a centre in China, we will enable UK businesses to access one of the largest markets in the world and develop a new range of collaborative opportunities to increase the global impact of our work.”

Chen Lizhang, Secretary of CPC Jinjiang District Committee, said: “As the centre of commerce, business, finance, and culture of Chengdu, we warmly welcome international corporations to make investments and do business in Chengdu city and Jinjiang District”