Space industry showcase event held in Westcott Venture Park

An Aylesbury Vale business centre known for hosting high-tech companies held a space industry conference.

At Westcott Venture Park guests were given greater insight into the future of the space industry.

It is believed that more than 100 companies were represented at the event discussing the future of space travel and technology.

Among the subjects raised were drones, rocket propulsion and sustainability in space under the theme of ‘driving space innovation.’

Businesses who use the site could network with industry academics and other thinkers in the space community.

Also, the Westcott Venture Park Master Plan was unveiled which focuses on growing the space sector nationally.

A key emphasis was also placed on careers with employees discussing the paths they took including apprenticeships, degrees and transfers from other industries, providing inspiration for the next generation of staff in the space sector.

Delegates also toured the site with space cluster businesses giving an insight into their operations and how to become involved in their supply chain.

Matt Peachey, head of enterprise zone development at Buckinghamshire LEP, said: “The showcase event featured updates from pioneering and cutting-edge companies that are rapidly growing across the space and technology sectors, at our Westcott Enterprise Zone. It highlighted PATRIZIA’s ambitious plans and vision for the Park with the unveiling of the master plan and provided valuable insights into career pathways into the space industry.

“Over the past five years we have helped to further develop the huge potential of the space sector and believe that future collaborations across sectors will continue to build a secure platform for UK innovation and growth.”

The event was funded by Westcott owners PATRIZIA, the Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership the Satellite Applications Catapult with involvement from URA Thrusters and Buckinghamshire Business First.

Nigel MacKenzie, development manager at Westcott said: “A huge amount of development has been completed within the Westcott Space Cluster in the last few years. This has taken the cluster capabilities to the next level by creating a collaborative eco-system for like-minded companies to develop their ideas and sustainably grow.

“The Westcott Showcase has provided the perfect platform for us to share the new Westcott master plan which has been created to drive the Park forward. The master plan is the next major step for the evolution of the Pak which will deliver more scale- up and innovation space alongside additional amenities and public spaces positioning the Park as one of the most supportive and flexible locations for companies to establish and grow.”

Lucy Edge, acting CEO at the Satellite Applications Catapult added: “We have been delighted to support the showcase event at Westcott, highlighting the growth and development of the Space Cluster.

“The Catapult remains strongly committed to growth of the cluster, through our facilities, and by offering our expertise in testing and prototyping for complex space-sector applications including propulsion and in-orbit service and manufacturing. The event is a wonderful coming-together of businesses working in this exciting and fast-growing sector.”