A consortium of UK universities and agencies has been awarded nearly £5 million from Research England to enhance research and innovation in the UK space industry.

The Universities of Leicester, Southampton, Surrey and Edinburgh plus the Open University, which together form part of SPRINT (the Space Research and Innovation Network for Technology), have received the £4.8 million Connecting Capability Fund (CCF) grant in order to help small- and medium-size businesses engage with Higher Education institutions, giving them unprecedented access to university expertise and facilities.

Research England’s funding of SPRINT will act as a catalyst to transform the ways that universities and other partners collaborate, working to boost economic growth, jobs and prosperity throughout the UK by delivering market-led solutions to the space and space-enabled economy.

For Leicester, SPRINT aligns strongly with its Higher Education Industry Funding (HEIF) strategy and its flagship Research Institute, the Leicester Institute for Space and Earth Observation (LISEO), plus pioneering work that will take place at Space Park Leicester.

It is an ambitious initiative to develop a global hub and collaborative community based on space and space-enabled technologies. The park’s first building, adjacent to the National Space Centre, is expected to be ready in 2020.

Paul Boyle, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Leicester, said: “We are pleased that Leicester has played a significant role in developing this partnership between a number of outstanding universities and space businesses.

“Our space scientists have a long-held reputation for conducting world-class research.

“This award is evidence of the deep partnerships that they have forged with industry, which will be vital if the Government’s ambitions for the space sector are to be achieved.”