Space Park Perspectives

As global space missions capture attention, Space Park Leicester is creating opportunity much closer to home—connecting research, innovation and community to drive impact across the University and beyond.

Space is very much in the news at the moment. The Artemis II mission created excitement and captured the global imagination. At the same time, for some this new global space race will have created a sense of trepidation aligned with the global politics and concerns around humanity’s relationship to space and its resources. There is also a sense that these developments can feel both physically distant and conceptually remote—something that happens “out there” rather than here in Leicester.

The morning after the Artemis II launch, I did an interview on a radio station. The host joked that “we in Leicester think we are the centre of the universe” and yet, I reminded him “as a city and place we do not talk about our successes and achievements enough”. In developing Space Park Leicester and Space City we have created a platform for research, innovation and education which is and, can be, transformative for our city, county and regional economy. We can be proud to be a leader in this new space era which touches every aspect of our lives. Space Park Leicester is very much about here—and about all of us.

While it is rooted in the University’s world-leading heritage in space science, Space Park Leicester is not simply a place for space research. It is the University’s innovation precinct—a platform designed to bring together research, enterprise, education and partnership in a way that creates real-world impact. This is reflected in its role hosting regional events such as the Leicester Innovation Festival; Student Enterprise Challenge; or opening the doors to the public to discuss climate change during COP30 in Belem. 

It is a place where physicists and engineers work alongside data scientists, social scientists, artists and life scientists. The recently launched Leverhulme Centre for Humanity and Space is a powerful example of this—bringing together disciplines to explore not just how we go to space, but how we do so responsibly, sustainably and equitably (in part addressing the complex ethical, moral and legal issues associated with humanity’s interaction with space and with each other in it). Space Park is a delivery partner of the Institute for Space which has inter disciplinary research at its heart.

It is also a place where new opportunities are emerging at pace. Space is now recognised as a general-purpose technology—underpinning everything from climate monitoring and communications to national security, health and advanced manufacturing. We are working on projects that reflect this shift—from space-based manufacturing techniques including our work on in-space welding through to the role of microgravity in the development of new medical therapies.

Alongside research, Space Park Leicester is where we translate ideas into action. It is home to start-ups and scale-ups, a base for major partners, and increasingly a space where we convene policymakers, industry and academia to shape the future of research, innovation and skills.

Co-located with 25+ industrial partners, Space Park creates opportunities for our students to gain valuable work experience and graduate employment and has placed many in businesses and agencies doing everything from Space Policy (UKSA), monitoring the health of the earth (Planet Labs) to science outreach (National Space Centre). Working with investment from the university Our Citizens Board, we will be scaling up this activity over the next year.

Space Park Leicester is a place to collaborate, to engage partners, to host activity, and to connect the work of the university community with wider impact. It is also a practical resource. Our conference and events facilities are among the best in the region—flexible spaces, excellent catering, parking and the ability to host everything from small workshops to major national gatherings. If colleagues are planning to host events and conferences the team at Space Park Leicester would be pleased to support you in this.

Beyond the University, Space Park Leicester plays a central role in the development of Space City Leicester—a growing innovation district that is already attracting investment, creating jobs and building a cluster of national significance. In a context where space is embedded in the UK’s Industrial Strategy, this matters—not just for the sector, but for the future of our regional economy.

But perhaps most importantly, Space Park Leicester is a community.

A community that is still forming, still evolving, and still full of potential. My invitation to colleagues is simple: come and see it. Engage with it. Use it. Challenge it.

We are opening up for events where colleagues can come along and experience the space on Tuesday 5 May. We are also in the process of developing a work smart functionality.

Space is now everybody’s business and Space Park Leicester will only achieve its full potential if it is owned not just by those based here—but by the whole University

Space Park Perspectives brings together science, society and the humanities to explore how space is shaping life on Earth — and beyond.

To explore Space Park Leicester partnerships, missions, residents, facilities, training programmes and innovation products, visit space-park.co.uk or to learn more about the University of Leicester visit le.ac.uk/.