February 8, 2023
Collaboration between Sci-Tech Daresbury and the University of Manchester is out of this world
Sci-Tech Daresbury hosted a very special visit last week from a select team of delegates from the University of Manchester.
The day, which was held on January 26, 2023, was hailed a huge success by all who attended and marks the beginning of what is hoped will be a long and fruitful relationship.
The aim of the event was to connect the future workforce from Manchester University with opportunities within the space industry locally, nationally and globally.
The day came about thanks to Ray Stott, who is co-founder of SpaceSpecialists (which is based at Sci-Tech Daresbury) and chairman of the Aerospace and Space Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) at the University of Manchester, and Alan Cross who is the development manager from North West Space Cluster (Science and Technology Facilities Council or STFC).
The day was the perfect fit for their goal of facilitating the continued expansion of the already thriving space sector in the north west, as explained by Mr Stott who said: “As chairman of the Aerospace and Space Industry Advisory Board at the University of Manchester, STFC and Sci-Tech Daresbury, I am pleased to further build and strengthen the eco-system between the University of Manchester, STFC and Sci-Tech Daresbury.
The visit was another step forward in creating opportunities and collaborations at all levels and we look forward to building on those connections in the coming weeks and years.
– ALAN CROSS
A successful day
Alan Cross was delighted with how successful the day was, saying: “Fostering meaningful connections across industry, academia, and the public sector is critical in developing our region’s space economy.
“As a leading international research and development establishment, Sci-Tech Daresbury was pleased to host representatives from across industry and the University of Manchester’s aerospace engineering department to highlight the range of capabilities on site, and explore future collaboration in support of the UK’s space sector.”
Delegates were able to see at first-hand the facilities and opportunities on offer with a guided tour of the Sci-Tech Daresbury Innovation Centre including the various labs, workshops, lecture theatres and office space on the site as well as the provision of networking opportunities at Sci-Tech with hand-picked, aerospace-related businesses and organisations.
Everyone from the University of Manchester delegation was impressed with what Sci-Tech Daresbury had to offer and expressed their excitement for the future of the partnership.
We spent an eye-opening day finding out about all of the excellent facilities and expertise at Sci-Tech Daresbury. We are really excited about potential future collaborations and the opportunities for our students.
– KATHERINE SMITH, GROUP LEAD OF MACE SPACE SYSTEMS ENGINEERING RESEARCH AT MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY
The sky is definitely not the limit
Dr Paul Treloar head of business support at Sci-Tech Daresbury and part of the welcoming committee for the Manchester University delegation felt the day couldn’t have gone better, saying: “It was a pleasure hosting the University of Manchester (UoM) Aerospace/Space visit to Sci-Tech Daresbury. There is already a high level of collaboration between the University and the Campus, and it was good to use this visit as a catalyst to accelerate further opportunities between the University, the Science & Technology Facilities Council through Daresbury Laboratory, Campus companies, Aerospace/Space companies present in the region and further afield in the UK, and the Space Sector.”
The sky is definitely not the limit for the partnership between Sci-Tech Daresbury and the University of Manchester, as the two organisations look forward to a bright future together.
