Firms' space to grow
Jul 23 2009 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal
THEIR aim is to unlock the secrets of the universe but they could also help unearth lucrative business opportunities for North East science firms.
Scientists from two programmes designed to solve the mysteries of space are heading north to highlight the wealth of opportunities created by the projects for regional companies.
The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs), which are collectively worth around £1.7bn, are projects aimed at looking deeper into the universe than ever before.
The SKA is a giant radio telescope which is 50 times more sensitive than any existing telescope and will be built in either South Africa or Western Australia. It is backed by an international consortium and is scheduled for completion by 2020.
Meanwhile, ELTs, which have a diameter of more than 20 metres, are also telescopes built to look further into the universe.
Next week representatives from both projects will speak at the North East Technology Park (NETPark) in Sedgefield to outline how North East scientists can get involved.
The event will see professors and astronomy experts taking the audience through the telescope programmes, highlighting technology spin-offs and discussing how companies can tap into potentially-lucrative work on the projects.
Speakers include Professor Colin Cunningham of the UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Professor Ray Sharples of Durham University and the Centre for Advanced Instrumentation, and Phil Crosby of the SKA Program Development Office.
Professor Carlos Frenk FRS of Durham University and the Institute for Computational Cosmology will also demonstrate a 3-D simulation of how the universe might originally have looked. One North East company which is already well-versed in the opportunities offered by the SKA project is Newcastle-based nano and micro-technology firm INEX.
The company, owned by Newcastle University, is in the running for a contract to install 50 million special ‘low noise amplifiers’ into the ambitious project to help make it more sensitive to radio waves from outer space.
:: For more details on the event which runs next Tuesday from 5-8pm go to www.nebusiness.co.uk/events
