UK Space Agency announces £3.4m new funding for global development solutions

The UK Space Agency has today announced that it is providing £3.4m of new funding to support research into global development problems.

The funding will be allocated to 10 leading-edge projects that back UK academics using space to tackle issues ranging from the spread of malaria to human trafficking and forced labour.

The £3.4m funding comes from the UK Space Agency’s International Partnership Programme (IPP), which is designed to use UK space expertise in satellite technology and data services to deliver ground-breaking solutions to real-world problems across the globe.

It forms part of the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) which supports cutting-edge research to meet challenges faced by developing countries.

Amanda Solloway, science minister, commented: “From flooding to climate change, around the world people continue to be affected by crises that are having a profound impact on their countries’ economies and their lives.

“These 10 new projects have the potential to provide solutions to the world’s biggest development problems by using the latest and most high-tech space technologies such as satellites, and help improve millions of people’s lives in developing countries.”