CHAMBER NEWS
Chamber backs new laws that will unlock exciting space era for UK
New laws that will unlock an exciting era of British space innovation, exploration and investment have gained Royal Assent. The Space Industry Bill will
enable the first commercial space launch from UK soil, creating the potential for hundreds of highly-skilled jobs and bringing in billions of pounds for the economy, it said. The passing of the Bill
means British businesses will be able to compete in the commercial space race using UK spaceports.
'The Space Industry Bill will enable the first commercial space launch from UK soil'
L-R: Diane Beresford, Chamber Deputy Chief Executive; Cllr Nick Rushton, Leader of Leicestershire County Council; Jon Egley, Digital Growth Programme Manager and Niall Mullin, Superfast Leicestershire Programme Manager
Conference is keeping the region ahead of the trend
Eager to understand the latest trends in social media, hundreds of firms from across the region attended a free digital conference, aimed at driving business growth. Almost 600 representatives from
small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) heard from expert speakers at the Digital Growth Conference 18: explore the future – an event which took place at two venues, in Nottingham and Leicester. Delivered by the Chamber in
partnership with Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire, and the Leicestershire County Council-led broadband programme, Superfast Leicestershire, the conferences set out some of the key and emerging developments across the digital landscape. The events included a keynote
address from TED-Ex’s Andrew Grill - Practical Futurist and former Global Managing Partner at IBM – as well as talks from experts in digital marketing and technology solutions for a range of industries. Speaking after the Leicester
event Cllr Nick Rushton, Leader of Leicestershire County Council, said: “The digital world is fast-paced and ever-changing so it is great to be
‘Events like this, together with the Digital Growth Programme, are helping businesses overcome their challenges and embrace the benefits of a new digital world’
able to support our local SMEs by hosting events like this.” The Superfast Leicestershire
Programme in partnership with BT is providing access to Superfast broadband to 97% of all homes and businesses across the county by the end of this year and is currently developing plans to get the final three per cent connected. Reflecting on the Nottingham
event, Cllr Kay Cutts, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “Events like this, together with the Digital Growth Programme, are helping businesses overcome their challenges and embrace the benefits of a new digital world. It was great to see delegates take away some really useful tips.” The Digital Growth Programme is
part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Nottinghamshire County Council and Leicestershire County Council and is the only digital programme in the region that provides support
to SMEs through awareness-raising seminars, action-planning workshops as well as access to grant funding. Diane Beresford, the Chamber’s
Deputy Chief Executive, added: “It was great to see so many businesses coming together at the event, to understand how the digital landscape is changing – and how being ahead of the game can really help change the way they deliver services and products, connect with customers and ultimately boost their bottom line.” Eligible businesses are urged to
find out more about the programme and support that is on offer.
The full range of seminars and workshops can be found and booked online at www.D2N2-
digital.co.uk (if based in Derby/Derbyshire, Nottingham/Nottinghamshire) or
www.leics-digital.co.uk (if based in Leicester/Leicestershire).
Access to space will allow
companies to deploy satellites, making the UK a one-stop- shop for satellites services and the best place in Europe to start and grow a space business. Chris Hobson, Director of
Policy at the Chamber, said: “This announcement by Government reaffirms what the Chamber has been saying about making sure we have the skills in our workforce to drive the fourth industrial revolution and make sure we are world-leaders in innovation in a post-Brexit economy. “The big danger from a
regional perspective is the bulk of the investment in this new space age could be ploughed into the UK’s version of Silicon Valley, the area to the west of London through Berkshire and into Wiltshire, where many of the companies involved in this level of technology are based. “But we have firms working
in this sector in the East Midlands, we have the National Space Centre in Leicester, we have led much of this innovation and should, working alongside partners such as the Midlands Engine for Growth and our universities, be doing everything we can to make sure we capitalise on this very lucrative opportunity.”
business network April 2018 29
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