ENTREPRENEURS and start-ups in Scotland’s space sector are to benefit from a cash injection to support innovation in the heart of Glasgow.

The funding from the UK Space Agency will be used by the University of Strathclyde’s Scottish Centre for Satellite Applications and Glasgow City Council to bring young companies to The Tontine, an innovation hub in Glasgow’s Merchant City.

The partnership will give Scotland an even greater share of the UK space industry, which generates a total annual turnover of more than £11 billion. Around 18 per cent of the UK’s space sector employment – around 7,000 jobs – is now based in Scotland.

The news is also a welcome boost for Scotland’s first Innovation District, in the heart of the city.

Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal of the University of Strathclyde, said: “The strong links between the University, the space sector and government have fostered an environment where disruptive space technologies and satellite applications are being created – benefiting the economy as a whole.”