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UK
vision to stay at forefront of space sector published
NEW proposals
for the UK's future involvement in an increasingly competitive
international space sector were published in the UK Civil Space
Strategy: 2008 - 2012 and beyond. With the space sector
currently contributing approximately £7 billion to the UK economy,
Science and Innovation Minister Ian Pearson announced how the UK
would continue to be at the forefront of this expanding sector. This
will include:-
* Continued UK involvement in Earth observation, space science and
telecoms developments;
* Establishing an international space facility at Harwell,
Oxfordshire, which will focus on climate change, robotic space
exploration and applications;
* Closer involvement in international initiatives on the future
shape of space exploration to the Moon, Mars and beyond; and,
* Setting up a National Space Technology Programme to support the
development of new, innovative technologies and services.
Ian Pearson said:- "Space technology is a vital part of our
everyday life, and satellite communications and space technology
provide strong business opportunities for the future.
Applications from space underpin today's major business sectors.
They provide essential information to understand the Earth's
environment, changing climate and weather and they enable great
strides to be made in the scientific understanding of our Solar
System and beyond; and, provide innovative tools for enhancing our
quality of life. The UK is at the leading edge of these
activities.
The new UK Civil Space Strategy sets out a path to
increase the UK share of this growing international sector."
The British National Space Centre, which co-ordinates the UK's civil
space activities, will now provide the leadership to take forward
the strategy.
Ian Pearson added:- "These coming decades promise to be even
more exciting than the last. The Government is determined that the
UK remains at the forefront of the evolving space scene. I
look forward to working with all sides of the space community in
delivering our exciting vision." |
NORTH WEST HAS NEARLY A MILLION ‘DAYDREAM ENTREPRENEURS’
THE North West
has nearly 1 million ‘daydream entrepreneurs’, according to
new research conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Business Link. The
term ‘daydream entrepreneur’ has been coined by Business Link
Northwest to describe all the people out there who regularly think
about starting their own business but never actually do anything
about it.
The recent survey revealed that 25% of the working population in the
region have thought about starting their own business, with 45% of
them spending up to 7 hours a week thinking about it. However, a
whopping 43% of them stated ‘not knowing how to start or run a
business’ as one of the main barriers that prevents them from
doing it. Other prevalent reasons include worrying about how to
finance the venture and concerns that the business might not
succeed, while it seems that the current economic climate is also
acting as a deterrent for some.
Meanwhile, there seems to be plenty to look forward to for those who
turn their dreams into a reality, with the survey also identifying
the motivational factors that fuel people’s dreams of running their
own business. The top five cited by workers in the North West were:-
1. To make more money!
2. The freedom to adopt their own approach to work.
3. Being able to work from home.
4. Turning a hobby or interest into a business.
5. To challenge themselves and prove that they can do it.
Business Link Northwest offers support and advice to help budding
entrepreneurs to actually take the plunge and start their own
company, offering a wealth of information from how to write a
business plan to creating contracts of employment. The service is
free to use and can be accessed
online
or by calling Business Link on 0845 00 66 888.
Peter Watson, Managing Director at Business Link Northwest
comments:- “I’d urge all those daydream entrepreneurs out
there to be proactive and take the next step - the only thing that
separates them from real entrepreneurs is that people who run their
own business have actually starting doing it. We can offer free
advice for all those wishful thinkers out there who don’t know how
to make their first step, and help them to make that progression
from daydreamer to real achiever.” |
