Brexit. The Covid-19 pandemic. The death of a beloved monarch. Over the last seven years, the United Kingdom has gone through a lot. Yet, the deeply-rooted pioneering spirit has remained alive in the country that gave birth to the Industrial Revolution.
Across all sectors of the economy, the commitment to innovate is clear. UK aerospace is thriving. British industry wants lead the world in achieving a net-zero future. Its universities remain global centers of research.
With the U.S. way ahead in the space race, the United Kingdom wants to catch up with the rest of the pack. The government, through various incentive programs, wants to reenergize the country’s fledgling aerospace sector; and a small company with big aspirations has answered the call.
“It started quite a few years ago, probably about five years ago. The UK government has always had a space industry, but never had a launch industry. The government decided that we needed a fully vertically integrated space sector in order to take advantage of this new space economy,” said Shetland Islands-based SaxaVord Spaceport UK CEO Frank Strang.
“They launched a competition to stimulate interest in space launch. It was called the UK Vertical Launch Pathfinder Program and offered a cash prize. The government was looking for a launch company, as well as a space port or a potential space port. The invitation went out to the industry,” Strang added.
In another field, the UK emerges the global frontrunner in environmental protection, sustainable development, and green technology. Over the past decade, British companies have introduced Earth-saving innovations that will improve industry’s relationship with the natural world.
“The science is clear. The world needs carbon removals to mitigate the worst impact of climate change. At Drax, we’re developing the largest carbon removal projects in the world. We aim to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and store millions of tons of carbon permanently underground, safely and securely” said Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner.
“By doing this, we will be providing other forward-thinking businesses the opportunity to decarbonize by purchasing high-quality carbon removal. We will be creating jobs, helping promote healthy forests, powering homes and businesses, and playing a key role in tackling the climate emergency for the world. Can you imagine the potential of this moonshot idea?” Gardiner added.
Meanwhile, one of the UK’s top institutions of higher learning is ensuring that environmental protection is hard-wired in the next generation of leaders by including sustainability in its curriculum.
“We’re not just teaching students, giving them lectures, giving them textbooks to read, and asking them to write essays. We are putting more emphasis on things we can do that have industrial relevance, and people can regard as authoritative sources,” said Dr. Peter Hough, Middlesex University London Associate Professor in International Politics.
“So, we are looking more closely on potential initiatives to develop sustainability programs and how we can develop links at the local level and with local businesses, like opening up more green spaces in Hendon,” he added.
