About SPRINT > SPRINT

SPRINT is the SPace Research and Innovation Network for Technology, a unique partnership of top UK space universities, industry, government agencies and the investment community dedicated to supporting the growth of small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in the UK through the commercial exploitation of space data and technologies.

SPRINT provides SMEs unprecedented funded access to the expertise (people, knowledge, facilities, applications, technologies and training) in the UK’s top space universities to support the development of new products and services enabled through space for their core markets. Through its partners, SPRINT connects with the UK’s space innovation ecosystem helping SMEs (in any stage of their growth journey) find the technical and business support they need to take their business to the next level.

SPRINT is delivered by a consortium including founder partners – the University of Leicester, University of Edinburgh, The Open University, University of Southampton and the University of Surrey, and associate partners including City, University of London, Durham University, Kingston University, University of Bristol, University of Exeter, University of Glasgow, University of Leeds and University of Strathclyde.

Joining SPRINT is free and as simple as sharing your e-mail address with us.

Read through the some of the highlights and successes of the SPRINT programme in our latest brochure below – ‘SPRINT: supporting sustainability and growth of space companies’ (Published August 2022)

Introductory Video:

For SMEs

As an SME, SPRINT recognises the challenges you face in the development of your product and service. SPRINT can help take the stress, uncertainty and risk out of your product development by enabling your company access to ready-made teams of experts and facilities at UK universities through collaboration. This in turn helps to lower your product development costs and get your product to market quicker. So if you are already investing in R&D for your company’s growth then you could multiply that investment by up to 3x by considering SPRINT-funded collaborative projects. In addition though the Network you will get free access to SPRINT Innovation Advisers, information, news, events and workshops linking you with the UK’s space innovation ecosystem of funders, large companies, business support and investors providing everything you need to support your company’s growth.

Explore this site further to discover how to join the Network, the support available and how to access it.

For Large Companies

SMEs probably are, or could, play a major part in your supply chain and R&D efforts. Through SME innovation and collaboration with SPRINT universities, SPRINT can help support the identification and development of new products, services and suppliers for your supply chain as well as support the performance and quality improvement of existing SME-supplied products and services through SPRINT-funded collaborative projects. You can also engage with SPRINT to help identify throughout our university partner network any academic expertise you may need to support your own R&D efforts.

Join the Network to keep up to date with the Programme and explore the site to discover our capabilities. Download our pitch deck: SPRINT – for Corporates and get in touch if you wish to find out more about becoming a SPRINT partner.

For the Business Support Community

If you work in a business incubation centre, business accelerator programme, regional business development agency, science and technology park in any region of the UK and in any industrial sector then you share similar goals to SPRINT; to help grow the businesses you are supporting. Encouraging your businesses to discover SPRINT could open up a whole new world of opportunity to them and in turn SPRINT can direct new businesses to benefit from your services.

Join the Network to keep up to date with the Programme. Download our pitch deck: SPRINT – for Business Support and get in touch if you wish to find out more about becoming a SPRINT partner.

For Funders

SPRINT leverages the academic expertise from top UK universities to support UK SME business growth though the commercial exploitation of technologies, data and know-how developed for space. If you are a funder and share our vision for UK space sector growth then there are multiple opportunities for you to engage with us and through our network to deliver the highest impact for your funding programmes.

Join the Network to keep up to date with the Programme. Download our pitch deck: SPRINT – for Funders and get in touch if you wish to find out more about becoming a SPRINT partner.

For the Investment Community

SPRINT works with high-growth and scale-up businesses across the UK supporting the development of innovative new products and services using space data and technologies. If you are an investor or represent an investor group the SPRINT can support opportunities to identify new and innovative companies to enhance your deal-flow and support the growth on innovative companies in the UK.

Join the Network to keep up to date with the Programme. Download our pitch deck: SPRINT – for Investors and get in touch if you wish to find out more about becoming a SPRINT partner.

For the Academic Community

SPRINT funds your research to benefit SMEs. Working with innovative companies in the UK is a great way to consolidate and develop your expertise in your research field and learn a few new things along the way. SPRINT-supported companies will bring to you new ideas, technologies, services, applications and data and will offer you the chance to collaboratively work with them to bring those ideas to market through fully-funded, high-impact projects. For academics working in SPRINT universities we provide a SPRINT Innovation Adviser who identifies companies with needs that match your expertise and supports the development of your new collaborative project. Working with SPRINT can help you and your research group to meet and exceed your targets for the Research Excellent Framework (REF) and Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF), diversity and sustain your income though 100% fEC-funded projects and discover the wider benefits of collaborating with some of the UK’s most innovative companies.

Join the Network to keep up to date with the Programme and connect with your SPRINT Innovation Adviser to register your interest to help them help you.

Our funders

SPRINT is funded as part of an investment through Research England’s Connecting Capability Fund in new collaborative projects to drive forward world-class university commercialisation across the country. The Connecting Capability Fund supports universities in working together, and with businesses and other partners, to commercialise research expertise and share good practice and capacity. The Fund is highlighted in the Government’s Industrial Strategy and will help achieve its aims of enhancing UK industrial competitiveness and productivity.

The University of Edinburgh’s participation in SPRINT is funded by the Scottish Funding Council.

UK Space Agency

SPRINT has also received additional funding through the UK Space Agency, specifically to fund projects designed to bring together UK business expertise with universities to help build space solutions to global problems, on UK soil. Further extension funding has also been received to support collaborations with Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.