Meet the team. IBioIC is hosting Space and the Bioeconomy session at 11.40 on 11 September 2024.
The Scottish space industry is thriving and one of the fastest growing in Europe. Glasgow designs and builds more small satellites than anywhere outside of California. Scotland is home to five spaceports aiming to be a strategic launchpad for the northern hemisphere with multiple launch vehicle operators. Scotland is famous for world class downstream data capabilities, technology for deep space missions and is home to over 150+ space companies with the sector underpinned by government, business, clusters and universities.
Space-Comm Expo Scotland is supported by the Scottish Government, UK Space Agency, UKspace, Scottish Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Space Scotland with plans to attract international delegations and visitors from across Europe and the global space community, alongside Primes, SMEs and Start-Ups.
Space-Comm Expo Scotland will follow the award-winning format of previous events with Scottish based companies to the fore alongside international exhibitors, product demonstrations, keynote speakers, multiple conference theatres, roundtables and 1-2-1 networking opportunities.
Space and the Bioeconomy
Join the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) and special guests for a dynamic session that explores the intersection of biotechnology and the space sector. Discover how IBioIC is driving the transition to bio-based manufacturing – fostering industry-academic collaborations, providing funding for proof-of-concept research, and developing a pipeline of future talent.
IBioIC is a publicly funded, networking and support organisation that connects industry, academia, and government to accelerate and de-risk the commercialisation of biotechnology products and processes. The Centre supports bio-based innovation across diverse sectors, including chemical manufacturing, biopharma, agri-tech, construction, and textiles.
Hosted by IBioIC CEO Mark Bustard
Speakers:
Dr Rosa Santomartino, Researcher in Astrobiology , University of Edinburgh
Rosa Santomartino is the principal investigator of the Space Microbiology group and co-director of the UK Centre for Astrobiology at the University of Edinburgh. Her major research interest lays in understanding how to harness the power of microorganisms for the development of biotechnologies for sustainable space exploration, and how these could help tackling environmental issues on Earth. She performed two space microbiology experiments onboard the International Space Station, BioRock (2019) and BioAsteroid (2021), which provided the first demonstration of biomining on a space station.
Geraint ‘Taff’ Morgan, Associate Director of Commercialisation for Astrobiology at The Open University
Taff is Associate Director of Commercialisation for Astrobiology at The Open University. He is founder and director of four companies, two of which are alumni of the European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre. An expert in the translation of space know-how to terrestrial challenges, he has provided evidence in the incubation and commercial landscape for the UK Government Department of Science Innovation and Technology Committee Inquiry into UK Astronomy. His presentation will consider the scientific, governance and ethical challenges associated with astrobiology and space missions.
Aqeel Shamsul, CEO and co-founder of Frontier Space Technologies Ltd
Dr Aqeel Shamsul is the CEO and co-founder of Frontier Space Technologies Ltd, a UK Space Biotech startup that is industrialising space biotechnology to develop and manufacture new therapeutics and medicine in orbit. Aqeel completed his PhD at Cranfield University in 2022 in developing a miniaturised bio laboratory for space application, which he led and flew its first technology demonstration mission in the stratosphere. He spun out the technology from Cranfield University with a few alumni and commercialised it to perform high-throughput drug discovery and biomanufacturing in orbit. Since its incorporation, Frontier Space has won over 1 million GBP in non-dilutive funding to advance core fluidic and imaging technologies and participated in UKSA inaugural LEO & GEO accelerator programme, Seraphim Space Accelerator, Mandala Space Ventures and European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre. He was named 2019 Emerging Space Leader by the International Astronautical Federation and co-founded a non-profit Malaysia Space Initiative