TWO new Oxfordshire projects have been awarded more than £400,000 of Government funding to help find life on Mars.


Projects to remotely probe ice on the planet to help explorers find life below the surface and a system to warn of impacts of flood risks to infrastructure based on research in India have received backing from the UK Space Agency’s National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP). 

 The funding will see the Oxfordshire companies working with partners including NASA and the Canadian Space Agency. 


NSIP is the first fund dedicated to supporting the UK space sector's innovation through collaborations with international partners designed to contribute to UK science, security and prosperity.  


Dr Graham Turnock, CEO of the UK Space Agency, commented:  "Space technologies are part of almost every aspect of our daily lives. 


"With rapid technological innovation, space offers a broad and growing range of opportunities to support economic activity and protect the environment.  
 "These projects champion the best of British innovation while strengthening our partnerships around the world."


The new funding for these international projects is on top of more than seven million pounds awarded to 21 UK organisations in December last year. 
These were the first projects to receive a cash injection from the national element of NSIP.   


Gina Tsarouchi, principal engineer at HR Wallingford which is leading the flood risk project, said: "From our South Oxfordshire base, we have helped communities around the world that are vulnerable to flooding for more than 70 years. 
"This new UK Space Agency funding means we can employ our expertise in India to assist with emergency flood planning."