A NEW research centre could help Harwell become the “Silicon Valley of space”, five years after the idea was first proposed in the back of a ministerial car.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has announced the £40m International Space Innovation Centre (ISIC) will be built alongside the European Space Agency facility on Harwell Science and Innovation Centre, creating 700 jobs in five years.

And Prof Richard Holdaway, who first proposed the centre in 2005, says Harwell could one day be the workplace of up to 10,000 space scientists.

Prof Holdaway, director of the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s space department, said the centre would attract specialist companies to the area.

He said: “I think there is a real chance of something like three to five thousand people working on space in Harwell in the next five to 10 years.

“My guess is two or three thousand is the lower limit; the upper limit is 10,000.

“I think we will become one of the few world-leading centres.”

He added: “Like many good things, the whole idea of ISIC was conceived in the back of a car – in this particular case during a discussion between (then Science Minister) David Sainsbury and myself in an embassy car in China.

“We were discussing what were the real opportunities for the UK. Five years on it has become a reality.”

The new centre will be part of the UK Space Agency, launched on Tuesday as a British version of Nasa, and initially operating from Swindon.

The Government hopes it will lead to a huge growth in the space industry, which currently contributes £6bn to the economy each year, supporting 68,000 jobs.

Ministers hope it can grow to a £40bn industry employing 100,000 people in 20 years, and attract more hi-tech companies to move to Harwell.

Harwell Stakeholders Group chairman Terry Joslin said: “That is how Silicon Valley developed – everyone wanted to huddle to where it was at.

“Harwell is now where it is at in Europe.

“This is a big one for Harwell, the growth is ongoing, and there is more to come.”

ISIC, which will be funded using both public and private investment, will set up centres of excellence in specialist fields.

Likely areas it will focus on include advising on the security of space systems and using satellite data to tackle climate change.

lsloan@oxfordmail.co.uk