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Currently based in Newport, South Wales, it will open: Future Telecoms Hub at the Bristol and Bath Science Park, CSA Scotland at the University of Strathclyde’s Technology Innovation Centre, and an office with the Satellite Applications Catapult at NETPark in Sedgefield, County Durham – all are close to clusters of electronics companies.
The new catapult sites will have access to the organisation’s Newport module prototyping facility, and the Catapult’s CSA Catapult activities with CSconnected – the compound semiconductor cluster in South Wales – and the Western Gateway – a South Wales and Western England regional partnership working towards UK net-zero “whilst providing opportunities to those at risk of being left behind”, according to the Gateway.
All of the UK’s Catapults have been set up to increase technology readiness level and manufacturing readiness level, filling gaps on the path from invention to mass production.
Future Telecoms Hub to open autumn 2023
“The Future Telecoms Hub will support companies developing telecoms hardware,” according to the Catapult. The “new facility will be home to state-of-the-art equipment to test and optimise the performance of telecoms hardware as well as develop new devices”.
Innovate UK has provided £2.5m towards the project, and its primarily focus will be energy efficiency and security of telecoms hardware, providing access to commercial testbeds and expertise in RF, photonic and quantum technologies.
First off will be improving the performance of power amplifiers, “0ne of the biggest inefficiencies in existing telecoms networks” said the Catapult.
There will also be collaborative research projects with Cardiff University and the University of Bristol .
“Bristol has an established network of innovative companies and research institutions located within and around the city, as well as strong links with partners across the Western Gateway, so it was a natural fit for us to place our future telecoms capability here,” said CSA Catapult CEO Martin McHugh.
CSA Catapult Scotland – to open Summer 2023
Working with the University of Strathclyde and the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), the office in Scotland will expand CSA Catapult’s expertise in power electronics and packaging work, said the Catapult, for automotive, energy, aerospace, marine and rail sectors.
“Expanding our capabilities to Scotland will allow us to engage more closely with a cluster of companies and research institutes at the forefront of compound semiconductor technologies,” said McHugh. “Our activities will support our ambition to expand into both lower and higher technology readiness level and manufacturing readiness level activities to reduce the risks of translational research.”
CSA Catapult in the North East
The North Eastern CSA Catapult will be located with the Satellite Applications Catapult at NETPark in Sedgefield, County Durham – and area home to NEANE, the North East Advanced Material Electronics cluster with its “mission to highlight and promote the region as a centre of excellence for advanced compound semiconductor technology design and manufacture”. NETPark is also home to a Space Enterprise Lab.
“The £2.4m ORanGaN project, of which CSA Catapult is partner, includes Inex Microtechnology and Viper RF Ltd – two companies based in the North East,” said CSA Catapult, “and aims to develop a sovereign UK supply chain, manufacturing processes and packaging solutions for radio frequency GaN devices, which are critical to 5G communications systems.”
“By establishing ourselves in the North East, our aim is to support the existing cluster of leading companies and research institutes,” said McHugh. “We look forward to working with NEAME and the Satellite Applications Catapult to raise the profile of the region and help support skills, jobs and growth.”
