As the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) establishes a southern hub in Shalun, a blueprint for a space industry cluster in southern Taiwan is beginning to take shape.
Britain offers a useful point of comparison. In a recent reporting trip, DIGITIMES visited three of the country's regional space clusters—Space South Central, Space West, and the relatively new Space East—to distill lessons from a model that has been in operation for years.
The UK now hosts 14 regional space clusters. Rather than competing for the same resources, each builds on existing industrial strengths and occupies a distinct niche.
The largest, Space South Central, brings together more than 175 space-related organizations and four universities: the University of Surrey, the University of Portsmouth, the University of Southampton, and University College London. As of 2025, the cluster generates roughly GBP3 billion (approx. US$4 billion) in annual space-related revenue and supports more than 12,000 jobs, nearly a quarter of the country's space workforce.
Importance of in-person connections
Adam Amara, chief scientist of the UK Space Agency and director of the Surrey Space Institute, said the success of such clusters hinges on the frequency of in-person interaction among partners.
Digital communication tools may be ubiquitous, he noted, but complex technical problems are rarely solved over remote meetings. Partners need to be close enough to meet and return in a single day, he noted. "That's how relationships are built."
Amara recalled an earlier attempt to create a cross-university student network that ultimately failed because participants were too geographically dispersed to meet regularly. Space South Central, he said, learned from that experience and deliberately chose partner institutions within commuting distance.
Observing Taiwan's supply chain, Amara pointed to proximity as a key driver of efficiency. The tightly woven network of relationships, he added, mirrors the logic underpinning Britain's space clusters, albeit in a different industry.
For Tobias Marchant, international partnerships manager at Space South Central, the formula for success lies in embedding companies more deeply within academic environments and ensuring that research responds to industry demand.
He cited the JUPITER training program (Joint Universities Programme for In-Orbit Training, Education and Research), which begins by identifying the skills industry lacks and then tailoring academic curricula accordingly, rather than exporting research in a one-way flow.
Another hallmark of Britain's cluster strategy is specialization over comprehensiveness.
Space West, rooted in a regional legacy of defense and aerospace and located near the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), focuses on secure communications, advanced materials, robotics, and AI.
Its Cluster Manager, Matt Wills, said clusters begin by mapping existing local companies and infrastructure before deciding on a direction—not by setting targets first and searching for resources later.
If a company's needs fall outside Space West's expertise—for instance, launch services—it is referred to the Cornwall Space Cluster, which has a comparative advantage in that domain. Wills said that directing companies to the most suitable cluster mattered more than trying to retain them within one's own network.
Space East, by contrast, is the youngest of the 14 clusters, formally established just three years ago. Covering six counties—including Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire—it spans key agricultural regions and coastal areas.
Stuart Catchpole, the cluster's Regional Director, described the cluster's role as a "connector," identifying where space technology can be applied to challenges in existing industries such as agriculture, offshore wind, and healthcare.
In one example, the cluster has worked with the National Health Service to use satellite positioning and data transmission to improve remote care for elderly patients in rural areas, reducing unnecessary hospital visits. It has also deployed satellite monitoring to detect harmful algal blooms, addressing threats to drinking water safety and seaweed farming.
Emphasis on coordination
Organizationally, Britain's clusters employ dedicated "space ecosystem champions", professionals who may not have deep technical expertise but excel at cross-sector coordination.
Catchpole pointed to Victoria Christmas, recently appointed to such a role, who brings more than two decades of experience in procurement and funding acquisition. She helps companies at different stages identify suitable grants and support programs, and connects them to initiatives such as Airbus's local Launchpad incubator.
Such mechanisms, Catchpole said, ensure that technological development is closely aligned with market funding and supply chain demand.
The British experience suggests that successful space clusters are not merely industrial parks, but carefully managed ecosystems—integrating academia and industry, clarifying regional specialization, and providing dedicated intermediary institutions.
For southern Taiwan, now at the starting line, the next challenge will not be physical infrastructure but building the connective tissue of such an ecosystem—an effort that may ultimately determine its competitiveness in the global space economy.
Article edited by Jack Wu
