On Monday, 21 September 2026, Dr Simon Jackman and Stephen Pine from InnovSpace Ltd., UK will be visiting the Space Pole. They will present their findings from the ESA's SWiiFT project (https://business.esa.int/projects/spaceaware-resilience-swiift). Their seminar will focus on the downstream commercial application of space weather information and on translating space weather forecasts and observations into infrastructure and business risks.
Title: ESA Project SWiiFT – Space Weather Resilience
Speaker: Dr. Simon Jackman, CEO of InnovSpace Ltd., UK has a multidisciplinary background spanning industry, academia, government and space applications. He has previously held innovation roles at the University of Oxford and the Satellite Applications Catapult and has been involved in several UK innovation and space initiatives. His current work focuses on using space applications to improve resilience of critical civilian infrastructure.
Abstract:
The presentation will discuss findings exploring downstream commercial application of space-weather information, and translating forecasts and observations into infrastructure and business risk. The InnovSpace, Riskaware and University of Bristol team combines space-weather science, probabilistic modelling and risk analysis and stakeholder engagement.
Engagement with stakeholders across the insurance, GNSS and energy sectors has identified asset-level modelling as a missing link between space weather information and actionable resilience measures. Discussions with EDF, NESO (National Energy Systems Operator), the UK Met Office, British Geological Survey and Starion highlighted persistent gaps in operationalisation, infrastructure modelling and treatment of wider socio-economic consequences.
These findings inform plans for a potential UK regional demonstrator in North-West England with high GICs, nuclear energy generation and decommissioning, offshore wind, electricity transmission, west coast mainline rail, the highest concentration of data centres outside London, ports and the conurbations of Manchester and Liverpool.
The presentation will conclude by exploring how these UK findings compare with developments elsewhere in Europe and identifying complementary European capabilities and potential opportunities for collaboration around a future demonstrator or service concept.
Where: Meridian Room, ROB or online (https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88372414809?pwd=BzxOazlgM2PLRGUunQLPaTgHYpBzSm.1)
When: Monday September 21, 2026 at 14h
Contact: Dhiren Kindarkhedia (BIRA-IASB)
