The agency is also inviting companies to submit proposals on 5G and logistics
The UK Space Agency has announced projects to support space technologies and services to help the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic, including for a drone to deliver medical supplies.
Three projects have received £1.1 million in funding as part of the joint initiative with the European Space Agency.
They include a project led by the space company Skyports in collaboration with NHS Highland which will use drones to deliver medical supplies and samples from a hospital on the Argyll and Bute mainland.
Another project led by the Bristol-based firm Landmrk Limited will develop an app called Stay, a mobile platform for charities and organisations supporting young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
The third project, led by Stevenson Astrosat in MusselBurgh, Scotland, will use advance space data analytics to identify “hidden” vulnerable communities.
“The projects we are backing today show UK ingenuity at its finest, and will make a real difference to how we use this latest innovative technology to deliver critical healthcare now and long into the future,” said science minister Amanda Solloway.
The UK Space Agency and the ESA are still looking to fund further bids, with the call for ideas remaining open until 30 September 2020.
Meanwhile, the UK Space Agency, together with ESA and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, is also inviting companies to submit ideas for how they can use 5G terrestrial and space technology to support the UK’s logistics businesses, such as rails and ports.
“We have seen through the current pandemic that logistics are vital to keeping the country going and space technology is a key part of making that happen,” said Catherine Mealing-Jones, director of growth at the UK Space Agency. “This is a great initiative to show how together we can work to help close the digital divide.”