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FUTURE FUNDING NEEDS AND PARTNERSHIP APPROACH
The value of work carried out to date on the Spacelink initiative in the UK is conservatively estimated to be over £900K (US$1.4m), mainly from contributions-in-kind received from industry, universities and individuals, plus small donations and grants from supporting organisations.
The cost of fully establishing the Spacelink Learning Service (i.e. completing the Inauguration and first Enhancement phases) is estimated to be in the region of £11m (US$18m), spread over some four or more years. This includes all development and set-up costs of the Service and its infrastructure, including establishing a dedicated education payload on a shared satellite, plus the operating costs of the basic service over this time. Although some nominal membership fees may be introduced during this period, it is likely that the bulk of Spacelink's costs will need to be funded partly from grants from national governments and agencies and partly by donations from the private sector.
Once the Service has been fully established Spacelink's aim is for ongoing operations to be self-financing, though major additional enhacements may require further funding. Funding for the development/launch of a potential dedicated education satellite will be determined at that stage, according to the partnerships then in place.
To allow participation by schools in countries outside of the UK it is envisaged that some form of co-operative international venture could be adopted. This would be managed by a small group of interested and relevant organisations, drawn from the different countries, with the Spacelink Learning Foundation a founding partner. If considered desirable Spacelink would be willing to co-ordinate this activity or lead the participation of any interested parties in the formation of a steering group.
We envisage this group would then jointly implement the Enhancement phases of the Spacelink Learning Service, each leading in their own countries, and subsequently extend availability of the services to other prospective countries.
To move forward with a co-operative international venture, we are seeking additional potential participants from countries around the world. If you would like to be part of this ground breaking initiative please contact us.
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