UKSPA will gather on Thursday 7th and Friday 8th November at Culham Science Centre.

The event will see leading experts discussing the latest innovation trends and opportunities within the UK's Innovation and technology sectors.

The two days will consider the drivers for Oxford's knowledge economy and current national trends for the science and innovation sector. Additionally there will be sessions on innovation and business support for SME's, bio-incubation good practice, supporting life sciences SME's and a host of supporting keynote and discussion panels.

Sessions highlights include:

• Culham, the Oxfordshire cluster and beyond
• Discussion panel/sessions on the Knowledge Economy of Oxfordshire

Dedicated session streams on:

• Building successful innovative companies
• Environment for Innovations - case studies
• Learning from Oxford including the Oxford-Cambridge ARC and the Oxfordshire Trailblazer project and much more!

There will be optional study tours programme available on both days, please see below for tour options:

TOUR A: RACE

The UK Atomic Energy Authority is at the forefront of UK robotics at its Remote Applications in Challenging Environments (RACE) research facility at Culham Science Centre. Since opening in 2016 the RACE facility has conducted R&D into the use of robotics in extreme industrial environments where it is difficult to send people to carry out work. It also supports companies developing their own autonomous systems. RACE is a key centre for implementing the Government's Robotics & Autonomous Systems strategy which aims to equip the UK to compete in this emerging global industry.

TOUR B: SKILLS

OAS is a partnership between the UK Atomic Energy Authority and the Science and Technology Facilities Council. The two organisations have a history of apprentice training in science and engineering stretching back more than 70 years. The new centre, opening in September 2019, will be managed by apprentice training partner MTC Apprenticeships. MTC's Advanced Engineering apprenticeship helps learners develop the skills needed for delivering the technologies of the future in the high value manufacturing sector. This tour will provide an early opportunity to look at facilities and activities.

TOUR C: FUSION

Culham has made many major contributions to international fusion research and development. Today the UK fusion programme is centered on the innovative MAST (Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak) experiment and employs around 150 people. The programme is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences research Council and the European Union under the EURATOM treaty. CCFE hosts the world's largest magnetic fusion experiment, JET (Joint European Torus) on behalf of its European partners. The JET facilities are collectively used by European fusion scientists, co-ordinated by a programme management unit at Culham. JET is situated next to the UK fusion laboratory. Around 500 people are employed at the JET facilities, with around 350 European scientists visiting each year to conduct research and many from outside Europe.

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