At LAB287, we believe that innovation doesn’t just come from our technology. It comes from our people.
That’s why we’re super excited to be supporting our first academic collaboration with the University of Essex MBA programme, providing one of its students with the opportunity to undertake a real-world business project within the space sector.
This exciting pilot initiative, introduced to us through Innovate UK Business Growth – East of England, aims to strengthen the connection between academia and industry by giving MBA students practical experience while enabling businesses to benefit from fresh perspectives. We’re proud to be one of the organisations helping bring this opportunity to life.
We’re pleased to be working with MBA student Arran Kelly, whose final project explores professional identity, workplace culture and attitudes towards industry-related apparel, using the UK space sector as the focus of his research. While the study centres on those working within the space industry, it also explores how people outside the sector perceive and connect with space, helping to build a broader understanding of the industry’s identity and appeal.
As part of the project, Arran has developed a short questionnaire that welcomes responses from both those working within the space sector and those outside it. The survey takes around five minutes to complete, is completely anonymous, and gathering views from a diverse range of participants will help create a richer, more representative piece of research.
Whether you work in the space industry or another sector entirely, we’d be incredibly grateful if you could take a few minutes to complete the survey and, where possible, share it with colleagues, friends and your wider network. Every response helps strengthen the quality of the research, broadens the range of perspectives represented, and contributes to the success of Arran’s MBA project.
https://us22.list-manage.com/survey?u=5d185ae9c2fde661e5aa3c52d&id=f51c65bc21
For LAB287, this collaboration is about more than supporting a research project. It’s an opportunity to give back to the community, support the development of future business leaders, and offer meaningful industry experience that bridges academic learning with real-world challenges. We know how valuable these opportunities can be at the start of a career, and we’re proud to play a small part in Arran’s MBA journey.
We hope this pilot is the first of many collaborations between industry and academia. By working together, organisations can help develop the talent our sector needs while gaining new ideas and perspectives in return. We’d encourage other businesses to consider getting involved if similar opportunities arise.
Thank you to the University of Essex, Innovate UK Business Growth – East of England, and, of course, Arran for allowing us to be part of this exciting initiative. We look forward to seeing the outcomes of the research and wish Arran every success as he completes his MBA.
LAB287 is the UK’s leading specialist in space-enabled organisational transformation. We help government and public sector bodies, as well as businesses in the private sector, to implement change by putting to work the capabilities and potential of data and technologies originating or located in space.
