Work is underway on a new £11 million space centre project at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh.

The Higgs Centre for Innovation is being built by Graham Construction for the University of Edinburgh.

Operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) in partnership with Edinburgh University, the facility will act as a support for start-up businesses to create new market opportunities.

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It will focus on supporting business both through incubation activities and access to facilities for SME businesses.

The project is being funded through a £10.7m investment from the UK Government, with the STFC investing £2m over five years to operate the centre.

Professor James Dunlop at University of Edinburgh said: "The construction of the Higgs Centre for Innovation is an exciting new development in the long-established collaboration between STFC and the University of Edinburgh at the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh.

"The new centre will cement Edinburgh's reputation as a world leader in the fields of astrophysics and big data, and provide new opportunities for knowledge exchange between astronomers, particle physicists, engineers and industry."

(LM/MH)