Short Abstract

We assess whether evaluating the construction phase of major scientific infrastructure is worthwhile. Using the National Satellite Test Facility, we show early spillovers to UK firms, offering policy-relevant insights for innovation and industrial capability building.

Description

Major research infrastructures represent cornerstone public investments intended to enhance national innovation capacity, stimulate industry engagement, and attract global R&D. Yet evaluation often begins only once facilities become operational. This study asks whether evaluating the construction phase itself can provide policy-relevant evidence on early impacts and capability building.

The case examined is the National Satellite Test Facility (NSTF), a £100 million ISCF-funded investment completed in 2023 to provide nationally accessible satellite and payload testing capabilities. The NSTF enables UK firms of all sizes to compete internationally by offering co-located, world-class testing environments at a single site.

In line with the UKRI Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) objectives, to increase R&D investment, multidisciplinary research, collaboration, and overseas investment, the NSTF evaluation framework was designed to capture both construction and operational impacts. The construction-phase evaluation examined:

Direct, indirect and induced economic impacts

Knowledge and skill development within the UK supply chain

Market advantage and learning among contractors

New jobs, collaborations, and technological progress

Procurement impacts and UK content

Public awareness and outreach benefits

Drawing on interviews with contractors and suppliers, we identify early, measurable spillovers arising from highly technical and specialised construction activities. Firms reported that involvement in NSTF led directly to new technical competencies, enhanced reputations, and follow-on contracts in the UK and overseas. These findings reflect well-established evidence from international infrastructure evaluations (e.g., Florio et al., 2018; CERN studies) showing how participation in scientific construction projects stimulates industrial learning and productivity gains.

The analysis demonstrates that construction-phase evaluation is not merely about cost tracking—it can illuminate pathways of innovation diffusion and capability growth that inform policy and programme design. Early identification of spillover effects provides actionable intelligence for policymakers on how large-scale capital projects contribute to national R&D capacity, supply-chain resilience, and skills development long before the facility becomes operational.

This presentation will:

Outline the NSTF’s role within the UK space and innovation ecosystem;

Present the evaluation design applied to the construction phase;

Discuss empirical evidence of short-term impacts and knowledge spillovers; and

Reflect on implications for policy and evaluation practice, particularly for public investment in scientific infrastructure.

By demonstrating the policy value of early-phase evaluation, this work contributes to Theme 1 of the UK Evaluation Society Conference, showing how evidence from infrastructure construction can directly inform future investment decisions, strengthen industrial strategy, and embed evaluation across the full lifecycle of major R&D programmes.