THE UK Space Agency is looking for ideas for projects which will use satellite technology to tackle important issues in modern-day society.

The Swindon-based Agency is offering up to £50 million for schemes which will connect space sector companies and developing countries to combat significant global issues.

The five-year £152 million International Partnerships Programme is designed to partner UK space expertise with overseas governments and organisations.

More than £70 million in funding has already been given to projects in partnership with the British space industry, applying inventive solutions to a range of areas such as deforestation, illegal fishing, marine pollution, disaster recovery, drought and flooding.

The latest round of funding will focus on issues around health and education.

Universities and Science Minister Jo Johnson said: “The UK space sector is thriving with innovative developments and technologies that can be used to solve some of the most pressing global challenges of our time.

“The International Partnerships Programme has already harnessed Britain’s world-leading expertise in analysing satellite data to make a real difference to a number of countries.

"The latest round of funding is exactly the sort of project our Industrial Strategy is looking to support, boosting the UK space sector and delivering benefits to millions around the world.”

During the first round of funding, announced in January, 20 projects were selected to provide solutions for local issues in countries across Africa, Asia and Central and South America.

All of the projects will have a sustainable impact in the country they are working with.

The programme’s current projects include providing communications in remote areas for education in Tanzania, improving maritime safety for small fishing vessels in South Africa and Madagascar, and reducing illegal logging in Guatemala.

The deadline for entries for the second round of funding is September 5.

Submitted projects will be assessed in October and those that are successful will begin by the end of the year.

The programme is part of the Global Challenges Research Fund,which aims to support cutting-edge research and innovation that addresses the challenges faced by developing countries.

Two of the biggest projects funded by the first round are making a big difference to forest restoration all over the world and mortality rates in Nigeria.

The Forests 2020 project is led by Ecometrica UK in conjunction with a large consortium of national and international partners to protect and restore forests worldwide.

It aims to protect and restore up to 300 million hectares of tropical forests by improving national forest monitoring systems for the use of governments, universities and Non-Governmental Organisations in six partner countries: Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Ghana, Kenya and Indonesia.

By using freely available Earth Observation data to address critical gaps in current systems, the project will improve partners’ ability to measure forest change and map suitable areas for restoration.

A £6.1 million project between Immarsat UK, InStat and the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health to extend health services to remote areas of the country by using satellite communications was also funded. It provides training to health workers and improves disease surveillance.