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Reece Foundation support helps Sheffield Propulsion Lab open up aerospace opportunities across the North

10th October 2026

• The Reece Foundation’s funding is helping create a specialist rocket propulsion testing facility with equipment rarely available in UK universities.
• The Sheffield Propulsion Lab will widen access to advanced aerospace testing for students and researchers across the North, including the North East.
• By supporting shared facilities and cross-university collaboration, the project will help strengthen engineering education, innovation and future career opportunities in the region.

A new rocket propulsion testing facility backed by The Reece Foundation will give students and researchers across the North, including the North East, greater access to specialist aerospace testing and practical engineering opportunities.

Made possible by our funding, and that of a generous alumni donor, the new Sheffield Propulsion Lab in Derbyshire will give students and researchers access to specialist testing capabilities rarely available at UK universities. By supporting shared access to this kind of infrastructure, the funding will also help universities in the North East connect students and researchers with practical testing, collaboration and expertise that can accelerate aerospace engineering innovation.

The Sheffield Propulsion Lab has been explicitly designed to foster cross-institutional collaboration. Because advanced rocket testing infrastructure is incredibly rare within UK higher education, the university intends for the lab to serve as a national hub for propulsion testing.

Simon Gilroy, Reece Foundation Trustee, said:

“The exciting thing for the Reece Foundation about the Sheffield Propulsion Lab is that its benefits can extend well beyond Sheffield. We want to see universities across the North East have greater access to specialist facilities, expertise and opportunities that can help students and researchers develop their ideas and gain practical experience.

 

“Giving universities the chance to work together and share expertise is a great way to strengthen engineering education and encourage more young people to see where a career in engineering can take them.

 

“For us, it’s about helping create those opportunities and making sure students and researchers in the North East can be part of the innovation that will shape the future of engineering and aerospace.”

The Sheffield Propulsion Lab has been designed to provide advanced propulsion testing capabilities, including horizontal static fire testing, vertical rocket testing, injector testing, and hydrostatic testing. Together, these facilities will enable the safe development and testing of rocket propulsion systems while providing students with invaluable hands-on experience.

Fintan Cluskey, Sheffield Propulsion Lab Testing Lead, said:

“My love for rocketry started a few years ago when I joined the University’s student-led rocket team, Project Sunride. Thanks to the support of The Reece Foundation, I was able to go to America with Sunride to launch the UK’s first liquid rocket in 2024. 

 

Now two years later, I am now working full time at Buxton running the Sheffield Propulsion Lab once again thanks to the Reece Foundation. The support of both the anonymous graduate donor and The Reece Foundation have defined my University career and I am excited to see the impact that the new propulsion test stand has on both Sheffield and other Universities in the North of England.”

Until now, opportunities to test rocket engines have been extremely limited, with only a handful of university facilities nationwide and many researchers relying on expensive commercial testing sites. The Sheffield Propulsion Lab changes that by creating a world-class facility that will be available to University of Sheffield students and, through hire and collaboration, to other universities across the North and beyond.

Helen Alexander-Duncan, Senior Philanthropy Manager, said:

“The Reece Foundation has backed our engineering students for 10 years, helping them thrive through student-led societies. Enabling the launch of this state-of-the-art testing facility is an incredible milestone, and we are deeply grateful for their continued vision and support.”

The Sheffield Propulsion Lab is set to become a national hub for propulsion testing and collaboration. Already, the facility has seen significant testing activity, with student teams completing more than ten successful horizontal static fire tests alongside full-stack cold flow tests, hydrostatic testing and propulsion system development. This activity demonstrates the capability and ambition of the next generation of engineers who could benefit from greater access to specialist aerospace facilities across the North.

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