LAUNCHPAD The world is always full of opportunities and in this issue of Business & Innovation Magazine

If you, like us, have got fed up with all the political wrangling on earth, look up to the stars. The news has been full of exciting space-related news all summer. With life on earth proving ever more challenging, scientists are now looking toward space to see how humankind can benefit from its secrets and opportunities. We report on some of the most exciting innovations (Pages 86-93).

If you want to expand, if space is a bit far, then look overseas and consider exporting. Apparently only 10 per cent of UK companies do so, but there are massive opportunities there for the taking. Our exporting feature (pages 10-21) lists 100 successful exporters from across the region to inspire others to follow their lead.

We also look at the pitfalls – because exporting is full of them. But get it right and success will follow. Companies that trade internationally open up new markets for themselves, are more productive, more innovative and diversify their risk profile.

Closer to home, cyber attacks are a real and present threat to the basic functioning of society and could even mean the difference between life and death. Our cyber feature (pages 62-69) looks at the issues for business – and the big career opportunities in what is a relatively new sector. The pay’s good, and there are hundreds of thousands (yes really), of cyber security job vacancies.

These jobs need people who act with integrity and can think creatively as well as logically. Think of the satisfaction in knowing you’ve prevented a cyberattack which saved thousands of lives.

Remember the infamous WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017 which targeted computers all over the world, including in our precious NHS? The virus encrypted data and demanded ransom payments in the Bitcoin cryptocurrency.

The virus was defeated by Marcus Hutchins, a 22-year-old British computer security researcher who figured out how to stop it when international software companies were still baffled.

In this issue we also meet other inspiring people from manufacturing and life sciences. Gaizka Bilbao is the Site Leader at Dowty Propellers (pages 80-83). We regularly report on new sustainable fuel technology for the aerospace sector. But whether you use fossil fuels, hydrogen or electric to power flight, you’re always going to need a propeller to thrust an aircraft through the air. And that’s why there will always be a market for Dowty’s world-leading propellers.

Sean Smith is CEO at Eden Research, a life sciences company working in crop protection and biopesticides. As the global population increases, we need to produce more food from less land.

In our interview (pages 96-98), Sean tells us how Eden Research is developing sustainable biopesticides and plastic-free formulation technology for use in global crop protection to make agricultural land more productive.

The world economy might be suffering, but there are always great business opportunities if you look for them.