ESA Space Solutions is the go-to place for great business ideas involving space in all areas of society and economy. Our mission is to support entrepreneurs in Europe in the development of business using satellite applications and space technology. Our network includes the ESA Business Applications Ambassadors and the recurring ESA Investor Forum.

ESA Space Solutions and Business Applications are part of ESA’s ARTES (Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems) 4.0 Programme. We provide different types of funding opportunities such as Kick-Starts, Feasibility Studies and Demonstration Projects and support the development of sustainable services utilising space assets.

Space assets like satellite data or spaceflight technologies offer many opportunities and solutions to businesses. Are you an entrepreneur, or are you running a start-up or an established business? Then you might be interested to apply for our different funding opportunities.

There are many open calls: Traffic Safety, Environmental, Crime, Wildfires. The list is extensive, so please explore. 

ESA Business Applications’ Call for proposals (Direct Negotiation) is always open. Businesses from any sector can apply throughout the year, and the amount of funding may vary according to the project. The goal of this activity is for the business to develop a new commercial service that utilises one or more space asset (such as Satellite Communications, Earth Observation, Satellite Navigation, Human Spaceflight technologies and other space assets).

The overall programme of work is split into two main parts: Technology Brokerage: This part of the work will see TWI support and promote activities between space and non-space entities, including match-making between interested organisations.

Prepare for Space: This technology transfer programme will allow non-space companies to apply for business and technical support, lowering the barrier of entry to the space industry.

Our aim, as the ESA Technology Broker in the UK is focused on building an ecosystem that fuels technical innovation and mutual growth between terrestrial and space industries to create a collaborative environment that delivers tangible outcomes. These collaborative, commercial activities will create a bridge between different industry sectors to share knowledge and information, stimulating non-space companies to enter the space industry as well as leveraging space technologies for terrestrial applications. ‘Prepare for Space’ has been created to support UK companies in finding commercial opportunities in the space industry by providing dedicated business case development training, supply chain understanding, and routes to source funding for projects.

This aspect of the project will also facilitate on-boarding for non-space companies into ESA programmes, providing information and training on ESA opportunities, technology transfer and calls.

InCubed stands for ‘Investing in Industrial Innovation’ and is a Public Private Partnership co-funding programme run by the ESA Φ-lab. InCubed focuses on developing innovative and commercially viable products and services that generate or exploit the value of Earth observation imagery and datasets. The programme has a very wide scope and can be used to co-fund anything from building satellites to ground applications and everything between or to develop new EO business models.