Pre-announcements:
Pre-announcement: UK Space Agency International Bilateral Fund Call 3, due to open in August
Up to £1.5m will be available per project to collaborate internationally and develop cutting-edge space tech. Further details will be published by the UK Space Agency.
Pre-announcement: Advancing Sustainable AI Technology, likely to open in August
Apply for up to £500,000 to develop an innovative sustainable AI technology or tool that will underpin and transform future AI systems. Details still being finalised. Total fund expected to be £10m. Details will be published by UKRI.
Pre-announcement: Exploring the Frontiers, due to launch in September
Building on a 2022 pilot, this NERC scheme will support the earliest, most uncertain ideas through small-scale investments – taking risks to explore untested and novel avenues with the potential to lead to truly transformative outcomes. It will focus on nascent, exploratory research ideas, projects that constitute a significant departure from existing lines of investigation or represent an entirely new line of enquiry. With a high tolerance for risk, the opportunity will support early-stage, innovative research projects that are unlikely to secure funding through other routes and whose outcomes are inherently uncertain. It will test innovative approaches to assessment, with the aim of enabling faster funding decisions.
Pre-announcement: Sustainable efficiencies in urban environments, expected to launch in September
A joint UKRI and Natural Science Foundation of China programme will establish research collaborations in urban climate adaptation and resilience, drawing on UK and Chinese expertise in solutions for reducing the carbon footprint and increased climate resilience in urban environments. Awards expected to be around £1m-£2m. UKRI will publish further details.
Arctic Region Safety, Navigation and Operations, opens September 5th, closes November 5th. Information webinar 10am BST September 9th.
One of three sub-calls under the Arctic Region Call for Proposals, supporting European space-enabled solutions to address the region’s growing operational, environmental and security challenges. Open to start‑ups, SMEs, large companies, consortia involving industrial and non‑industrial partners and cross‑sectoral teams combining space and non‑space actors. Full details.
ESA Earth Systems & Earth Sciences for action
The first edition of open calls under the recent ESA Earth Action Pillar is due later this summer (no date available at time of writing). The maximum funding per project will be €250,000.
ESA ITT – Urban development, liveability and adaptation, due to be published Q2
Three projects to develop Earth Observation-integrated solutions addressing key urban challenges, in collaboration with end users:
- World Informal Settlements – develop regional to global EO-based methodology to identify, characterise and monitor evolution of informal settlements, providing consistent and scalable statistics and socio-economic indicators
- Urban Liveability and Adaptation – develop EO-based indicators to assess urban liveability by integrating data on land use, built-up density, urban form, and key climatic, environmental and social-economic factors, to inform and support urban planning and adaptation strategies
- EO for sustainable mobility – develop EO-based methodology to perform mobility patterns analysis in relation to urban structure and population distribution, in support of urban sustainable mobility planning.
Part of the European Space Agency’s Earth Action Pillar. More here but access to full details requires an esa-star log-in.
ESA ITT – Adaptive Forest Management: AFM Resilience and AFM Regrowth, due to be published Q2
Part of the European Space Agency’s Earth Action Pillar. AFM Resilience targets EU policy frameworks, supporting them with approaches for estimation and mapping of current and future resilience of Europe’s forests. AFM Regrowth focuses on monitoring and quantification of forest regrowth, supporting improved understanding of forest recovery dynamics and their contribution to being effective carbon sinks in the future. AFM Regrowth targets both policies of the EU and international/national frameworks, monitoring and analysing the post-disturbance, natural, or post-restoration trajectories of vegetation. More here but access to full details requires an esa-star log-in.
ESA ITT – Sustainable and adaptive agriculture solutions, due to be published Q2
Four coordinated projects using EO-enabled methods to address emerging agricultural challenges:
- Crop Yield Estimation and Forecasting at Parcel Level – develop EO and AI enhanced approaches for yield forecasting and anomaly detection (24 months).
- Next Generation Thermal Products for Crop Health and Water Use Monitoring – harmonized thermal infrared products that generate actionable information for agricultural production (48 months).
- WorldCultivate – a policy-ready EO capability, providing indicators that link crop performance and land suitability to support land use planning and food sovereignty (36 months).
- WorldIrrigation – develop a global EO solution for monitoring irrigation, water consumption, productivity and withdrawal (36 months).
Part of the European Space Agency’s Earth Action Pillar. More here but access to full details requires an esa-star log-in.
Pre-announcement: £300,000 fund for UK-Florida partnership, due to open autumn
A call for projects will open in the autumn thanks to a new partnership signed by the UK Space Agency and Space Florida. It is designed to support innovative research into commercial success through collaborations between UK and Florida organisations. Projects will have to involve at least one UK-based entity and at least one Florida-based partner and must demonstrate clear commercialisation potential. Read more.
ALTIUS validation, opens July but still not date specified, closes November
ESA will open a call to bid for validation of its ALTIUS mission’s secondary products, which will also solicit complementary contributions to the validation of its primary products. The mission will monitor the global distribution and evolution of stratospheric ozone at high vertical resolution. Its primary products are stratospheric ozone profiles acquired in various observation modes. Read more.
Pre-announcement: Transcending the Frontiers, due to launch 2027
This new NERC scheme with support research that tackles the biggest, most complex questions in environmental science through collective endeavour at genuine scale. It will support applicant-led funding, incorporating highlight notices that give a degree of strategic focus linked to NERC and UKRI priorities.
The pilot funding opportunity for this scheme is currently under development, and further details will follow later in 2026.
Upcoming funding application deadlines (in order of deadline date where available):
UK Commercial Climate Services Call 4, closes August 7th, intention to submit deadline was July 31st
We were proud to have hosted the official announcement of this exciting new call by the UK Space Agency at our Members’ Conference last Thursday. Grants of up to £85,000 will be awarded for selected forward-thinking proposals that use satellite-based EO data to create services to support decision-making in a changing climate. Interested organisations are welcome to contact UKSA.EOT@DSIT.gov.uk with the subject “Commercial Climate Services Call”, for an initial chat, as the scope is deliberately open to encourage fresh ideas. The total fund is £500,000. More details.
ESA ITT: Earth Watch ESA DTE Programme (Fixed call for proposal), closes August 5th
Part of the ESA Digital Twin Earth (DTE) programme aiming to enlarge the thematic portfolio of the initial EO Digital Twin Components by adding themes that were not selected under the first call. It also aims to expand interoperability and collaboration across existing Digital Twin developments.
Topics covered include:
- Terrestrial carbon
- Biodiversity
- Ocean
Objectives include:
- Delivering an independent thematic pre-operational end-to-end system implementation, validation and demonstratio
- Implementing a feasibility study and early prototype and demonstration development for a future Digital Twin Component (DTC)
- Advancing DTC maturity and readiness levels
- Engaging stakeholders in the development process and preparing the grounds for a potential larger implementation
- Fostering collaboration, coupling and interoperability between different Digital Twin Earth Components
- Building on functionality/capabilities and data products of existing DTCs
- Developing, validating and demonstrating novel joint capabilities
- Enhancing and expanding the value for users and stakeholders
Full details are on the esa-star portal. If you want to explore collaboration opportunities with S4Cmembers, please email Donna, d.m.lyndsay@reading.ac.uk
NSIP Call 3: Announcement of Opportunity, Expression of Interest deadline August 7th, outline proposals by August 21st
Looking for promising innovations from any part of the space sector, particularly proposals aligned to the Government’s priority subsectors announced at Space Comm Expo in March 2026:
- Space Domain Awareness
- In-Orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing
- Assured Access to Space
- Satellite Communication Technology.
Although NSIP primarily supports R&D for civil uses of space, defence-related projects are within scope. UK Space Agency intends to strategically target up to 40% of the Call 3 budget on two priority technology areas (~20% each). These are Space Domain Awareness and In-Orbit Assembly and Manufacture. All the details.
ADOPT facilitator support grant: round 10, closes August 12th
If you are working with a farming, growing or forestry business based in England, they may be interested in these grants of £2,500, to engage an external project facilitator to support the development of a full ADOPT grant application. More details.
ESA BASS Open Call for Proposals: Kick-starts, closes August 28th
Part of ESA’s ACCESS programme for six-month feasibility studies. August 28th is the deadline for the next batch of proposals to be considered. Kick-starts must involve the use of at least one space asset, such as satellite communications, satellite Earth observation data or satellite navigation. Read more.
Digitalisation of the Water Sector, closes August 30th
An ESA BASS call focusing on water sanitation in the face of water scarcity, floods, urbanisation, strained infrastructure and climate change. ESA is offering zero-equity funding; technical and commercial guidance; and access to its network and partners. Full details.
UK Space Agency & ESA InCubed, closes August 21st
Co-funded by UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency to support development and de-risking of commercially viable products and services, helping to bridge the gap between innovation and market deployment. The focus is on commercialisation, and proposals are particularly welcomed that demonstrate:
- A clear route to market
- Strong customer demand
- Credible plans for operational delivery
Projects are expected to last up to 18 months and must be UK-led and consortia are encouraged, which can include academic and research institutions with no commercial interest. Funding can range from ranging from €300,000 to €4m depending on the scope and maturity of the activity. The total fund is €7.260,000. ESA funding is provided on a co-funded basis, with up to approximately 80% available for SMEs and lower levels, down to approximately 50% for non-SMEs, depending on risk and maturity. Full details. If you missed the information webinar, catch up here. You can also contact UKSA.EOT@dsit.gov.uk.
Public Engagement Spark Awards 2026, close August 25th
Member STFC is awarding £5,000-£20,000 grants for projects relating to its core funding areas. Find out more.
Earth Observation Missions and Technology Innovation Call 1, closes September 1st
Funding of up to £200,000 is available for 12-month projects for innovative, early Technology Readiness Level (TRL) projects supporting climate monitoring, the environment, dual use and commercial applications, finishing on or before October 31st, 2027. The total fund is up to £1.4m. Proposals should align with the objectives of the UK National Space Strategy. Read more.
Commercialising Knowledge Assets Fund (CKAF) autumn, closes September 1st
UK-registered government research organisations can apply for £50,000-£250,000 grants to move viable public sector knowledge assets towards commercial readiness. The total fund is £1.4m. Examples of Knowledge Assets include know-how, expertise, intellectual property, rights for designs, research and development outputs, source code and creative outputs. More details.
Horizon EU: Digital enablers and building-blocks for Earth Observation and Satellite telecommunication for Space solutions (Space Partnership), closes September 3rd
Projects are expected to contribute to one or more of the following outcomes:
- New commercial services and applications enabled by increased digitalisation of space solutions;
- A competitive and sustainable European Space Sector;
- Enabling the European space industry to maintain a significant share of the global connectivity market;
- Next generation Earth Observation and SatCom payloads, technologies and processing mean (on ground and in space);
- Security of SatCom and EO services, supporting next-generation technologies for both ground and space commercial applications;
- Improved access to satellite data through interoperable systems.
Selectors are looking for proposals that promote cooperation among industry, SMEs, research institutions, infrastructures, and academia and quickly turn technological innovation into commercial use. Read more.
Scientific analysis and exploitation of space data Horizon call, closes September 3rd
Looking for international collaborative proposals to analyse and apply data from science and exploration missions (including cubesat to small satellite missions) from ESA, national space agencies, research organisations and European universities missions. Check the scope carefully though, because it states ‘Earth observing missions are not considered in the scope of this topic’. Instead it points to using ‘ESA Space Science Archives when possible or other means (e.g. instrumentation teams)’. More details.
Farming Innovation Programme: feasibility round five, closes September 9th
UK-registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £15m in Defra funding for feasibility projects. Only open to collaborations, looking for new solutions to address major on-farm or immediate post farmgate challenges or opportunities that significantly improve:
- productivity
- resilience
- sustainability and progression towards low emission farming
The Arctic Region: Environmental and economic resilience, closes September 9th
A sub‑call to the Arctic Region funding call, for proof-of-concept and pilot projects to develop space‑enabled services addressing environmental protection and climate resilience in the Arctic region. It focuses on monitoring, protecting and strengthening Arctic ecosystems together with economically critical activities such as fisheries and aquaculture, which are increasingly exposed to climate change, pollution and growing maritime pressure. The objective is to enable services that support environmental monitoring, risk reduction, decision‑making and sustainable resource management in the Arctic and sub‑Arctic regions. More details.
Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure 2: energy efficiency, deadline September 16th
Can you apply your satellite data business to contribute to addressing clean maritime solutions? The Department for Transport has a £150m total fund for three-year projects to develop, deploy and operate innovative clean maritime solutions. It is open to collaborations only and covers commercial and pleasure vessels and supporting infrastructure. Full details.
Computing resources on the STFC DiRAC HPC facility (RAC19), closes September 17th
DiRAC offers computing resources on the following systems:
- Data Intensive Service at Cambridge
- Data Intensive Service at Leicester
- Extreme Scaling Service at Edinburgh
- Memory Intensive Service at Durham
Open to UK research organisations. Short proposals can be for up to one-year, thematic proposals can be for up to three years. Awards for both start on April 1st. Full details.
Horizon EU Biodiversity and ecosystem services, (single stage) closes September 17th
Seven topics are covered by this round of Horizon funding, including tackling insect decline, groundwater ecosystems assessment, deep sea ecosystems conservation, nature-positive economy, agrobiodiversity. Find out more.
Supporting financing of local adaptation actions with combination of public funding and private financing, EU Horizon, closes September 23rd
Funding is available for projects that progress the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, supported by the European Investment Bank. Proposals should demonstrate local innovative adaptation actions (testing and demonstration in real-life conditions), financed by combining public grants obtained via financial support to third parties (FSTP) with private financing via bank loans. They should also generate recommendations on combining these, on the barriers to such financing and practical solutions to overcome these barriers. Full details.
Large-scale demonstration for mapping the distribution and condition of marine habitats to implement the Nature Restoration Regulation, closes September 23rd
A Horizon Europe Mission Ocean and Waters call aimed at engaging and supporting relevant public authorities with mapping at large scale the conditions of marine habitats needed for implementing the EU Nature Restoration Regulation. One aspect is supporting the Digital Twin Ocean and another in engaging at least four regions to demonstrate solution effectiveness and provide technical assistance for capacity building and implementation. Up to four projects are likely to be funded at around €7-7.75m each. Read the full details.
Addressing aquatic pollution and biodiversity loss through nature positive solutions from source to sea, closes September 23rd
In this Horizon Europe Missions Oceans and Waters call, the aim is to support national, regional and local public authorities and stakeholders to access and deploy cost-effective, adaptive and nature-positive solutions to remediate and reduce pollution from nutrients, chemicals, plastics and microplastics from source to sea. At the same time ecosystem capacity to provide services and adapt to climate change impacts must be protected and restored. Further expected outcomes and requirements are here.
Towards a European network of ocean technology testing sites, closes September 23rd
A call to establish an integrated European network of ocean technology testing facilities to accelerate innovation cycles and support the transition from laboratory concepts to market-ready solutions for marine technologies, funded by Horizon Europe. More details.
More EO Mission Ocean and Waters proposal calls that are open to the UK
Soil Health Horizon EU, closes September 23rd
A total of €10m is available to support climate adaptation and soil health projects in the latest Horizon Europe programme call. Funders are looking for collaborative proposals to build soil resilience to extreme weather events and to support food security. You can register for partners on the web page with all the call details.
Enhancing resilience to wildfires in the wildland-urban interface, closes October 1st
For UK research organisations eligible for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding with proposals up to £1.58m. for a collaborative research project with partners from the US, Canada or both. Projects need to start by February 12th, 2027, and improve understanding of and resilience to wildfire and impacts in the wildland-urban interface. More details. Catch up on the briefing webinar.
European Research Council new work programme for researchers, closes October 14th
The 2027 ERC Starting Grant call is open to researchers of any nationality with 0-10 years of experience since completion of PhD, a scientific track record showing great promise and an excellent research proposal. The UK National Contact Point for the European Research Council (ERC) is encouraging potential applications to prepare for these opportunities and has a recording of its webinar briefing on the Starting Grant and the Advanced Grant.
European Innovation Council (EIC) Pathfinder for scientific research into breakthrough technologies, closes October 28th
A mix of opportunities for deep tech projects, aimed at research teams of 3+ organisations / institutions, to apply for grants of up to €4m. More here.
Road and Traffic Safety thematic call, an information webinar, closes November 27th
Open to proof-of-concept and pilot projects to develop sustainable space-based services and applications that address challenges related to the road and traffic safety sector. Details here.
Unspecified deadlines:
NERC urgency funding, no closing date
Funding of up to £100,000 can be made available to help researchers from UK organisations to collect valuable data at the start of unexpected natural events, such as extreme weather, before other events and actions affect data collection. Full details.
Innovation loans Expression of Interest, no deadline
UK-registered micro, small or medium sized enterprises can submit an Expression of Interest for loans for close-to-market innovative projects with strong commercial potential. Applications can range from £100,000-£5m. Innovate UK are looking for highly innovative late-stage research and development (R&D) projects with the best potential for the future. There must be a clear route to commercialisation and economic impact. Clean energy and digital & technologies are two of the categories. Selected EoIs will be invited to make a full application for consideration. More here.
Catch-up on International Disaster Charter Procurement Opportunity Information Session
Whether or not you were able to join this pre-market engagement session, you have until June 17th to complete the questionnaire to help UK Space Agency to assess market capability, capacity and readiness. If you would like to see the slides but have not received a copy, please email Space4Climate@reading.ac.uk. More details, including a link to the questionnaire, here.
Earth Observation Data Hub procurement for 2027-2030
UK Space Agency intends to run a competitive procurement to secure a supplier/consortium to lead on the delivery and operation of the Earth Observation Data Hub (EODH) from April 2027 – March 2030. A Preliminary Market Engagement Notice has been published at UKSAC26_0043 EO Data Hub Service Delivery – Find a Tender. An introductory webinar was held on May 20th and the agency intends to share slides and video from that webinar soon. To stay updated, please email UKSAEOT@ukspaceagency.gov.uk. A follow-up pre-market event will be held during the summer – date TBC.
Horizon Europe updates
Keep up with calls and news from the Horizon programme from the UK Horizon Europe National Contact Point (NCP) team. Subscribe here.
Shoots Challenge
Syngenta is looking for breakthrough technologies to accelerate the restoration of degraded or abandoned cropland so these lands can once again support productive and profitable crop production. Innovations with early proof of concept or field data are preferred. Find out more.
Barclays Eagle Labs
Access free support and expertise from the team at Barclays Insight to Impact programme for entrepreneurs. Details here.
Important update on ESA Kickstarters and the UK
Contrary to some out-of-date online information, the UK is not currently supporting ESA Kickstarter funding calls. However European Space Agency ACCESS BASS Proof of Concept or Pilot calls, and the ESA Phi-Lab call are open to UK applications. Look out for more up-to-date information on opportunities at the Space4Climate Members’ Conference on June 25th.
Funding database for local authorities’ climate action
There are European initiatives that are open to UK applicants and an updated list of all EU Climate Adaptation Mission opportunities is available. The database is primarily designed for local and regional authorities and brings together funding sources for adaptation and related areas, such as mitigation, infrastructure, transport, and digital innovation. Users can explore a wide range of programmes, identify relevant calls, and assess how their projects align with broader climate objectives, so it is worth sharing with your local authority contacts.
Pushing the frontiers of environmental research, no closing date
Three-to-four year multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research projects, delivered in partnership with other research funders and users, can apply for up to £950,000 (FEC). NERC are looking for ‘adventurous, ambitious, curiosity-driven project in environmental research’ in this new-style of applicant-led responsive funding opportunity. Full details.
Free help with ESA bids
The ESA Proposal Advice Service (ESA PAS) supports UK organisations to strengthen their bids for European Space Agency (ESA) contracts. It is designed to help improve the quality, completeness and strategic alignment of bids, ultimately aiming to boost national success rates and return on investment from ESA, offering free non-technical reviewing. This includes ensuring proposals are compliant with ESA requirements, avoiding common mistakes, and better aligning with ESA’s objectives. To be eligible to use ESA PAS organisations must:
- Be UK-based
- Be registered on ESA STAR
- Have previously submitted an ESA bid
- Be preparing a bid over €250,000 for submission in the next six to eight weeks
Email EPO@ukspaceagency.gov.uk for more details. To apply to use the service organisations must complete the Triage Form link. This form allows the UK Space Agency to assess whether the request meets the eligibility criteria and whether the ESA PAS service has the capacity to provide support.
New help for space SMEs to go global, applications open
The UK Space Agency has launched the Accelerating Investment Export Pathway (AIEP), a pilot programme designed to prepare high-potential UK space SMEs for international markets. The initiative, supported by KPMG, offers targeted training on market selection, international engagement, export readiness and navigating global trade and regulatory frameworks. Up to 10 businesses will benefit from workshops, resources and potentially a partially funded trade mission place to help them scale internationally. Applications are now open.
Multi-hazard research network (MHRN) opportunity with FCDO
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) are looking for organisations interested in developing a multi-hazard research network (MHRN) to support the FCDO and its partners to better use research evidence to prepare for, and respond to, emergencies. The Research Commissioning Centre (RCC) will be running the accountable grant competition. To receive notifications, you need to join the new mailing list here. You can email rcc@3ieimpact.org with ‘FCDO RCC: MHRN’ in the subject line for more details.
UK Innovation and Science Seed Fund (UKI2S)
The UK Space Agency’s UKI2S Space Portfolio supports pre-seed and seed+ companies that can deliver substantial benefits for humanity, from space. Investments ranging from £100,000 to £500,000 to address the critical funding gap early-stage space companies face. Find out more.
UK Business Applications and Space Solutions Programme (BASS) rolling application process
BASS isa partnership between the UK Space Agency and European Space Agency (ESA), funding up to 50% of chosen commercially focused space projects. It is looking for applications programmes that deliver innovative uses of space assets and data. Full details here.