Funding Flash December 2024
Each month, Space South Central aims to bring together a curated list of the latest and best funding opportunities for businesses working in the space sector across the South East.
The list is not exhaustive – for that, see the Satellite Applications Catapult’s Space Enterprise Network.
If you see an opportunity below that could be suitable for your business, reach out to the team at info@spacesouthcentral.com, who will offer advice, expertise, support and connections to help you create successful bids. Since 2016, we have helped regional organisations secure £37.5M.
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Proof of Concept Call - Daresbury Laboratory 5G Ecosystem
Deadline: Friday, 13th December 2024
The STFC is offering businesses the opportunity to apply for up to £45k of grant funding for projects that leverage or integrate 5G technology. The Daresbury Laboratory 5G Ecosystem Proof of Concept Call aims to accelerate the development, testing, and deployment of innovative 5G applications by providing funding and resources for proof of concept (PoC) projects. This initiative will support start-ups, research institutions, and tech companies in demonstrating the potential of 5G across various industries including Space, Energy, Health and Life Sciences, Quantum, Digital, and Defence and Security.
Read more here.
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Cross-Cluster Proof of Concept Call: In-Space Economy Pump Prime Call
Deadline: Wednesday, 18th December 2024
With up to £9,999 grant funding available, the call looks for proof-of-principle projects in areas related to In-Orbit Servicing, Assembly, and In-Space Manufacturing.
A key requirement is that projects must be collaborative and business-led. This can be with organisations across the UK Space Ecosystem.
Applications with project partners from the Harwell and Sci-Tech Daresbury Campuses, UK Astronomy Technology Centre, and the STFC-supported Clusters are particularly encouraged.
Read more here.
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Green Hydrogen as a Sustainable Energy Source
Deadline: Wednesday, 1st January 2025
This Call for Proposals invites proposals for feasibility studies for services that explore innovative uses of space technology to advance green hydrogen as a sustainable energy source. This study aims to leverage satellite communication (SatCom), satellite Earth observation (SatEO), and satellite navigation (SatNav) to support green hydrogen production, storage, and distribution.
Read more here.
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UK-France Science, Innovation, and Technology Researcher Mobility Scheme
Deadline: Sunday, 12th January 2025
Universities UK International’s (UUKi) UK-France Science, Innovation, and Technology Researcher Mobility Scheme is available to UUK member institutions to use in the context of research and innovation partnerships between UK higher education institutions and France. The projects supported through this scheme should be closely aligned with Horizon Europe and/or other international collaborative funding programmes. The funding for this mobility scheme has been provided by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) via the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF).
Read more here.
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Global Business Innovation Programme in India - Urban Systems
Deadline: Monday, 6th January 2025
This competitive programme consists of three phases. These include a ‘Get Ready’ workshop, a one-week innovation visit to India, and an ‘Exploit the Opportunity’ workshop, to help maximise the benefits of the programme. Support from our Innovate UK innovation and growth specialists is provided throughout the programme.
The benefits of being involved with this programme include a better understanding of the innovation opportunities in India and a chance to meet potential collaborators and partners.
Read more here.
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Innovate UK Smart grants: November 2024
Deadline: Wednesday, 22nd January 2025
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, is investing up to £15 million in the best game changing and world leading ideas, designed for swift, successful commercialisation.
Innovate UK’s Smart grants programme is intrinsically positioned, by design, as a focused and uniquely differentiated product to support and propel the government’s five key missions:
driving economic growth
advancing clean energy
enhancing public safety
expanding opportunities
strengthening healthcare
Smart grants enable UK businesses to lead the way in solving the most pressing challenges and ensuring a prosperous future for the UK.
Read more here.
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ARTES Call for Innovative Hybrid Network Solutions
Deadline: Friday, 31st January 2025
This is a targeted call for expressions of interest in delivering future satellite services under the Competitiveness and Growth call of the ESA ARTES Programme in support of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) Very Hard to Reach Programme. The call will make up to £3.5 million of UK funding available
Read more here.
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India - UK Collaborative R&D for industrial sustainability Rd 2
Deadline: Wednesday, 12th February 2025
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest up to £2 million in innovation projects in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DST) Government of India.
This competition aims to fund business-led, collaborative research and development (CR&D) projects focused on Net Zero Technologies for innovative proposals developed between the UK and India.
UK registered organisations must collaborate with at least one Indian non-linked registered business applying under the equivalent Technology Development Board (TDB) programme.
Read more here
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Maritime Decarbonisation: Ports Decarbonisation
Deadline: Saturday, 15th February 2025
The objective of this call’s sub-theme is to develop new services that support the decarbonisation of the maritime sector, with a focus on ports ecosystems.
Ports play a pivotal role in maritime decarbonisation, serving as hubs for enabling the transition to cleaner and more sustainable shipping practices. They are more than just logistical centres — they are strategic agents of change in the decarbonisation of the maritime sector.
By implementing measures to decarbonise, ports can transform into green hubs that not only minimise environmental impacts but also drive innovation and sustainable economic growth. This transformation is essential for the broader decarbonisation of global trade and transport systems.
Read more here.
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Canada-UK Collaborative R&D 2024
Deadline: Wednesday, 16th April 2025
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) to invest up to £3 million in innovation projects.
The aim of this competition is to stimulate the development and implementation of innovative technologies across a range of sectors and technology areas.
This call for proposals is open to organisations from Canada and the UK who wish to form project consortia to perform collaborative projects focused on developing innovative products processes, or technology based services in the area of life sciences, digital and emerging, and sustainability and net zero technologies.
Read more here
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UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund
Deadline: Open Until Further Notice
The fund bridges public sector research and private capital, nurturing new business arising from the world-class science undertaken in the UK in sectors such as:
biotechnology
synthetic biology
agriculture
healthcare
environmental technology
computer science
engineering.
UKI2S provides long term, patient capital to technology start-ups that spin-out of publicly funded research institutes, are based on a partner’s campus or are involved in very early stage commercialisation of synthetic biology. Beyond seed funding, UKI2S provides strategic advice and support to companies in their early stages.
Read more here.
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EIC Accelerator
Deadline: Open Until Further Notice
The EIC Accelerator is a funding programme under Horizon Europe that offers support to start-ups and SMEs that:
have an innovative, game-changing product, service or business model that could create new markets or disrupt existing ones in Europe and even worldwide,
have the ambition and commitment to scale up,
are looking for substantial funding, but the risks involved are too high for private investors alone to invest
Applicants from EU Member States and countries associated with the Horizon Europe programme:
Single start-up or SME (including spin-outs)
Small mid-caps (up to 499 employees) in need of rapid scale-up of the TRL 9 activity. Mid-caps can apply for investment only.
Natural persons or legal entities willing to set up an SME or a mid-cap.
Read more here.
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ARTES: Invitations To Tender (ESA Workplan Activities)
Deadline: Open Until Further Notice
These are ESA-initiated programmes offering up to 100% funding for developing early technologies and innovations. Invitations To Tender (ITTs) are listed on ESA-STAR. You will need to register to access the activities.
For supported ITTs, as part of the application process, companies will need to apply to the UK Space Agency for approval before they submit their final application.
Read more here.
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NCSC Funded Cyber Essentials Programme
Deadline: Open Until Further Notice
The programme will offer practical support from an Advisor to achieve Cyber Essentials Plus at no cost to the organisation. Please note, this does not include the cost of any additional software or hardware identified by the Advisor that is required to achieve Cyber Essential Plus.
Qualifying organisations will receive around 20 hours of remote support with an Advisor. This time will be spent identifying and implementing improvements that are right for the size and needs of the organisation and supporting them in implementing the 5 Cyber Essentials technical controls. This will be followed by a hands-on technical verification that the controls have been put in place.
Read more here.
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Horizon Europe Pump Priming Collaboration between UK and EU Partners 2025
Deadline: Open Until Further Notice:
The British Academy with the support of the Royal Society, the Academy of Medical Sciences, and the Royal Academy of Engineering are inviting proposals from UK researchers and proposals from UK led consortia containing EU/Associated Countries-based researchers to pump prime collaborations to support the effective uptake of the opportunities provided by the UK’s association to Horizon Europe.
Read more here.
