Funding Flash: March 2023

Each month, the South Coast Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications (Space South Central) aims to bring together a curated list of the latest and best in 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, do not hesitate to reach out to the team at info@spacesouthcentral.com who will be able to offer advice, expertise, support and connections to help you create successful bids. Since 2019 we have helped regional organisations secure £14.5M.

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Knowledge Asset Grant Fund: extend 2023

Fund Name: Knowledge Asset Grant Fund: extend 2023 Deadline: Thursday 16th March 2023

Eligible UK public sector organisations can apply for up to £5 million from the Knowledge Asset Grant Fund. The funding will aid exploitation of high potential intangible assets that have a broader application or client base than their owner organisation.

To lead a project, your organisation must be a UK government public sector organisation headed by an accounting officer responsible for upholding and managing public money.

This includes:

• UK government departments
• arms-length bodies
• public sector research establishments

Read more here.

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Seeing in the Dark

Fund Name: Seeing in the Dark Challenge Deadline: Friday 31st March

This challenge focuses on developing an applique protection system to protect CCTV cameras from infrared (IR) sources while still providing the benefits of night sight. Successful applicants will receive grant funding to undertake a 12-week sprint to develop an applique detection system concept demonstrator.If, after a demonstration, there appears to be potential for a product, then funding will likely be made available to continue this challenge.

Read more here.

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Establish a flagship UK national clean maritime research hub

Fund Name: Establish a flagship UK national clean maritime research hub Deadline: Tuesday 2nd May 2023

Apply for funding to establish a flagship UK national clean maritime research hub to develop critical mass and address fundamental research challenges in clean maritime. EPSRC and DfT will fund up to £7.4 million, at 80% of the full economic cost of the hub, with a fixed start date of September 1st 2023 and a duration of 43 months.

You must:

• build a co-created interdisciplinary research consortium
• form project partner collaborations with academia, industry, policymakers and the third sector
• demonstrate at least £2 million of matched funding from project partners at application stage and a plan to increase this to £10 million by the end of the hub

Read more here.

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Sustainable Synergies

Fund Name: Sustainable Synergies: Interconnected Systems for Positive Impact Opening Date: Wednesday 15th of March 2023 Deadline: Monday 15th May 2023

This call for Feasibility Studies aims to promote the operational and commercial roll-out of services addressing interconnected systems for positive impact where at least two systems considered “isolated”, including eco-systems, are operated in a synergistic manner so that externalities are re-used or recycled and with the use of at least one space asset.

ESA are offering funding and support to companies, both for business case assessment and for the development of new, space-based services. This includes:

• Technical & commercial guidance
• Access to our network and partners, including ICT-AGRI-FOOD and ENEL
• Use of the ESA brand for your service
• Zero-equity funding

ESA will typically bear up to 50% of the eligible total study costs, but this funding level can be increased up to 80% for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, or research institutions. The precise funding amount should be discussed with your relevant National Delegate.

Read more here.

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CASE

Fund Name: CASE: Commercial Applications Enabled by Space Environments Deadline: Open until further notice

The Commercial Applications enabled by the Space Environments (CASE) Open Call for Proposals supports the development of commercial services that benefit from microgravity and space environments. CASE Feasibility Studies and Demonstration Projects are designed to assess, mature, and implement business concepts for new commercial services, products and applications that are enabled by existing space infrastructure related to human and robotic exploration.

Eligible space infrastructure includes, for example, space-based facilities such as commercial services available aboard the International Space Station or, once available, future LEO and lunar infrastructure.

ESA is offering funding and support to companies for business case assessment and spaceflight preparation as well as developing and piloting of new end-to-end services and products that benefit from space environments in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

Read more here.

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Responsive Mode Call

Fund Name: Responsive Mode Call - Exploration Community Development Deadline: Open until further notice

The UK Space Agency wishes to support the UK exploration community to participate in, and benefit from, their investments in the ESA Exploration programme, and to prepare for participation in exploration missions with partners beyond ESA. Small scale funding is available to organisations that require additional support for activities which will benefit the wider UK space exploration community.

Read more here.

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Student Support

Fund Name: Student support: ESA microgravity programmes Deadline: Open until further notice

Teams of students are invited to apply for this funding opportunity if they were selected in the following ESA programmes:

• Drop Your Thesis!
• Fly Your Thesis!
• Orbit Your Thesis!
• Spin Your Thesis!
• Spin Your Thesis! Human Edition

Grants will be awarded to teams for contributions to experiment build costs only, and the maximum amount awarded will be £5,000. Each project team selected by ESA may apply for funding once only.

As well as offering funding, the UK Space Agency will provide support to the team through mentorship and guidance, where appropriate.

This call will remain open indefinitely, but any awards are subject to funds being available within the Human Exploration budget in any given financial year.

Read more here.