National Space Innovation Programme - Major Projects Call One (Open Call)

The UK Space Agency invites proposals for emerging and innovative technology research and development under its National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP). NSIP funding is available via two routes, NSIP Kick Starter which will provide grants of £150k-£1m for low TRL (1-4) projects with an emphasis on innovation and disruption, and NSIP Major Projects, offering grants of £1m-£5m for higher TRL projects (5-9) with an emphasis on catalysing investment and commercialisation. This call is for NSIP Major Projects funding.

The National Space Strategy has set a new vision to make the UK one of the world’s most innovative and attractive space economies. The UK Space Agency has an essential role in delivering this. We help the UK to harness the power of space to benefit our people, planet and shared prosperity, by:

  • Catalysing investment - supporting projects that multiply the value of non-Government contracts and capital secured by the UK space sector
  • Delivering missions and capabilities that meet public needs and advance our understanding of the universe
  • Championing space - advocating for the sustainable use of space, encouraging other sectors to use space solutions, and inspiring people into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and careers

To do this, we deliver an exciting portfolio of activities: from helping companies to build space infrastructure and bring new services to market, to co-funding cutting-edge research and reaching out to schools.

The National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) contributes to the future capability of the UK space sector and research base by providing funding to develop emerging innovative technologies by raising Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) positioning UK space activities closer to commercial or scientific exploitation.

This announcement relates to NSIP Major Projects which focuses on higher-TRL projects (5 - 9) with an emphasis on catalysing investment and commercialisation, providing increased funding amounts (£1 - 5m) and longer delivery timescales (up to 36 months).

Open Call Details

Eligibility

We welcome bids from a variety of organisations including academia, industry and other not for profit organisations:

  • there are a series of requirements for eligibility to receive grant funding: all applicants must also provide brief and relevant company or organisation background information, including areas of expertise
  • grant recipients must demonstrate the ability to effectively manage a project
  • grant recipients must have a UK bank account and all grant payments will be made in UK sterling (as per grant funding agreement)
  • all organisations including partner organisations must also be registered in the UK and provide information of their company registration and official address
  • all project members must have in place and provide evidence of appropriate anti-bribery and anti-corruption policies
  • all project members must provide evidence of a process for declaring and managing conflicts of interest
  • all project members must be able to provide evidence that they are General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) compliant
  • projects cannot work in areas that are in active conflict and any travel to overseas must comply with Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) recommendations
  • projects must pass due diligence checks on company viability (financial standing assessment, governance, conflicts of interest, technical expertise)
  • formal teaming, or equivalent agreements between project partners must be in place within 60 calendar days of grant signature
  • projects must comply with the rules stated in this guidance document
  • applicants that have received more then £10m in public funding for this project or the same policy objective within the last 3 years are ineligible for this call. Further guidance on cumulation can be found within chapter 10 of the Subsidy Control Act staturotry guidance.

Following receipt of bids and before award of any grant, new entrants will be required to provide additional eligibility details;

  • evidence of company legitimacy and financial solvency supported by e.g., company Annual Reports
  • details of company quality processes and accreditation
  • track record supported by reputation or by statements from referees and customer testimonials

For newly formed companies who do not have first year accounts then one or more of the following could be deemed as acceptable proof of eligibility;

  • reference from their bank – confirming capital solvency and appropriate management of finances etc industry/trade reference from either customers or suppliers
  • Companies House registration details
Application Guidelines

Please read the following guidelines carefully to ensure that your application includes all of the information required.

To submit your proposal to this call you must complete the following documents:

  • Template A Application form
  • Annex 4 Overheads (Excel) (if using calculated overheads option)
  • Annex 5 Finance Sheet (Excel)
  • Annex 6 Grant Applicant Checklist (Excel)
  • Annex 7 North Star Metric 

Please see below information which includes maximum page count, where applicable, for each section. Should any part of the application overrun the specified page limit, we will only consider material up to the designated page limit that is in the correct format.

Only information contained in the provided templates will be considered when proposals are reviewed.  Any additional information provided in a covering letter or email or additional document will not be considered.

When submitting documents, Annex A must be submitted in both .docx./odt and .pdf, while excel spreadsheets should be submitted as .xlsx.

Where letters of support or references are submitted in support of your proposal they should be added into the page at the end of Template A.

Note: Where a template is specified, this must be unaltered and used in submission. Should any part of the application overrun the specified page limit, we will only consider material up to the designated page limit that is in the correct format. Should any Section be omitted, or the Template altered, the proposal will be rejected.

You can find the required documents here.

Supporting Information

You can find additional details and documents to support your application here.