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1. BackgroundÌý

At CMIN25, the UK subscribed a total of £141.4 million to the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) programme, reflecting our continued commitment to strengthening the UK’s satellite communications sector and supporting national priorities. to support the UK satellite telecommunications industry.ÌýÌý

This targeted allocation is designed to create new opportunities for UK-led innovation, growth, and collaboration in satellite communications and related technologies, working alongside our international partners.ÌýÌýÌý

1.1 ESA ITTsÌý

ESA-initiated ARTESÌýInvitations to TenderÌý(ITTs) are up to 100% funded activities focussed on low technology readiness levels development activitiesÌýandÌýfoundational capabilities. Proposals may be led by any eligible organisation (UK Company, Academia or Research and Technology Organisation).ÌýÌý

ESA-Initiated Invitations to Tender are activities proposed by ESA through a yearly work plan which is released on ESA-STAR.ÌýÌý

For Advanced Technology, Space for 5G/6G, ScyLight and 4S, the UK Space Agency pre-selectsÌýa number ofÌýITTs which are to be supported by the UK National Delegate each year. This takesÌýplaceÌýthrough a yearly RequestÌýforÌýInformationÌý(RFI)ÌýinÌýthe firstÌýquarterÌýof eachÌýyear,Ìýand the following guidance is related to this selectedÌýlist.ÌýÌý

No further RFIs will be released in 2026, the nextÌýopportunity to input will be ahead of the 2027 workplans.ÌýÌý

The UK National Delegate will not support proposals for any activities that are not on the list as a prime contractor or as a subcontractor. An invitation from the European Space Agency to bid for the tender will not be successful without national delegate support.Ìý

2. Supported ActivitiesÌý

Supported activities can be found atÌý/government/publications/uk-national-delegate-support-for-the-advanced-technology-call/uk-space-agency-supported-itt-activitiesÌý

2.1 Registering with ESAÌý

New applicants who have not worked with the European Space Agency will need to register their organisation on ESA-STAR (ESA’s System for Tendering and Registration) to view and bid forÌýa supportedÌýactivity. Further information on the registration process can be found here:Ìý.Ìý

3. What is National Delegate supportÌýÌý

Applicants mustÌýdemonstrateÌýnational support prior to applying to ESA (European Space Agency). This is called ‘National Delegate support’,Ìýas the UK delegates its national support to a named member of staff within the UK Space Agency. This guidance is designed to set out the process for applying for National Delegate support forÌýARTES ITTsÌý

4. How to applyÌýÌý

There are 3 steps to applying for National Delegate support:Ìý

1. complete the online form to register interest in ITT activitiesÌý

2. complete and submit full proposal to the UK Space AgencyÌý

3. receive authorisation of funding letter from the UK Space Agency and submit the full proposal to ESAÌý

4.1 Step 1: Complete the online form to register interest in the ITT activitiesÌýÌý

Once you have confirmed the ITT is supported by the UK Space Agency, to apply for National Delegate support, you must complete the onlineÌý.Ìý

In order to ensure you have time to submit a proposal to ESA, we advise completing this form well in advance of the ITT deadline.ÌýÌý

If your online application is accepted, you may then proceed to submit a completed full proposal to the UK Space Agency. If you are not successful, you will receive feedback on the reasons why.ÌýÌý

Please note, you must register your interest via the online form. We will not consider applications that are sent directly to the UK Space Agency.ÌýÌý

4.2 Step 2: Complete andÌýsubmitÌýfull proposal to UK Space AgencyÌý

If you are invited to apply for National Delegate support, you must submit the ESA full proposal by email toÌýtelecoms@ukspaceagency.gov.ukÌýby the date outlined in your UK Space Agency EOI response. Full proposals not sent to this address will not be considered.ÌýÌýÌý

4.3 Step 3: Receive authorisation of funding letter from the UK Space Agency andÌýsubmitÌýfull proposal to ESAÌýÌý

Once any outstanding questions relating to your full proposal have been addressed, we will confirm our support and provide an ‘authorisation of funding letter’ from the UK National Delegate. At this stage you can begin the process of submitting directly to ESA, who will begin its formal consideration.ÌýÌý

Please note, if you do not provide the required information by the date agreed, you may not receive your letter in time.ÌýÌý

If successful through the ESA competition, we expect you to stay in touch throughout the life of the programme, from contracting to completion. We expect to publicise most funding awards in coordination with winning companies and to be kept informed of any changes or developments for the duration of the project. This ensures we can support you if any adjustments are needed.ÌýÌý

5. Eligibility and assessment criteriaÌýÌý

5.1 EligibilityÌý

Please check the ESA guidance on eligibility criteria under the ARTES Programme. In addition to this, the UK Space Agency will apply the following eligibility criteria:ÌýÌý

UK-based organisationsÌýÌý

To be considered for UK National Delegate support, organisations must be UK-based and, for commercial companies, must have a UK registration at Companies House. If you are considering moving to the UK, or you do not have a UK registration, you can seek further guidance from the team by email atÌýtelecoms@ukspaceagency.gov.uk.ÌýÌýÌý

Essential non-UK spend requestsÌýÌý

Products and services from non-UK suppliers that are considered essential to deliver successful projects, may be included in proposals. However, all proposals must demonstrate their value to the UK and non-UK spend requests are unlikely to score highly against other, UK-based activities. Any non-UK spend requests should be clearly stated in your initial application. Late requests will not be considered if they have not been declared and approved at the applications stage.ÌýÌý

Match-fundingÌýÌý

In line with ESA rules governing invitations to tender, companies can seek funding of up to 100% for individual activities. Moreover, SMEs, universities, and research institutions can prime proposals and are eligible to apply for complete funding coverage of up to 100%.ÌýÌý

Travel and SubsistenceÌýÌý

UK will only support reasonable travel and subsistence costs. No claims for alcohol or entertainment will be accepted.ÌýÌý

All projected expenditure must be recorded in the relevant ESA proposal. The UK Space Agency reserves the right not to support projects where costs appear excessive, and any challenges may delay your application to ESA.ÌýÌý

If you are in any doubt about what is reasonable you should contact the team.ÌýÌý

6. ComplaintsÌýÌý

If you are unhappy with either the outcome of your application or how the process was managed, or for any other reason, you can make a complaint by contacting the team atÌýtelecoms@ukspaceagency.gov.uk. Please set out the nature of your complaint in detail. The team will try to resolve a complaint in the first instance but, if a resolution is not possible, we will refer it to the UK Space Agency central complaints process, where it will be independently assessed.ÌýÌý

7. Further informationÌýÌý

If you would like any further information, or have any questions or feedback about this guidance, please contact the team by email atÌýtelecoms@ukspaceagency.gov.uk.