Spark Funding – ESA Space Solutions Belgium

ESA supports companies in Belgium willing to use space technology in their processes or willing to enter the space market through a the Spark Funding program.
Verhaert, ESA, and Belspo welcome applications addressing:

Spin-off: transfer of space technology/assets into non-space domains/services
Spin-in: transfer of a non-space technology/assets into space domains/services

The scope of activity of the ESA Spark Funding Open Call covers:

Phase 1:

Technical Breadboarding & Business Case

Incentive: €60.000

Co-funding: min. 20% for SMEs, min. 50% for large companies.

Duration: up to 12 months.

Objectives:

Definition of a minimal viable product/service and technical breadboard to validate critical functions and value proposition, as well as the refinement of an applicable business case.

Phase 2:

Demonstration Project with Customer/User

Incentive: €120.000

Co-funding: min. 20% for SMEs, min. 50% for large companies.

Duration: up to 24 months.

Objectives:

For spin-off projects: definition of an elaborate prototype/service and demonstration of the major capabilities in a relevant environment.
For spin-in projects: a clear advance in complexity, system integration, testing envelope must be evident compared to an existing prior technical breadboard.

For phase 2 projects, a functioning technical breadboard/service, a validated value proposition and draft business case are non-negotiable prerequisites and shall be further developed.

Who may apply?

In a tech transfer process, there are a Technology Donor and a Product Developer, who is the receiver of the technology, possibly with the participation of a Customer/User.
Ideally, the project proposal should be led by the Product Developer. The Product Developer and the Technology Provider can be the same entity. In exceptional cases, the Product Developer and the Customer can be the same entity; in these instances, the project could be led by the Technology Provider.

ESA Spark funding is primarily targeted at SMEs or larger entities who generally already have existing product lines. To be eligible for a contract award, applicants must fulfill all the requirements below:

To be a legal entity registered under the laws of Belgium;
To be headquartered in Belgium;
To be fully compliant with Belgium tax and social security obligations;
To observe the remaining requirements stated in this document;
When acting in collaboration with other national or foreign entities, the applicant will be the sole contractor and will be fully responsible for managing the funding.
To declare that the activities proposed under the submitted ESA Spark Funding project are not being funded through other means (e.g. any ESA call, ESA Business Incubation, European Commission etc).

How to apply?

The Call is permanently open and has no closing date for the submission of applications. However, the selection and evaluation of applications are scheduled periodically; the deadline for the next evaluation is 31/12/2024 at 23:59 CET.

In order to apply, please consult the Invitation to apply and download the template for the relevant call:

Make sure you’ve filled in all the sections of the ESA Spark Funding Application Template and submit it as a single .pdf document to the e-mail address techbroker@spacesolutions.be with subject “ESA Spark Funding Belgium Open Call”. Any questions related to submission of proposals should be sent to the same e-mail address.

Paper submissions or other communications are not going to be evaluated.

If selected, the technology broker will be in touch about the contract.
You can already download a draft of the contract, for your knowledge.