Up to €75,000 ESA Kick-start Grant

The European Space Agency's Business Applications and Space Solutions programme (BASS) funds companies to test whether a new service built on space technology can work and sell. A Kick-start is a six-month feasibility study that must use at least one space asset, such as satellite communications, Earth observation data or satellite navigation. The call is always open, and proposals are judged in batches; the next batch closes on 26 February 2027.

What you get:

• ESA funds 75 percent of the activity, up to EUR 75,000 per contract, on a maximum total cost of EUR 100,000
• Zero-equity funding, so ESA takes no share of the company
• Personalised support from a member of the ESA team, with technical and commercial guidance
• Access to ESA's network of partners and the credibility of the ESA brand
• A route to follow-up funding: a successful Kick-start can move on to Proof-of-concept and Demonstration Projects

What you'll do:

• Design the technical architecture of your service
• Engage with potential customers to test demand
• Improve your business plan

• A company (tenderer) from a country listed on the esa-star call: BE, CA, CH, CZ, DE, DK, EE, GR, ES, FI, FR, GB, HU, IE, IT, LT, LU, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI
• The service must use at least one space asset: satellite communications, satellite Earth observation data or satellite navigation
• Written Authorisation of ESA Funding from your National Delegation, included in the cover letter
• Registration on esa-star; proposals are written on the official documents from esa-star Publication and submitted through esa-star tendering
• The company covers at least 25 percent of the activity's cost itself