ESA - Space-Enabled Solutions for Resilient Grids: Situational Awareness for Critical Events

Funding Amount

Funding supports both Proof-of-Concept Studies and Pilot Projects.

• Individual projects can request £600,000 for Proof-of-Concept Studies

• Pilot Projects are assessed on case-by-case basis.

ESA provides zero-equity co-funding covering 50% to 80% of eligible project costs, depending on SME status and national delegation approval. This is typically 50% for UK applicants.

Eligible Applicants

Open to businesses, universities, research institutes, and public sector entities based in ESA-eligible countries, including:

• The United Kingdom

• Ireland

• France

• Germany

• Italy

• Netherlands

• Spain

• Sweden

• Switzerland

• Canada

And more.

Applicants must demonstrate established business, financial, and technical expertise and possess the capability to acquire and process space-derived data.

Eligible Activities

Projects should leverage Satellite Earth Observation (SatEO), Satellite Navigation (SatNav/GNSS), Satellite Communications (SatCom), and related digital technologies to deliver solutions such as:

• Early detection and monitoring of wildfires, floods, storms, heatwaves, and infrastructure failures.

• Monitoring of transmission corridors, vegetation encroachment, and environmental risks.

• Integration of space weather data for grid risk forecasting.

• Post-event damage assessment and operational recovery support.

• Scalable monitoring and risk-management platforms for electricity transmission networks.

• Solutions incorporating AI, machine learning, digital twins, IoT, and advanced geospatial analytics.

Program Deadline

This is a three-stage competition, with 2nd and 3rd stage timings confirmed after submitting the 1st stage:

• Activity Pitch Questionnaire Deadline: 29th January 2027

• Outline Proposal Deadline: to be determined.

• Full Proposal Deadline: to be determined.