PRODEX — Scientific Experiment Development Programme (Programme de Développement d'Expériences Scientifiques)

PRODEX Space Instrumentation

Supports Swiss research institutes through SERI and the Swiss Space Office to build scientific instruments for space missions.

PRODEX (Programme de Développement d'Expériences Scientifiques) is Switzerland's national instrument for funding the development of scientific instruments and subsystems for ESA space science missions. The programme is administered by the Swiss Space Office within SERI, which serves as Switzerland's delegate to ESA. Applications are submitted to the Swiss Space Office under national guidelines, and approved projects undergo a two-stage evaluation: a SERI national assessment followed by co-evaluation by ESA's PRODEX Office. Once approved, projects are implemented with ESA involvement. Switzerland has committed CHF/EUR 771 million to ESA programmes in the current cycle, with PRODEX forming one of the dedicated participation slots.

Eligible applicants are Swiss research institutes, universities, and space industry companies with operations in Switzerland. The project must align with an actual ESA space science mission that includes a PRODEX participation slot — proposals are tied to real mission timelines rather than open-topic calls. Award amounts are not publicly disclosed by SERI and depend on the scope of the instrument being developed and the specific mission context. There is no single annual deadline; PRODEX operates on a rolling basis and applicants submit according to ESA mission schedules and Swiss Space Office guidelines.

Successful PRODEX applications require early coordination with the Swiss Space Office and alignment with the ESA mission's timeline and technical requirements. The dual-approval process — SERI evaluation plus ESA PRODEX Office co-evaluation — means proposals must meet both Swiss national science quality standards and ESA's mission-specific technical criteria. Researchers and companies should contact the Swiss Space Office at sbfi.admin.ch for current mission opportunities and the applicable submission guidelines before preparing a proposal.