ESA Business Applications Space Solutions (BASS)

BASS Kick-start

Funds feasibility studies for space-enabled applications in agriculture, climate monitoring, and transport innovation.

Eligibility · Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland +14 more

The BASS Kick-start rolling call is operated by ESA's Business Applications Space Solutions (BASS) programme under the ARTES element. It funds six-month feasibility studies that assess the technical feasibility, commercial viability, and market demand for space-enabled downstream products and services. ESA contributes 75% of total project costs, up to a maximum of €75,000 per contract, meaning total project budgets are capped at €100,000. Funding is zero-equity — ESA takes no shares. Applications are accepted year-round and evaluated at five batch cut-off dates in 2026: 27 February, 27 March, 29 May, 28 August, and 30 October, all at 13:00 CET. Submissions go through the ESA-STAR procurement platform.

Eligible applicants must be organisations based in participating ESA Member States and must propose projects that integrate at least one space asset — satellite communications, satellite Earth observation, or satellite navigation — as a critical component of the solution. Companies, universities, research organisations, and non-profits are all eligible; individuals are not. Applicants provide 25% of total project costs as match funding. The output expected from a Kick-start activity is a business case and a go/no-go decision for a subsequent development phase, not a finished product.

The Kick-start mechanism is designed as an entry point into the BASS funding ladder. Organisations that pass feasibility should plan for follow-on activities such as Demonstration projects or non-competitive thematic calls. The strongest proposals demonstrate a clear space technology dependency — meaning the satellite component is integral to the product, not supplementary — and include evidence of initial customer engagement or market validation. Because five cut-off dates per year are offered, applicants can time submission to match their readiness rather than waiting for an annual deadline.