ESA Business Applications Space Solutions (BASS)

BASS — Wildfires

Funds space-enabled wildfire monitoring programs improving response, prediction, and ecosystem safety.

Eligibility · Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland +16 more

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The BASS Wildfires 2026 call is a non-competitive opportunity operated by ESA's Business Applications Space Solutions (BASS) programme. Unlike competitive BASS calls, a non-competitive call funds all proposals that meet the stated criteria — applicants are not ranked against one another. The call opened 2 March 2026 and closes 2 June 2026. ESA provides zero-equity co-funding at a rate of 50–80% of total project costs, with the exact rate depending on the applicant's SME status and Member State approval. Eligible services must address wildfire management through space technology, with specific topic areas including early detection, real-time monitoring, fire behaviour simulation, and prediction during active wildfire response. A separate Wildfire Preparedness call covering risk assessment and prevention is planned for a later date.

Eligible applicants include organisations registered in Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, or Canada. The call applies to companies, universities, research organisations, and non-profits. Four requirements are explicitly stated: credible customer engagement, demonstrated market viability, technical feasibility, and space technology being critical to the solution — meaning satellite Earth observation, navigation, or communications must be integral, not ancillary.

Because the co-funding rate reaches 80% for qualifying SMEs in certain Member States, this call offers one of the highest ESA co-funding ratios available under BASS. Organisations that have existing relationships with civil protection agencies, forestry departments, or insurance companies dealing with wildfire risk are well positioned, as customer engagement evidence is a hard selection requirement. The non-competitive structure means that a well-evidenced proposal meeting all four stated criteria is expected to be funded regardless of how many other applicants apply in the same cycle.