Connected Rural Communities Kick-Start
Pays up to 64,000 euros for satellite-enabled services connecting rural communities.
ESA Space Solutions funds Kick-start activities at 80% up to a maximum of 64,000 euros per contract for SMEs, or 75% up to 60,000 euros for non-SMEs. Applicants register on ESA-STAR, download the tender documentation, write a proposal (with a National Delegation Letter of Support if needed) and submit via ESA-STAR Tendering by each sub-theme's deadline.
ESA is looking for space-enabled internet applications and services for rural communities, organised into four sub-themes: Life of Communities (Education & Health), Business Opportunities (Mobility & Tourism), Safety & Security, and Management of Resources (Utilities & Natural Resources). Each sub-theme has its own opening and closing window.
Sign up free to see the funding breakdown
Sign up free to see the industries in scope
Sign up free to see the full eligibility
Sign up free to see how to apply
Sign up free to see the timeline
Sign up free to see where teams trip up
Guides for this application
All guides โGovernment Grants for Startups: What Deeptech Founders Should Know
A practical guide to government grants for startups, including Grants.gov, SBIR/STTR, state programs, eligibility, fit, timelines, and when to apply.
Start hereTRL Levels Explained for Deeptech Founders
Learn what TRL levels mean, how to estimate technology readiness, and how TRL affects grants, EIC Accelerator, SBIR/STTR, funding stage, and application evidence.
Write proposalHow to Write a Grant Proposal Reviewers Can Score
Learn how to write a grant proposal around reviewer criteria, evidence, work packages, budget logic, and commercialization for deeptech and R&D funding.
More from ESA
All grants from this funder โEnvironmental Crimes
๐ง๐ชESA ยท Global / Multinational
Zero-equity co-funding for satellite services that detect and trace environmental crime.
ESA BIC โ Incubation
๐ฆ๐นESA ยท Global / Multinational
Provides equity-free incubation funding and business support for space-related startups across Europe.
BASS Kick-start
๐ง๐ชESA ยท Global / Multinational
Funds feasibility studies for space-enabled applications in agriculture, climate monitoring, and transport innovation.
BASS โ Wildfires
๐ง๐ชESA ยท Global / Multinational
Funds space-enabled wildfire monitoring programs improving response, prediction, and ecosystem safety.
Copernicus Masters
ESA ยท Global / Multinational
Awards over โฌ300,000 in cash prizes to entrepreneurs building Earth-observation data products.
ESA Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs)
ESA ยท Global / Multinational
Gives space startups โฌ60,000 in equity-free funding plus ESA technical support.
Similar grants
Browse the directory โSprint Grant for Small Companies
๐ซ๐ฎBusiness Finland ยท Finland
Funds Finnish small companies seeking fast growth in technology through focused commercial acceleration support.
ZIM Feasibility Studies
๐ฉ๐ชBMWE ยท Germany
Funds German small businesses preparing technology concepts for future project development and commercialization planning.
WIPANO Knowledge Transfer through Standardization
๐ฉ๐ชBMWE ยท Germany
Funds German companies and public research organizations that convert publicly funded research into technical standards through joint WIPANO cooperation projects.
Take-off Phase 1 โ Feasibility Study (WO)
๐ณ๐ฑNWO ยท Netherlands
Funds Dutch academic entrepreneurs turning innovative ideas into commercially viable feasibility-focused technology studies.
French Tech Emergence Grant (Bourse French Tech Emergence)
๐ซ๐ทBpifrance ยท France
Supports French deep-tech early ventures with internal and external spending to reach project emergence.
French Tech Lab Grant
๐ซ๐ทBpifrance ยท France
Supports pre-creation deeptech ventures emerging from university research through team formation and business validation.