Growth Projects
Co-funds market-expansion projects for space-enabled solutions already proven in a first market.
ESA co-funding runs on a sliding scale by applicant type: a 50% baseline, up to 80% for micro, small and medium enterprises, up to 100% of eligible cost for universities, research institutes and the public sector without commercial interest (with ESA's own share capped at 30% of total activity cost), and up to 75% for those same bodies with commercial interest. Applicants create an account on ESA'…
ESA wants companies whose space-enabled solution already has demonstrable commercial success in a primary market and now needs to unlock a secondary market. In scope is building and testing new service elements for that new market, plus running large-scale pilots.
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Guides for this application
All guides →Government 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.
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