ESA Phi-Lab Sweden

ESA Phi-Lab Sweden

Funds space AI initiatives for Swedish companies, universities, and institutes through national collaboration with ESA.

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

ESA Phi-Lab Sweden is a six-year programme (2025–2031) co-funded by the European Space Agency, Vinnova, and the Swedish National Space Board, with a total budget of EUR 5.2 million. RISE Research Institutes of Sweden acts as the programme office, coordinating calls for proposals and allocating research grants to Sweden-based organisations on behalf of the funding partners. The 2026 Call for Proposals targets AI and edge-learning technologies for the space sector, with awards of 2.5 to 4 million SEK per project. Applications were due 15 June 2026 at 14:00 via Vinnova's online portal, with a parallel submission to the Phi-Lab Sweden programme office.

Two tracks structure the 2026 call. The Software track funds AI-driven autonomous detection and cognitive decision-making for satellites. The Hardware track targets energy-efficient, radiation-robust AI computing designed for orbital environments. Eligible applicants include Sweden-based companies, universities, research institutes, and public-sector bodies; ESA-funded portions can also include partners from other ESA Member States, while Vinnova-funded portions are restricted to Swedish entities. Prior calls have awarded between 2.5 and 5 million SEK per project (the 2025 call upper bound was 5 MSEK; the 2026 call ceiling is 4 MSEK).

Beyond the cash grant, accepted projects receive research mentoring, business coaching, intellectual-property advisory, and access to RISE test facilities — a support package particularly valuable for companies that need to validate hardware in representative environments before commercialisation. The programme office contact is info@esaphilab.se, and the programme is headquartered at Isafjordsgatan 22, Kista, Sweden. Given the June 2026 deadline has passed, organisations interested in the next call should monitor esaphilab.se for the expected 2027 call announcement.