The Opportunity
As energy systems face growing operational, environmental and security challenges, ensuring the resilience of Europe's electricity grids is becoming increasingly important. This is driving demand for innovative solutions that can help grid operators anticipate, detect and respond to disruptions, while maintaining a secure and reliable energy supply.
This Call for Proposals is being developed in collaboration with ENTSO-E, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity, representing 40 transmission system operators (TSOs) across 36 countries. Through the relevant ESA energy-focused working arrangements, ENTSO-E and participating TSOs are bringing sector expertise and practical perspectives to help shape the areas of focus for this initiative.
The collaboration provides applicants with a strong connection to the European electricity transmission community and creates potential opportunities for successful solutions to be validated, demonstrated and considered for wider use across the network, subject to the interest and requirements of individual TSOs.
The Call invites proposals for Proof-of-concept Studies and Pilot Projects for services addressing selected challenges relevant to the resilience and operational continuity of European electricity transmission systems. These include:
- growing physical, cyber, and climate-related risks to energy infrastructure
- increasingly extreme weather events (such as wildfires, floods, storms, heatwaves) affecting grid operations
- increasing dependency on secure infrastructure for digitalisation and interconnected power systems, and
- economic, societal, and national security impacts from disruption to energy systems
The challenges highlighted above represent selected areas of interest identified through engagement with the European transmission system community and are intended to provide a basis for the development and demonstration of innovative, space-enabled solutions.
Subject to their individual interest and applicable internal, operational, security, regulatory and procurement requirements, participating TSOs may engage with selected bidders as potential users and contribute to the validation and demonstration of proposed solutions. Such engagement does not constitute an endorsement or commitment to participate in a pilot or to procure or purchase any resulting solution.
Topics of Relevance
The use cases are organised under two complementary challenge areas, reflecting the operational needs identified by ENTSO-E in relation to the secure and resilient operation of Europe's interconnected electricity transmission system.
The proposed activities build on existing space-enabled capabilities and services, including Earth observation, positioning, navigation and timing, and satellite communications. The objective is therefore not to develop these capabilities in isolation, but to demonstrate their operational value for TSOs and explore how they can complement existing terrestrial solutions, strengthen resilience and support continuity of grid operations.
The two themes will open for applications one after the other: Theme 1 applications are invited from November 4 2026 to January 29 2027, Theme 2 applications will be invited from February 1 2027 to 30 April 2027.
- Theme 1 | Situational Awareness for Critical Events | Opening: 4.11.2026 | Closing: 29.1.2027
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Developing solutions that improve real-time monitoring and decision-making before, during, and after high-impact events.
Key capabilities:
- Early detection and monitoring of wildfires, floods, extreme weather, and infrastructure failures
- Monitoring of transmission corridors, vegetation encroachment, and environmental risks Integration of space weather information for grid risk forecasting
- Post-event damage assessment and operational recovery support
- Scalable and interoperable platforms supporting use across multiple transmission system environments, subject to applicable requirements
- Theme 2 | Strengthening Operational Resilience for the Grid | Opening: 1.2.2027 | Closing: 30.4.2027
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Enhancing the security and continuity of grid operations through resilient space-enabled capabilities.
Key capabilities:
- High-accuracy and resilient timing capabilities for applications within digital substations and other grid applications requiring stringent timing performance, subject to applicable technical and security requirements
- Precise positioning for onshore and offshore grid assets
- Detection of interference, spoofing, and signal degradation
- Satellite backup communications when terrestrial networks fail
- Secure connectivity for grid restoration and emergency operations
Value of Space
Space assets provide critical capabilities to support grid resilience:
- Satellite Earth Observation (SatEO) data can provide valuable capabilities for monitoring infrastructure, environmental risks and to assess damage.
- SatEO provides wide-area, persistent monitoring of transmission corridors and substations, enabling near real-time detection and forecasting of wildfires, and supporting rapid flood mapping and post-event damage assessment. SatEO also allows operators to monitor vegetation encroachment and construction activities that may impact the grid and to detect ground deformation using radar techniques, identifying subsidence or structural movements that could affect critical infrastructure.
- Satellite Navigation (SatNav) can provide high-precision positioning capabilities that may support applications within digital sub-stations and other grid assets requiring a stringent synchronisation performance. SatNav can also enable the detection of structural displacement or slow asset movement, and provides independent, resilient timing sources that migrate risks associated with terrestrial timing failures or signal interference.
- Satellite Communications (SatCom) support secure and resilient connectivity during outages and emergencies.
- SatCom can provide secure backup connectivity during terrestrial network outages or cyber incidents, and enable rapid deployment of communications in disaster-affected areas. It also supports independent command-and-control channels for grid restoration operations, and may support resilient backup communications and interoperability with relevant utility communication environments, subject to the applicable technical, cybersecurity and operational requirements.
- Supporting digital technologies including Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Digital Twins, and advanced data fusion and analytics.
What we are looking for
We look for motivated teams with established business, financial and technical expertise who can address our focus areas with market-ready concepts. Submitted proposals must demonstrate:
- Commercial Viability and Sustainable Business Models: Service concepts designed for long-term commercial profitability. Projects targeting public sector or law enforcement users (B2G) are strongly encouraged to incorporate commercial B2B customer streams to ensure post-project sustainability.
- Operational Readiness over Research: A clear focus on deploying pre-operational commercial services rather than pure academic research or basic scientific data exploration. Concepts must be driven by practical market demand and active user support.
- Technical Data Self-Sufficiency: Bidding teams must already possess the internal technical capability to acquire and process downstream space data. Teams must be self-sufficient from the outset, as ESA provides financial and strategic backing rather than direct software engineering support.
- Distinct Space Added Value: Clear, measurable operational or commercial advantages derived directly from the integration of space assets over traditional terrestrial alternatives.
What we offer
- Zero-equity co-funding: up to 50–80% of your activity costs, depending on SME status and Member State approval.
- Technical and commercial guidance
- Access to our network, partners and Taskforce members
- ESA brand credibility
Who can apply?
To be eligible for funding, your team must be based in one of the following countries: Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
Potential Tenderers are strongly advised to contact the National Delegation(s) of the countries where their industrial partners (Prime and Subcontractors) are located as soon as possible. A Written Authorisation for ESA funding from the National Delegation(s) is required for the Full Proposal.
How to apply
Visit the How to Apply to Proof-of-concept studies and Pilot Projects page for the full application details.
Proposals are assessed individually on a rolling, non-competitive basis; companies are therefore strongly encouraged to submit their APQ as early as possible.
Further information and important documentation can be found on the BASS documents page.
Webinar
There will be a webinar on 20 October 11:00 CEST. Join us to learn more about this ESA BASS funding call and for your opportunity to ask questions before preparing your application. Registration details will be added shortly.