WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR
Despite working in space, we have our feet firmly on the ground when it comes to business and we expect our partners to be the same.
We’re looking for teams that have identified a market opportunity that’s attractive and has real potential for engaging customers. Motivation, business experience and industry domain expertise are key.
But most importantly of all, we want to hear business ideas that are commercially viable, technically possible and involve either space tech or data.
WHAT WE OFFER
- Zero-equity funding (from €60k to €3M+ per activity).
- Personalised support from a member of the ESA team.
- Technical & commercial guidance.
- Access to our network of partners.
- Credibility of the ESA brand.
How to apply for BASS funding
BASS is now part of ACCESS and to mark the transition we are offering a wider portfolio of funding opportunities, designed to support businesses depending on their level of maturity and commercial readiness.
There are five different types of opportunities, falling under two main categories:
- Feasibility Studies: this de-risking stage explores the viability of new space-based applications and service concepts, consolidates the user landscape and requirements, and evaluates both economic sustainability and technical feasibility.
- Kick-start studies: Rapidly assess the viability and sustainability of new concepts
- Proof-of-concept studies: Design service concepts and develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to consolidate market opportunities and user engagement
- Enabling studies: Foster early user engagement for space services facing barriers like regulatory challenges or public-driven business models
- Demonstration Projects: this implementation and business validation stages focuses on developing and validating space-based applications and services, testing their business models, and piloting them with anchor customers and users to support commercial launch. It also enables expansion into secondary markets.
- Pilot Projects: Integrate and pilot the service/product with customers in the primary market, demonstrating full integration in an operational context
- Growth Projects: Expand services into secondary markets, develop new service elements, conduct large-scale pilots, and support strategic partnerships for global market access
We offer two types of funding calls across all frameworks:
- Open calls which are an always open invitation for businesses to reach out to us with their ideas
- Thematic calls which are time-limited invitations for ideas on specific topics, competitive invitation to tenders (ITTs), and contests
View all live Calls for Proposals
Application process
This is an overview of the application process for BASS Funding:
Please follow the links below for more information on the specific application process for each type of funding opportunity:
This list will be updated as more calls become live.
Disclaimer
Please note that all information provided on this webpage is for general guidance only. In case of any discrepancies or conflicts, the official ESA sources shall always take precedence. These include, but are not limited to:
- esa-star publication
- esa-star tendering
Participants are strongly advised to refer to these official channels for authoritative and up-to-date information regarding ESA opportunities, requirements, and procedures.