The UK Space Agency has opened the third call of its National Space Innovation Programme, making up to £20 million available for UK-based space research and development projects.
The programme supports innovative space technologies, applications and services with a clear route towards commercial or scientific use. This includes opportunities relevant to organisations developing earth observation technologies, downstream applications, data services and related capabilities.
Two funding schemes
- Kick Starter: grants between £150,000 and £1 million for early-stage projects, broadly at Technology Readiness Levels 1–4.
- Major Projects: grants between £150,000 and £2 million for projects aiming to reach higher Technology Readiness Levels, with an emphasis on commercialisation and attracting further investment.
Projects under either scheme may run for up to 30 months. The UK Space Agency anticipates awarding approximately 15–30 grants.
Although applications may cover any space technology, application or service, up to 40% of the available budget is expected to target Space Domain Awareness and In-Orbit Assembly and Manufacture.
Eligibility
Proposals must be led by a UK-based organisation and demonstrate a clear benefit to the UK. Overseas organisations may participate as partners but cannot receive grant funding through this call. Industry applicants may lead one proposal under each scheme, while universities and research organisations may lead up to three proposals per scheme.
Key dates
Applicants are encouraged to submit a non-mandatory Expression of Interest by 7 August 2026. The deadline for outline proposals is 11:59pm on Friday 21 August 2026.
Successful projects are expected to begin from 1 April 2027 and must finish by 30 September 2029. The funding is provided through co-funded grants, so applicants should review the match-funding and subsidy-control requirements carefully.
Full guidance, application documents and access to the Flexigrant application portal are available on the UK Government’s NSIP Call 3 page.