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Unclaimed
Discovery tool, not advice. Every figure is the published rule, not a decision on your case.
Grants

ESA Business Incubation Centre network

ESA Business Incubation Centres (ESA BIC)

Status

Open continuously

No deadline — apply whenever you are ready.

Always open
Amount
€50,000

EUR 50,000 equity-free funding for product and IP development, plus up to two years of incubation, technical support from ESA experts, business coaching, legal and IPR advice and fundraising support.

Funder

European Space Agency (ESA) with national and regional co-funders

ppp · supranational

Deadline: Fixed cut-off dates — Each ESA BIC runs its own call cycle with published cut-off dates, typically two to four per year. 36 centres across 23 European countries with over 100 locations; more than 2,000 startups supported.

Your odds
Not published

This funder does not publish a success rate. We rank it using the rate observed across similar programmes and label it as an estimate rather than implying we know.

Effort
major

Major bid — written case, budget, possibly partners.

Who can apply

Business must either use space-based systems (satellite navigation, Earth observation, satellite communication), use space technologies in a non-space domain, or develop innovative products and services for the space sector. Company must be registered in the host country before contract signature; companies must normally be younger than five years.

How to apply

  1. Contact the local ESA BIC to discuss whether the business idea fits
  2. Submit the completed application documents before the announced local deadline
  3. Applications are reviewed by a Tender Opening Board
  4. Shortlisted applicants present to a Tender Evaluation Board
  5. On approval, register a company before signing the incubation contract

What you will need

Related reading: How grant deadlines actually work

Apply on the funder's site

Source. https://commercialisation.esa.int/esa-business-incubation-centres/

"€50k equity free funding for product and IP development"

Verified on 14 August 2026

Source: commercialisation.esa.int

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Paid, separate from Unclaimed

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