UK: The grants of €200,000 have been organized by the UK Space Agency and European Space Agency as a new way of applying for funding for technology developments under ESA’s General Support Technology Programme (GSTP) which has existed for nearly 25 years.
Dr. Graham Turnock, Chief Executive at the UK Space Agency, said, “The GSTP has proven to be a successful way of building know-how and capabilities in the industry and this latest funding will help keep the UK at the forefront of technological innovation.
“The Government’s recently published Industrial Strategy set out a clear vision for the UK to become the world’s most innovative nation and we are working with industry to capture 10% of the global space market by 2030.”
This new route to GSTP funding allows those interested in the program to propose a project for development in their area of interest directly to UK Space Agency and ESA. In turn the Agency will be able to fund some of these new ideas straight away, and it is hoped continue discussion on other promising ideas with a view to future development.
The UK Space Agency has invested 35 million euros in the current 3-year phase of the GSTP, which aims to convert promising engineering concepts into a broad range of products – everything from individual components up to complete satellites and satellite applications. The only area of technology it does not cover is that related to telecoms, which are covered in other ESA programs.
The new funding is aimed at smaller ‘entry level’ projects, in both upstream and downstream, capable of de-risking technologies.
The funding opportunity is in addition to existing GSTP project opportunities and activity in the UK, and does not affect other engagement with the program.
