Deadline Date: August 21, 2026
The UK Space Agency, in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA), has launched a funding call under the InCubed programme to support innovative and commercially viable Earth Observation products and services that can progress towards market deployment.
The focus areas, objectives, priorities, and themes of the opportunity include supporting the development and de-risking of innovative and commercially viable Earth Observation products and services; enabling activities across the Earth Observation value chain including space segment, ground segment, and data applications; supporting De-risking Cycle activities to reduce technical risks, validate business cases, and demonstrate commercial demand; supporting Product Development Cycle activities to deliver commercially viable products or services; promoting clear routes to market, evidence of customer engagement, credible commercial demand, and operational deployment plans.
The InCubed programme is a co-funded Earth Observation initiative designed to support organisations in developing solutions that are closer to commercialisation rather than supporting research activities. The programme aims to help applicants demonstrate that their outputs can become commercially viable or reach operational deployment by the end of the project period.
The funding call is open for UK-based organisations, with consortia encouraged to apply. Non-UK organisations may participate where supported by relevant national agencies or through self-funding arrangements. Research institutions and academia may participate as part of an industry-led consortium where they do not have a commercial interest in the product.
Projects supported under this call are expected to last up to 18 months, with indicative funding ranging from €300,000 to €4 million depending on the scope and maturity of the activity. The total funding available under the call is up to €7.26 million.
Funding is provided on a co-funded basis, requiring applicants to contribute matched funding alongside the ESA contribution. Support may reach up to 80% for SMEs, 50–75% for non-SMEs depending on risk assessment, and up to 100% for universities and research institutes operating in a non-commercial role, subject to programme conditions.
The application process consists of two stages. Applicants must first submit an outline proposal or idea pitch through ESA’s ORBIT platform. Selected applicants will be invited to a pitch session, after which successful applicants may proceed to submit a full proposal. Full proposals will be evaluated against InCubed criteria, and funding approval will depend on UK Space Agency national delegate support.
Applicants are expected to demonstrate readiness to begin activities within the current calendar year, provide evidence of market demand, present a credible delivery approach, and show a clear pathway towards commercialisation and operational deployment.
For more information, visit GOV.UK.
