Notice

Announcement of Opportunity: Support for Student Teams selected for ESA Microgravity Student programmes

Updated 30 November 2023

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/announcement-of-opportunity-support-for-student-teams-selected-for-esa-microgravity-student-programmes/announcement-of-opportunity-support-for-student-teams-selected-for-esa-microgravity-student-programmes

Closing date: This AO will remain open until further notice.

1. Background

The European Space Agency and their partners run a number of education programmes that give university students the opportunity to fly their scientific experiment or technological research in microgravity and space environment analogue facilities that are provided through, or of relevance to, ESA’s Exploration programme

ESA is usually able to provide some financial support to teams selected to cover transport, accommodation and daily subsistence during campaigns and other required travel, and in some cases experiments costs, but these are not always sufficient to cover experiment build.

The UK Space Agency will, subject to budget being available in any given financial year, make available funds to further support UK teams selected by these programmes, to provide support to the growing microgravity and space environments community.

2. Remit of the Call

This call will remain open indefinitely, but any awards are subject to funds being available within the Human Exploration budget in any given financial year.

Any UK-based team that is successfully selected by ESA for the following programmes may apply for this funding:

Grants will be awarded to teams for contributions to experiment build costs only, and the maximum amount awarded will be £5,000. Each project team selected by ESA may apply for funding once only.

As well as offering funding, the UK Space Agency will provide support to the team through mentorship and guidance where appropriate.

Grants awarded will be subject to standard BEIS grant terms and conditions, which can be obtained from the UK Space Agency on request.

3. Application Process

Applications should be made in the form of a single pdf proposal document, of no more than 8 pages, and must include:

  • Details of the team and participants
  • Details of the supporting University advisor
  • The ESA campaign being participated in
  • Summary description of the experiment and research objectives
  • Summary of the expected impact of the research
  • A detailed budget of the full project costs
  • Full details of the funds requested from the UK Space Agency (up to £5k) and justification of costs
  • Details of any other funding sources for the project

Applications must be submitted via email to SpaceExploration@ukspaceagency.gov.uk as a single .pdf file with the subject line AO: Student Support Programme. Your application will be acknowledged by return email with 5 working days. If you do not receive a reply, it is likely the application has not been received.

Applications may be submitted at any time. Applications will be reviewed at least quarterly, in line with the following dates each year, and may be received sooner if resources and time allow:

Application received by Review decision by
31 March 30 April
30 June 31 July
30 September 31 October
14 December 31 January (following year)

4. Review Process and Criteria

All applications will be reviewed by the UK Space Agency Exploration team and will consider the value for money and justification of costs in their award decision. Funding will only be awarded if there is sufficient room in the Human Exploration budget each year.

The review outcome will be communicated to the applicant by the deadlines noted above at the latest.

5. Funding

Funding will be awarded at 100% FEC, administered directly through the UK Space Agency. All funding will be subject to standard BEIS grant terms and conditions.

Payment is made in arrears, on completion of a final report detailing the equipment spend, contribution to the project and invoice. The UK Space Agency would also welcome a full report at the end of the complete experiment project.

6. Data Protection

  • The contact details you provide will only be used for the purposes of this funding call. The UK Space Agency will not share your information with anyone else.
  • The UK Space Agency complies with the GDPR and its Privacy Notice can be found here.
  • The UK Space Agency will not retain your data for any longer than is necessary for administering your application and grant, should it be awarded.
  • The UK Space Agency relies on Legitimate Interest as the Lawful Basis to process your contact information, you can find out more about Lawful Bases at the Information Commissioner’s website.

7. Further Information

For further information, please contact:

Libby Jackson
Human Exploration Programme Manager
UK Space Agency
North Star Avenue
Swindon
SN2 1SZ

SpaceExploration@ukspaceagency.gov.uk

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