Guidance

UK Space Agency BASS programme invitation to tender (ITT) guidance

Updated 22 November 2023

What companies need to know before applying for ESA BASS programme competitive Invitations to Tender (ITTs) and Kick Starts.

Applies to entities located in the United Kingdom (UK).

You can find the listing of all currently open calls and calls about to open on the ESA website.

1. Introduction

This page sets out everything we think you need to know about applying for funding through a competitive Kick Start call and an Invitation to Tender (ITT) call in the ESA BASS programme.

The UK Space Agency Space Applications and Data team are not involved in the final assessment of either Kick Start nor ITT proposals received. For Kick Starts, the assessment process is entirely delegated to the ESA BASS team and there is no need to send Kick Start proposals to the UK Space Agency before submission. For ITTs, the UK Space Agency provides a high-level assessment prior to the issuance of an Authorisation of Funding (AoF) letter, but we are not part of the formal assessment process.

Both Kick Start and ITT calls only support feasibility study activities and often proceed to an open call BASS demonstration project provided that the output of the feasibility study is positive.

1.1 What we do fund ​

​Proposals should use one (or more) of the following space assets, including but not limited to:

• Spaceflight Technologies
• Satellite Communication
• Satellite Navigation
• Satellite Earth Observation
• Space Weather
• Satellite Automatic Identification System
• Microgravity Services

Other space data, assets, and technologies will be considered on a case by case basis, but you should contact the UK Space Agency BASS team (space-applications@ukspaceagency.gov.uk) at the earliest opportunity to discuss their applicability.

1.2 What we do not fund ​

• Proposals in support of Military and Defence Operations​
• Research and Development activities​
• Design and/or construction of satellites, space hardware, instrumentation, or infrastructure
• Launch brokerage or launch costs
• In orbit operation, service, or maintenance costs

Please see our eligibility and readiness checklist for more information.

1.3 Proposals shall include:

• Products, Applications, or Services that are at Technology Readiness Level 7 and above
• Products, Applications, or Services that you want to investigate further to understand their commercial feasibility, viability, and market opportunity
• Products, Applications, or Services that you expect to benefit business growth and socio-economic development

2. The UK Ambassador platform

Through the UK subscription to the ESA BASS programme a quintet of free to use Regional Ambassadors are available to provide support, guidance, and critical friend feedback as you develop your proposal documentation. The Ambassadors won’t write your proposal for you but support the entirety of the BASS opportunities and so will aim to provide support where they can. Find out more about the UK Ambassador Platform.

3. About Kick Start calls

Kick Start calls are designed to be small, quick, higher risk feasibility studies aiming to get from idea to proof of concept as fast as possible. There are 2 types of Kick Start calls: Thematic Kick Start calls focused on topics where there is a perceived market gap, or sector challenge that could be addressed by a space powered application, and the Kick Start Direct Negotiation (Open Call).

All funding for Kick Starts is pre-authorised by the UK Space Agency. You should check on each call whether funding has been pre-authorised before applying. See the important points to note sections below for more information about this.

The Thematic Kick Start calls are competitive and the highest ranking application from each participating country is awarded the contract. For the Kick Start Open Call proposals are assessed and ranked with a contract(s) awarded according to the specific pre-authorisation requirements of the participating country.

3.1 The Kick Start application process

The process to apply for a Thematic and Open Call Kick Start is the same:

1. write your proposal
2. submit it to ESA before the closing date
3. ESA will contact you with feedback on your proposal in around six to eight weeks, but this may vary

3.2 Pre-Authorisation of funding

The pre-authorisation of funding is different for the Thematic and Open Call Kick Start calls:

• for Thematic Kick Start calls the UK Space Agency pre-authorises the highest scoring UK proposal for thematic calls it supports
• we reserve the right not to fund all published Thematic Kick Start calls
• for the Open Call Kick Start call the UK has pre-authorised 2 UK proposals for each Kick Start Open Call period. Find out more about our specific funding criteria

3.3 Important points to note about all Kick Start calls:

• the maximum value of Kick Start calls is €80,000 with ESA Funding up to €60,000 (75%) and the remaining €20,000 (25%) being provided as co-funding by the proposer
• proposals can be submitted straight to ESA without any input from the UK Space Agency Space Applications and Data team

3.4 Important points to note about Thematic Kick Start calls:

• always check the “AUTHORISATION OF FUNDING” section on the Thematic Kick Start Webpage, and look for the countries that have pre-authorised the funding for that particular Kick Start. If the UK has pre-authorised funding, you can apply straight to ESA. If the UK is not in the pre-authorised list, then the UK Space Agency are not funding the call
• if the UK Space Agency are supporting a Thematic Kick Start call, a Letter of Support or Authorisation of Funding letter is not required from us and you can apply straight to ESA

4. About Competitive Invitation to Tender (ITT) calls

These competitive calls are thematically focused on areas of higher risk, or where there is a perceived market gap, and are designed to stimulate companies to think about how they could address the challenges presented in the call through the use of space data and assets.

Typically, the calls are for Feasibility Studies with a maximum available budget from ESA of between €200,000 to €250,000 up to a maximum of 50% with the proposer co-funding the other 50%. As a result, they have the potential for a larger scope than Kick Start calls, allowing more in-depth work to be undertaken. Activities within ITT calls are limited to nine months in duration.

4.1 The ITT Application process

1. You should contact the team as soon as possible to let them know you are applying for a particular ITT. This allows them to plan their review process to ensure that is runs smoothly
2. You will require an Authorisation of Funding (AoF) letter to submit your proposal to the ITT, as otherwise ESA will reject it without review
3. Allow 5 working days prior to the closing date, or your planned submission date, for your proposal to be reviewed by the UK Space Agency team and enable the issuance of an AoF letter
4. Develop your proposal and at the five working day deadline and send it to the Space Applications and Data team at the address above for review

Please note:

1. A full, detailed review is not carried out as this is delegated to the ESA team
2. If the UK Space Agency have any queries or clarifications, they will get back to you within the five working days
3. Following a positive review, the UK Space Agency team will issue an AoF letter within the five working days, allowing you to submit your proposal
4. If the UK Space Agency team do not positively review your proposal they will provide feedback as to why the decision was made

4.2 Important points to note for competitive ITTs

• We reserve the right not to support any ITT proposal but will provide feedback
• There is no opportunity to iterate or update your proposal within the five working day review period, so please make sure you submit your absolute final version to the UK Space Agency for review

4.3 What we look for in a competitive ITT proposal

This list below is for guidance only, should not be used as a checklist, and does not provide any guarantee of being awarded an AoF.

• All activity should be undertaken in the UK. Any non UK activity or entity should either be funded by that country’s ESA BASS delegate, if applicable, or removed from the proposal altogether
• You should confirm that you have the resources, skills, knowledge and experience to deliver the activities you are proposing
• Noting this is a feasibility study, you should demonstrate consideration of your potential customers and the market opportunity for your proposed product, application, or service

5. What happens next?

Once you have submitted your Kick Start of ITT application ESA will respond with the outcome of your proposal in around 6 to 8 weeks, but this can vary. The UK Space Agency Space Applications and Data team are not involved in the assessments and cannot provide accurate information about when a company will hear back from ESA on the outcome of their submission.

6. Complaints procedure

If you are unsatisfied with either the outcome of your BASS Kick Start or ITT application or how the process was managed, or for any other reason, you can make a complaint by contacting the team at space-applications@ukspaceagency.gov.uk.

Please set out the nature of your complaint in detail. The team will try to resolve a complaint in the first instance but, if resolution is not possible, we will refer it to the UK Space Agency central complaints process, where it will be independently assessed.

7. Further information

If you would like any further information, or have any questions or feedback about this guidance, please contact the team at space-applications@ukspaceagency.gov.uk.