Notice

Guidance note B: FAQs

Updated 19 April 2024

This document should be read in conjunction with the call guidance document. 

If you have read the call guidance document, the guidance within the C-LEO forms themselves and this FAQ document and still have a question, please contact the C-LEO team at C-LEO@ukspaceagency.gov.uk.  

1. How long will the C-LEO programme run for? 

The C-LEO programme will provide up to £160 million over the next 4 years. 

2. Who is eligible to apply for this call? 

The goal of the programme is to support UK-based suppliers in developing the technologies and capacity needed to build the next generation of LEO satcom satellites.

This call is targeted at proposals related to 5 satellite communication technologies.

This call is targeted at proposals currently at technological readiness levels (TRLs) 4-6 with the intention that C-LEO funding accelerates their commercialisation.

More information on eligibility can be found in the call guidance document.

3. Is C-LEO open to non-UK businesses? 

No, applicants must be based in the UK. The C-LEO programme only supports UK-based activity and therefore requires a sustained UK presence (eg, UK registered entity).

4. If we have a potential foreign lead customer for the product being developed, do they need to be a non-funded project partner? Are there any benefits in having them as a partner?   

They would not need to be a non-funded project partner.

Information on customers for products is important evidence to include within your application and should be provided within the application form once you are asked to complete it.

5. How big will the awards be? 

The UK Space Agency is seeking to award funding of around £5 million to 20 million per project to a handful of projects through this first call.

This funding would need to be match funded by the applicant organisation.

6. Does the C-LEO programme relate to any specific commercial opportunity? 

No. This programme has been designed to help innovative UK-based suppliers develop the tools they need to build the next generation of satellites.

The aims of the programme are agnostic of the end commercial user of the technology being developed.

7. Why does the C-LEO programme include both national grant funding and ARTES contract awards? 

The C-LEO programme brings together 2 funding streams (national grants and ARTES contracts) into a single coherent programme to maximise the benefits of having complementary delivery mechanisms.

8. What is the difference between ARTES contract awards and national grant funding?  

National grants will be administered by the UK Space Agency, while ARTES grants will be administered by the European Space Agency.

Match funding rates will be different for national grants and ARTES contracts. 

There are a number of additional application stages for the ARTES contracts that will needed to be completed by applicants who have been successful at the application form stage.

More information can be found in the call guidance document, including details of further differences.

9. How should we decide whether to submit our proposal for the UK Space Agency-administered national grant route, the ESA-administered ARTES contract route, or for both?  

Applicants should review the guidance documentation before deciding which funding routes they wish to be considered for. 

Applicants themselves will need to consider the commercial and legal implications, as well as the impacts of the different timeframes between the national and ESA routes, prior to submitting an application.

10. Is there a higher chance of success when choosing the national route?   

The specific differences between the 2 funding routes are outlined in the call guidance document. Both routes involve submitting the same application form and will be assessed using the same criteria to meet the programme aims and objectives. 

Applicants should consider which funding routes are suitable for their proposals.

11. Could applicants submit multiple proposals if part of multiple consortia? 

Yes. Depending on the nature of the awards and activity undertaken, the total amount of public funding may be limited per enterprise per project. This would be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

12. Can we bid with a partner(s) for 2 projects in the same proposal?  

All projects should be submitted individually. However, a single project may include multiple technologies.

There is no limit on the volume of proposals you may submit. If 2 proposals are submitted which are reliant on each other, then please inform us of this at the EoI stage.

13. Would C-LEO funding cover the total costs of a proposal? 

No. All proposals require match-funding from the applicant organisations. 

Please see the call guidance document for funding levels.

14. Would C-LEO funding be provided for advance payments for the purchase of assets?  

No. C-LEO will only make payments based on costs incurred with evidence of payment being made. 

Government would not make advance payments, support the purchase of assets or other capex costs.

15. Is the Government giving up on geostationary/medium Earth orbit (GEO/MEO) satellite industry?  

Not at all. The C-LEO programme is designed to increase UK capability in satellite communication technology related to low Earth orbit in a way that builds on and complements our current geostationary capabilities.

This should allow our thriving satcom sector to build on their strong industrial heritage in GEO/MEO satellite industry to expand into new satellite markets in high-volume LEO design and manufacture.

16. Can I resubmit a proposal that was unsuccessful in a previous ARTES call? 

Yes, you may re-submit your proposal which will then go through the independent evaluation process when being considered for funding. We recommend that any previous feedback is taken into consideration. 

17. Can I get initial feedback on a draft EoI and then resubmit an updated version? 

No, feedback will only be given after the EoI stage has closed. 

18. Can I apply for the general ARTES call also open now with the same proposal? 

Yes, each application will be considered separately, however you will not be able to receive funding from both programmes for the same project. 

19. Is there a minimum or maximum number of partners who can be part of a collaborative bid? 

There are no minimum or maximum number of partners. However, we suggest each partner has a clear role within the project. 

20. Can the same company or research organisation submit multiple expressions of interest, either individually or as a partner?   

Yes, multiple applications from the same organisation will be accepted and each application will be considered separately. 

If successful on multiple applications, this could have further implications depending on the nature of the funding and the activity undertaken. 

The total amount of public funding may be limited per enterprise and project, which will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.  

21. If a proposal has applications within both medium Earth orbit (MEO) and low Earth orbit (LEO), is it still eligible for this LEO-focussed programme? 

Yes, as long as the proposal meets the strategic aims of the programme – particularly building UK capability to meet the demand for high-volume LEO constellation production. 

22. Can I include multiple technologies in the same application? 

Yes, in this case your application will be viewed singularly, and will be assessed on both technologies simultaneously.

There is no option for partial funding of a single technology submitted together with another if the overall application is rejected.   

23. What is the relationship between this £60 million C-LEO funding and the ARTES funding of £10 million recently announced by the UK Space Agency? 

These are 2 separate funding calls, and you cannot receive funding from both calls for the same project.  

The £10 million call that was announced in February is one of our general competitions under the ARTES programme. The £60 million C-LEO funding call has options to go through 2 possible routes; a national grant funded route, and the contract funded route delivered through the ARTES programme. 

You may apply to both funding calls with the same project, however you would only be allowed to accept funding from a single funding call if successful in both. You cannot receive funding from both sources.  

24. The call guidance states that C-LEO will fund a project up to TRL 7 and above. Will this cover funding the project to TRL 9, including in-orbit demonstrations?  

Yes, this is something that we would consider on a case-by-case basis and the project would need to meet the assessed criteria and expected timeframes of projects as detailed in the call guidance document. 

The aim of the C-LEO programme is to take proposals with technology readiness levels (TRL) of between 4 and 6 and raising them to TRL 7 and above. By the end of the funded project, there must be a tangible improvement in the TRL of the technology or a demonstration of advancement in approach.  

25. How do we assess TRL levels, to determine if our starting TRL is in the required range of 4 to 6 and our finishing TRL is above 7?  

[Find out more in the guidance on assessing TRL levels] (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/guidance-on-technology-readiness-levels).

26. Is TRL 4-6 the starting TRL or the target TRL for this funding call?  

Your project should have a starting TRL of 4 – 6. The main objective of the programme is about rapid commercialisation to meet the opportunities in the global market, increasing TRL to above 7. We are looking to support established technologies and accelerate them to market.  

27. Instead of targeting an increase in TRL from 4-6 to 7, could we target MRL raise from 4-6 to 7?  

For the EoI stage of the programme, we will be using TRL for assessment. 

Information on manufacturing readiness level (MRL) should be provided within the market readiness section of the application form, once applicants have been invited to complete it. 

28. To what extent can a proposal be changed between the version described in the EoI form and the version described in the application form? 

There should not be any substantial changes to the project description, business opportunity, overalls aims or benefits of the proposal between the version described in the EoI and the version described in the application form.

New partners can be added to proposals and project costs can change to a limited extent between the EoI and application form.

There can also be minor changes to the nature of the project as long as there is a clear relationship between the proposal descriptions in the EoI and application form. 

Any changes to the proposal made since submitting the EoI should be highlighted in the application form.  

29. Are partners funded at the same level as the largest partner in a collaborative bid?  

No, partners will receive match funding rates dependent on their organisation size, as detailed in section 4.2 of the call guidance document.  

30. What is the expected duration of funded projects and how long can the project run for to progress up to the required minimum of TRL 7 by completion?  

This first call is targeting projects ending by March 2028. That does not preclude shorter duration projects from applying.  

31. Who in the UK Space Agency is leading the C-LEO programme?  

The EO, LEO, and SSR directorate, working closely with the Investment directorate.  

32. Does C-LEO only fund the technology development of payload and user segment technology, or will supporting technologies also be accepted?  

C-LEO is aimed at the 5 technology groups outlined in the call guidance. It is the applicant’s responsibility to determine if their proposal meets the aims and objectives of the programme.  

33. Can you please specify which of the 5 technologies areas are primarily of interest to ESA via the ARTES route, and which are primarily of interest to the UK Space Agency via national route?   

There is no direct correlation between the eligible technologies and which funding route a successful proposal may be funded from.

Please refer to the call guidance documents for further details.  

34. Is there a timescale for the start date of a successful project?  

Projects should begin within this financial year. There is no specific deadline for project initiation within this period.

We expect projects funded by national grants to be in a position to start sooner than projects funded by ARTES contracts. 

35. How is this year’s £60 million funding call split between the UK Space Agency-administered national grant route and the ESA-administered ARTES contract route?  

The C-LEO programme is in continual development, and as such the split of the funding is liable to change depending on the nature of applications.  

36. Is there provision to pay for prior work in both the National and ARTES routes, and if so, what is the trigger that dictates the earliest start-date for that prior work?  

The project starts from the date of the signed contract, or grant funding agreement. Funding cannot cover anything before this date.  

37. Are IP licensing costs eligible for funding?   

No. Please refer to the call guidance for information on what are funded and eligible costs.