Notice

Annex 3: FAQs

Updated 12 October 2023

Annex 3 – FAQs

1. Can I resubmit a proposal that was rejected in a previous ETP 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.

2. Does match funding have to be immediately available when applying for funding?

Yes, match funding must have been agreed and secured at the time of applying for the grant so that the project can commence as soon as the grant agreement has been completed.

3. Can the UK Space Agency provide advice about any type of collaboration/partnership programme that the Agency is promoting?

We do not promote any type of collaboration and there is no restriction on types of organisations that can partner. It can be any combination, for example, industry and academia, industry and industry, as well as an academic partnership etc.

4. Do you have any examples of successful projects in the previous rounds that you can share?

We cannot offer examples of successful proposal applications. Previously funded ETP projects can be found here.

5. Can a non-UK based organisation receive funding?

The UK must lead the consortium. A non-UK based organisation cannot receive national funding within the Enabling Technologies Programme as this is a national funded Programme, therefore, any monies awarded cannot go outside the UK to a partner body.

If the proposed non-UK capability is essential the work can be subcontracted out, however the proposal must demonstrate clearly that this resource is not available in the UK. In such instances the subcontractor cannot be a partner to the project.

If a non-UK entity wants to be a partner in the project that is acceptable providing any match funding or capability is offered as a contribution-in-kind, and no amount of the award is paid outside of the United Kingdom.

6. What format will the grant agreement take for any funded proposals, and can I adapt this to suit my proposal?

We have provided a copy of our standard grant funding agreements. This is the document that will be used as the formal mechanism for any successful bidders to receive grant funding. Applicants are required to accept the main terms of this grant funding agreement when submitting your application.

Applicants requesting changes to the agreement are required to contact the call lead at the email address provided in the supporting documents.

Please be aware that the UK Space Agency will only consider variations which are requested where the applicant would be in breach of legal requirements or statutory regulations by complying with the clause, or series of clauses.

7. Should we explicitly state the overhead rate attached to salary costs, or would you prefer it to be amalgamated into a combined salary/overhead cost for each staff position?

The Announcement of Opportunity and the excel finance template includes notes on what information is required. Please see section 4 of the Announcement of Opportunity.

We understand that organisations calculate overheads in different ways.

This section (section 4) offers 3 options for overhead costs:

1. No overheads. You can select this option if you are not incurring or claiming grant for your overheads
2. The 20% of labour costs option allows you to claim 20% of your labour costs as overhead. This includes both direct and indirect overhead. Selecting this option allows us to review a successful grant application much faster as no further documentation is needed from you.
3. The calculate overheads option asks you to complete calculations for claiming direct and indirect overheads. Any value claimed under this method will need to be reviewed by our project finance team if your application is successful. This is so we can assess the appropriateness of the overhead value you are claiming.  Only organisations using this option should complete Annex 4.

Full overhead recovery or full absorption costing is not eligible.

8. Do labour costs relate only to staff on a PAYE payroll or would staff employed on short/long-term fixed contracts be eligible?

Costs should be applied for any staff that will be part of the project team/work regardless of employment status within the organisation. However, any costs for project work done by sub-contractors must be declared as a separate cost to the project. Sub-contractors cannot be partners to the project and justification in the proposal would need to be clearly stated as to the requirement for use of sub-contractors.

9. Are referees required to be within the UK?

Referees do not have to be UK specific but must be from recognised international organisations and/or from other known space institutions.

10. Does the organisational background information apply only to the lead organisation?

No. All proposals must include organisational background information for all those involved including those put forward in collaboration.

11. Is there a difference between a partner and a sub-contractor?

Yes;

• a project partner will be included in your proposal and will be included in the grant award. They will need to contribute matched funding to their proportion of project cost.
• a subcontractor will be paid from the award and therefore will be included as part of the overall project costs.

12. Would sub-contractors have any IP publication rights?

If you sub-contract work this may not affect the IP publication rights of your company, but this is for the lead organisation to confirm.

13. Does the maximum grant award offered include the match funding contribution?

The maximum grant offered is the total amount that will be awarded to the project. Organisations are required to provide some money across the cost of the project. Industry should contribute match funding to the total cost of the project calculated using Subsidy Control Rules (and State Aid where applicable). Academia should use Full Economic Cost (FEC).

14. Is an independent audit required of the total cost of the project?

Yes.

Confirmation is required that the Grant Recipient has expended the sums in respect of the period in which milestone payments have been claimed. For this purpose, a report must be completed and sent to the Grant Funder by 1st May for the year following the award duration and annually thereafter.

15. How are proposals assessed?

Applications for project funding will be assessed by a selection panel which will consist of independent UK Space Agency approved reviewers drawn from academia, industry, Government or the research council review colleges. The panel will assess the proposals according to the criteria listed below, considering the commitment of the organisations involved, in particular the lead organisation, to the success of the project and the financial viability of the organisations involved.

Assessment criteria section:

1. Disruptive Technology: To assess the potential for the proposed outputs to cause significant change to the space sector, for example through radically reducing costs or times, improving the quality of existing capabilities or creating entirely new capabilities and business models.

2. Technological Innovation: To assess whether the technology is novel or can be applied in a novel setting. Additionally, a demonstration of innovation in either the approach or the technology.

3. Application to Space: To demonstrate the technology can be applied in a setting either in Space or interacting with Space.

4. Competition and Barriers: To assess whether the proposal is competitive to the Space industry and the barriers to market entry have been described and considered.

5. Catalysing Investment: To demonstrate good value for money in terms of job creation, retention and investment to the UK Space economy.

6. Business Case and Route to Market: To assess whether the applicant can demonstrate relevance to a new or existing business model. Assessment of how detailed the market research and market share analysis has been.

7. Risk Mitigation: To assess whether the right level of risk assessment and mitigation has been applied, both in the risk register and throughout the document.

8. Quality of Team and Proposal: To assess the suitability, competence and experience of the team proposed to carry out the work described.

9. Project Management: To assess the fundamental project management of this proposal, including a methodical approach to cost, quality and schedule.

10. Collaboration: To assess whether the applicant has included partner/s and the quality of that relationship.

Each assessment criteria will be scored from 1-5 (low to high). A weighting multiplier will then be applied to each assessment criteria based on the priorities of the call. For this call, the weighting multipliers are as follows:

Assessment Criteria Questions	Weighting Multiplier
1	Disruptive Technology	4
2	Technological Innovation	3
3	Application to Space	3
4	Competition and Barriers	2
5	Catalysing Investment	2
6	Business Case and Route to Market	2
7	Risk Mitigation	1
8	Quality of Team and Proposal	1
9	Project Management	1
10	Collaboration	1

A summary of the assessment process is below:

• Only proposals received by the closing time and date will be considered.

• Initial sift of proposals will remove any proposals which do not meet the criteria.

• Eligible proposals will be assessed by independent reviewers to be scored against certain criteria.

• A moderation panel will follow to ensure consistency in marking.

• Proposal ranking will be determined from which a decision will be made.

• If needed, clarifications will be sought from organisations.

• All who applied will be advised of the outcome.

• Due diligence will be conducted throughout the call process and project duration.

Note: If the clarification stage results in any irreconcilable differences, the project will not be placed on grant.

16. What is meant by “project” in relation to other sources of funding under cumulation rules of subsidy Control

In accordance with section 6.23-6.30 of the related guidance for the research, development and innovation streamlined route, previous subsidy awards from public authorities needs to be considered when assessing the award does not breach the total allowed under the scheme. When assessing previous project funding the following elements should be assessed:

• The same project or activities as defined under the relevant categories of the streamlined route.
• For the same or substantially same specific purpose as a previous award.
• Awarded to the same enterprise by any public authority.