Notice

NSIP Call 3 - Frequently Asked Questions

Published 20 July 2026

Please use this document to check for answers to common questions you may have about NSIP Call 3. A recorded webinar providing key details about NSIP Call 3 is also available to view online on our gov.uk webpage here.

Application process and format 

1. What has changed between NSIP Call 2 released in 2025 and Call 3 released in 2026?  

Although the purpose and much of the delivery of NSIP Call 3 will remain the same there are some key differences.  

• a. Project duration: Kick Starter and Major Project proposals must aim to start by the 1st of April 2027 and conclude activity by the end of September 2029. The duration for Call 3 projects is a maximum of 30 months. The maximum amount of funding available remains £2m for NSIP Major Projects and £1m for NSIP Kick Starter.  

• b. For Call 3 we will be making use of the Flexi-Grant online application tool. The  assessment process will be as follows:

  • i. A very short Expression of Interest submission via Flexi-Grant. This is not scored and isn’t mandatory but supports the NSIP team to understand application numbers and areas of interest to support internal planning.  

  • ii. All applicants will be required to complete a short “Outline Proposal” via the Flexi-Grant online system and will seek key information about projects including letters of intent from partners.  

  • iii. Following assessment of Outline Proposals by independent external experts, a shortlist of approximately 50 applicants will then be invited to submit a “Full Proposal” (Details and documentation for which can be seen on the Call 3 announcement webpage).  

  • iv. For successful applicants, a final series of Pre-Award due diligence, partner assurance statements and benefits baselining will be required prior to project kick-off.

• c. Assessment Criteria: As part of continuous improvement, we have updated NSIP’s assessment criteria to provide clearer scoring boundaries, and the inclusion of a specific question addressing route to exploitation and confidence following feedback from applicants and assessors from Call 2. The assessment criteria specific to this call have been published with the document set and we recommend applicants familiarise themselves with them while writing their proposal.

• d. Outcomes Monitoring and Evaluation: Previously evaluation of project benefits such as revenue, TRL and jobs was collected through “North Star Metrics” quarterly exercise. Since the merger of UKSA into DSIT, this will be replaced by outcomes monitoring and evaluation reporting at periodic intervals for the successful project and agreed at project kick off.  Please read Annex 12 of the GFA for guidance and ensure you are comfortable with providing this information as part of regular reporting.  

• e. Continued Improvement: Some changes have been introduced to finance forms, Grant Funding Agreement and other reporting templates following a review of lessons learnt from Call 2 and feedback from applicants and grant recipients. This includes risk and benefit management and grant change processes. 

• f. Applications from industry are limited to one per lead organisation per scheme (Kick Starter and/or Major Projects). Academic institutions and Research Organisations may submit up to three proposals per scheme. A lead organisation is defined as the organisation submitting the application and who is responsible for delivery of the Grant.

  • i. Due to the high number of applications received in NSIP Call 1 and Call 2 this limit aims to maximise submission of high-quality proposals, aid swift assessment, and increase the success rate for applicants.  

  • ii. Please note the limit on application numbers will be determined by the lead organisation submitting the application and will not prevent partners/collaborators involved in other applications submitting their own proposals as a lead organisation. 

  • iii. If organisations fail to adhere to the limit the NSIP team will endeavour to confirm which of the proposals should be assessed but will otherwise accept those in order that they were submitted. Please engage any colleagues within your organisation who may apply to NSIP to coordinate and prioritise your submissions.  

  • iv. The larger allowance of applications from academic and research organisations has been given to recognise the distinct and varied areas of space technology covered across their departments.

• g. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): guidance for the use of AI by applicants has been included in the Announcement of Opportunity.

2. What are the priority topic areas? 

NSIP runs “open” calls allowing any technology, satellite application or space-related service project proposal to be submitted. In this Call, the UK Space Agency aims to spend a target of 40% programme budget on the themes Space Domain Awareness and In-Orbit Assembly and Manufacture (approximately 20% per theme). Examples of types of projects we might expect under this theme are referenced in the Announcement of Opportunity in Section 2.

Proposals on any other space topic are still eligible for support in this open programme. The authority reserves the right to award more or less than 40% on themed calls, based on the submissions received.

3. Is funding only available for technology projects? 

Technologies, satellite applications, and services can all be proposed. It is also possible to apply for development of more than one technology in one application or adapting technology or services from a non-space use and applying it to space. An indicative list of acceptable activities in the project in Section 2.2. of the Announcement of Opportunity.   

4. NSIP is using a Space Taxonomy, what is the full list of space technologies included?

• Additive Manufacturing  

• Advanced Materials  

• Artificial Intelligence (AI)  

• Astrobiology  

• Astronomy  

• Autonomous Vehicles  

• Biotechnology  

• Control Systems  

• Earth Observation  

• Electronics and Photonics  

• Exploration  

• Extreme Environment Hardening  

• Future Computing  

• Ground Stations  

• Human Spaceflight  

• In Orbit Servicing & Manufacturing incl. Active Debris Removal  

• In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU)  

• Launch & Propulsion Systems  

• Life Support Systems  

• Lunar Science  

• Medicine  

• Microgravity  

• Nuclear Energy Technology  

• Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Technologies  

• Quantum Technology  

• Remote Sensing  

• Renewables

• Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS)  

• SatComm  

• Software Engineering  

• Space Architecture  

• Space Domain Awareness (SDA)  

• Space Science  

• Space Weather  

• Spacecraft Engineering  

• Synthetic Environments

5. What is meant by “space services”? 

Space services would include but are not limited to capabilities such as space situational awareness, launch services, ground station services. Primarily this term is to recognise there are viable projects that may exist outside of specific technology development or satellite applications.

6. Will applications for human flight technology/habitation be considered? 

If the proposal aligns with the guidance and assessment criteria, we welcome all varieties of proposals. Where there is stronger alignment to other existing UKSA programmes, you may be better suited to applying through other grant funding opportunities available on the UKSA website: Apply for funding: space-related R&D, innovation and education - GOV.UK.

7. When are the submission deadlines? 

EOI deadline:  7 August 2026 

Outline Proposal deadline:  Friday 21 August 2026 

Full Proposal deadline:  Thursday 12 November 2026

8. Does the EOI require all the consortium partners to be present on it or just the lead? 

The EOI is not assessed and is not mandatory, but it is strongly recommended to help the NSIP team to organise an appropriate pool of independent external assessors. The EOI only requires information from the lead organisation. Details of the consortium partners must be provided at Outline Stage. 

9. Do all partners on the bid need to be identified or can they be found post bid success, with the guaranteed funding there to help bring them on board? 

All partners need to be identified and specified on the Full Proposal. Please refer to Section 5 in the Announcement of Opportunity. Resolving collaboration agreements is often one of the key risks and can lead to significant delays and project failure so we strongly recommend having early discussions and agreements in place with partners. 

10. Will there be industry engagement to publicise and support the Call 3 development? 

To help communicate that NSIP Call 3 is live we will be creating and sharing an online video setting out key information for the call, and sharing announcement material via UKSA social media channels, mailing lists and on the UKSA’s gov.uk webpage. NSIP team members will also be attending several events across the UK, likely focused around space clusters, to provide opportunities for 1:1 Q&A.  

11. How is the data in applications processed? 

All proposals will be classified as “Official Sensitive – Commercial” and will be handled in accordance with Government’s information security and confidentiality policies, including GDPR. Your application will only be accessed by the NSIP team and selected reviewers that have signed confidentiality agreements. 

For these reasons, we cannot offer examples of successful proposal applications. However, the UK Space Agency has publicly available examples of funded projects on the National Space Technology Programme: previously funded projects. 

Our privacy notice with further details on how we store and process your data can be found in the Announcement of Opportunity section 8.

12. How are applications assessed? 

The assessment process, weightings and criteria are described in Section 6 in the Announcement of Opportunity.  Please note that letters of support do not have to be UK specific but must be from recognised international organisations and/or from other known space institutions.  

13. Can you confirm that the assessment process is confidential?  

All external reviewers must sign confidentiality agreements and are not allocated proposals where there is considered to be a conflict of interest. As the proposals will be classified as commercially sensitive it will be handled in accordance with Government’s information security policy. Proposals should not contain proprietary information. All data submitted to UKSA will be managed in line with our privacy notice and appropriate GDPR protocols.  

14. Who can submit an application? 

NSIP welcomes applications from any company, university or research organisation. Applications should be submitted by a lead organisation and must adhere to the latest restrictions on proposal caps.

The lead organisation is responsible for completing diligence checks on partner organisations and should complete Application Form Part D – Partner Assurance Statements for each partner. 

Outline applications must be submitted by 23:59 Friday 21st August 2026 following the application guidance and form supplied on the gov.uk website.  

15. Are referees required to be within the UK?   

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

16. Can companies outside of the space sector or new companies (i.e., no previous track record in space) apply? 

Yes, if your proposal aligns with the assessment criteria and deliver innovative space-related technologies, applications and services. We welcome projects from organisations working in adjacent sectors (e.g. nuclear, AI, biomedical, quantum, advanced manufacturing etc.) who see an opportunity to grow the UK space sector and its supply chain. Please refer to the Announcement of Opportunity, Section 4.1 ‘Eligibility Requirements’ for further guidance. 

New Companies can apply for Grant funding; financial checks will be done on any company applying for Grant funding. They may be required to provide supporting paperwork to demonstrate financial health of the company and sufficient resource to carry out the project.

17. Are applications from the UK subsidiary of an EU or other international startup eligible? 

Yes, as long as the subsidiary is registered as a UK company, the work and costs associated are undertaken in the UK, and the resulting outcomes are retained in the UK. 

Any subsidiary company would need to sign a Parent Company Guarantee (PGC), which seeks support from the parent Company in the event of financial distress from the Grant Recipient. The template PCG is embedded within the relevant Grant Funding Agreement. On the basis that grants are paid on actual expenditure, the Grant recipient would have to demonstrate that they have sufficient operating capital to deliver the programme. 

18. How many applications can an organisation submit? 

Please refer to the answer for Question 1, part f for full details. Industry applicants can submit one application per scheme (e.g. company x can submit a proposal to Kick Starter, and a second Major Projects if they wish). Academic and Research Organisations can submit up to three per scheme – recognising the size and variety of research areas addressed across multiple departments.   

19.Can we apply if we received previous NSIP/ETP funding?  

Projects that were successful in securing and delivering a NSIP or ETP project are welcome to apply for further funding through this NSIP funding call, if it meets the proposal criteria. However, applicants should be mindful of the requirements of the Subsidy Control Act 2022 and the Streamlined Scheme for Research, Development and Innovation, which caps subsidies at £3,000,000 per enterprise per project. UKSA is required to consider any previous subsidies you may have received, including previous grant funding, to determine if they should count towards this £3,000,000 total. You therefore cannot apply if you exceed this funding threshold, and we are required to count any previous NSIP grant towards the total if they meet all of the following conditions: 

• Grant funding was given to the same enterprise by any public authority 

• For the same project or activities as defined under the relevant categories of the Streamlined Route Schedule 

• For the same or substantially the same specific purposes as set out under the relevant categories in the Route 

• Within the last 3 financial years (that is, the last 2 complete financial years running from 1 April to 31 March and the lapsed part of the current financial year)  

• If a project lasts for longer than 3 years, then the maximum award amounts and the subsidy ratios apply to the lifespan of that project or activity - therefore the cumulation period cannot restart after 3 years for the same project 

It is the responsibility of applicants to consider their Subsidy Control Act 2022 compliance, as in the event a non-compliant subsidy is awarded, UKSA would be legally obliged to recover the funding. Please note we will not provide pre-application advice about your subsidy control cumulation: it is the applicant’s responsibility to determine if they are eligible or not. For further advice, please consult the guidance available for the streamlined scheme (Research, Development and  Innovation Streamlined Route Guidance  ) 

20. Can I resubmit a proposal that was rejected in a previous NSIP or ETP call? 

You may re-submit unsuccessful ideas to past NSIP and ETP (Enabling Technologies Programme calls. All applications will go through the independent evaluation process when being considered for funding. We recommend proposals are checked for alignment with the current call objectives and that any previous feedback is taken into consideration when resubmitting.   

21. Does previous experience with the UK Space Agency confer any advantages or disadvantages on an applicant? 

No, applications will be scored on their individual merit. However, successful delivery of past government funded projects would be a beneficial factor to detail in reference to the project team’s experience. 

22. 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 terms of this grant funding agreement when submitting your application. 

Please be aware that the UK Space Agency has very limited flexibility in varying the Grant Funding Agreement and 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. Applicants requesting changes to the agreement are required to submit these changes ahead of, or with, their full proposal application (ideally with a marked up copy of the agreement including the requested changes). UK Space Agency reserve the right to reject changes proposed and will not consider changes requested after the full proposal application deadline.

23. What is the expected timeline for the selection process, including the announcement of successful projects? 

For NSIP Call 3 we are hoping to have selected successful projects by 8 February 2027 and intend for projects to kick off after 1 April 2027.  This date is indicative as projects must successfully satisfy UK Space Agency’s due diligence checks before commencement, please be aware that you may be asked questions to support this and may need to liaise with project partners, finance or legal teams within your organisation to support a timely start. The full call schedule can be found in the Announcement of Opportunity.

24. Can we defer start dates or lengthen the project duration? 

To support NSIP financial management we request that successful projects begin on the start date or as close to the 1st of April 2027 as possible, however the team will work with successful applicants to determine whether a delayed start is possible within the project schedule if this is required e.g. to facilitate recruitment, securing of internal investment etc. Generally, it will not be possible to extend the projects beyond the 30-month timeline, however we hope this is more than sufficient time in most cases. Where projects initially seek a shorter duration it may be possible to offer flexibility within the 30 months, subject to impact on NSIP programme management. 

25. Can a project be started before full proposal acceptance, if so, can payments be backdated? 

We do not advise starting at risk. Projects must start after GFAs have been awarded and UKSA will not backdate grant funding agreements or reimburse costs for work undertaken ahead of the Commencement Date in the Grant Funding Agreement.  

26. We are having difficulties with the finance spreadsheet - can we alter the template? 

We strongly recommend you don’t alter the template but contact the  UKSA.NSIP@dsit.gov.uk for advice or help on troubleshooting via UKSA.NSIP@dsit.gov.uk. A video guide for completing the Part A form can be found on the Call 3 announcement webpage. 

27. Can information such as Gantt charts and Project plans be submitted separately as Annexes’ such as an Excel table? 

Documents should be submitted in the correct format outlined in the Announcement of Opportunity Section 5 ‘Guidance for Preparing an Application’. Gantt charts may be submitted as a separate document if they cannot be easily viewed when embedded in the Part A Application Form Template.

28. Can I have a consultation on an application before it is submitted? 

Unfortunately, NSIP is a small team, so we are unable to offer consultations on applications. However, if you have any specific questions that are not answered in the call documents or FAQs please email the UKSA.NSIP@dsit.gov.uk and we shall get back to you. 

29. Will you be providing feedback from the Outline application stage?  

We will provide feedback on all applications. This will likely include assessor comments and scores. Depending on the volume of applications we may not be able to provide feedback when informing applicants of the outcome of the Outline Proposal process, but feedback will be provided at the earliest opportunity.   

Funding 

30. Can non-UK based organisations receive funding? 

As a national funded programme, a UK-based organisation must lead any project or consortium. Although non-UK organisations can be partners on the project they cannot receive any funding.  

Projects can include non-domestic partners (including those within the EU) who bring their own funding. Applicants should note that all applicants, irrespective of geographic location, must still satisfy the core eligibility requirements set out in this call guidance and award will be subject to completion of satisfactory due diligence checks.

31. How does the match funding work? And what are the funding intervention rates? 

Match funding is private funding committed by the organisation at a rate agreed at the outset of a Grant Funding Agreement, and is additional to the value of the grant. Organisations are required to provide match funding which, when combined with the grant funding calculates the total cost of the project. Industry should contribute match funding to the minimum match funding contribution as defined by Subsidy Control Legislation, see Section 9 “Subsidy Control” in the of the Announcement of Opportunity for full details. Academia and other not-for-profit organisations should use Full Economic Cost (FEC) calculated using TRAC methodology.  

For NSIP grants, match funding is split equally throughout the project duration, so applicants must have adequate funds available to support their contribution from the first milestone.  As grants are also paid only on completion of activity at each milestones successful projects will be required to show at the Pre-Award due diligence stage that they hold sufficient funds to finance this. 

32. Are in-kind contributions to match-funding from UK-based project partners eligible? 

No. We can’t accept in-kind contributions for match funding. Project partners may give in-kind contributions to the lead organisation, but UKSA cannot classify this as match funding for subsidy control purposes.

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

Match funding is additional to the maximum grant offered to the project by UKSA. The grant value plus match funding equals the total cost of the of the project.  Organisations should contribute match funding to the total cost of the project calculated using Subsidy Control Rules. 

34. Do the match funding funds have to be immediately available when applying for funding? 

In most cases 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. If a project requires time to secure the match funding, this will need to be declared in the application and a timeline provided for securing funds. To maximise the benefits of Call 3 funding and ensure smooth delivery of projects, UK Space Agency may require match funding is secured prior to commencing grant activities. 

35. We’d like to leverage this grant to raise match funding from private investors - what mechanisms are there for this? 

As a business decision, this is not something the Agency could comment on, but please remember match funding must be in place for the start of the grant.  

For organisations who do wish to seek private investment, the Unlocking Space for Investment team in UKSA provides useful information and resources to support this activity.  

36. What are the subsidy rules on NSIP grants? 

UK Space Agency must be satisfied that the recipient organisation is not in financial difficulties and must not provide rescuing or restructuring subsidies to ailing or insolvent enterprises so may request organisation level supporting information.  We are also required to ensure the project and organisations are acting within the subsidy scheme rules for which a £3 million cap from public bodies applies to funded activity over the previous 3 years (or life of the project) if: 

• 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.    

In accordance with chapter 10 of the statutory guidance (as detailed in Section 9 of the Announcement of Opportunity), previous subsidy awards from public authorities needs to be considered when assessing the award does not breach the total allowed under the scheme. Applicants should note that the maximum award amount for both industrial research and experimental development projects is £3,000,000 per enterprise per project. 

37. Does winning funding through this competition count towards our company’s the Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) total of £315,000? 

Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) is a specific type of subsidy. Applicants who wish to apply under this route would need to count funding received towards the total of £315,000, and UKSA could not award any amount exceeding this. If you choose not to apply for MFA and provide match funding towards the project, this grant funding will not be classified as an MFA subsidy and will not cumulate towards your £315,000 total. 

38. Would my proposal be suited to Kick Starter or Major project funding? 

Due to the variation in weighting of criteria between KS and MP it is important to consider carefully which call you will apply for. A Kick Starter project is roughly early stage (TRL1-4) with an emphasis on highly disruptive or novel proposals and Major projects should achieve high TRL5-9 with an emphasis on commercialisation and catalysing investment. TRL levels may differ from those indicated, e.g. starting at TRL3 and ending at TRL6. Applicants should consider which scheme’s weighting would be most suited to the proposal. The same application cannot be submitted to both schemes and UKSA will not be able to provide pre-application advice on which scheme your proposal is most suited to.  

39. How should the overhead rate be managed? 

We understand that organisations calculate overheads in different ways.  

The Announcement of Opportunity and the Full Application Form Part A excel finance template include notes on what information is required. Please refer to Section 4 ‘Financial Requirements’ of the Announcement of Opportunity.   

Section 10 offers 4 options for overhead costs:  

• No overheads - You can select this option if you are not incurring or claiming grant for your overheads.  

• A 20% of labour costs option - allows you to claim 20% of your labour costs as overhead, which 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.  

• 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 process allows us to assess the appropriateness of the overhead value you are claiming.  

• FEC for eligible academic organisations 

Full overhead recovery or full absorption costing is not eligible.  

40. My organisation is not VAT registered; can we pass on VAT charges to UK Space Agency grant? 

Grants are not a payment for a service; they are provided without expectation of any return to UK Space Agency. Grant funding is therefore outside the scope of VAT so you cannot charge output VAT on top of your submitted costs. 

However, organisations that are not registered for VAT may include VAT incurred within their costs and will be limited to reimbursement for pre-agreed project activities only. In some circumstances where VAT costs on items listed in the finance sheet cannot be reclaimed from other sources UK Space Agency can consider this to be in scope. Please provide details on the Part A Application Form: Instruments, Consumables and Equipment sheet including justification for why this cannot be reclaimed through any other route. 

41. 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?

Overhead rates should be separately calculated and treated under one of the options given in Section 10. 

Where the standard 20% rate is selected this should be applied against staff cost lines in the work package finances. Where calculated overheads are chosen, please follow the guidance to calculate these provided. For organisations able to request FEC please use the overheads category provided. 

42. What is understood by staff cost?  

Costs should be applied for any staff that will be part of the project team/work regardless of employment status within the organisation (i.e.: short/long-term fixed or permanent contracts). 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. 

Please refer to the standard grant funding webpage for detail on “What costs will UK Space Agency grant funding cover?” 

43. Can staff cost be changed afterwards? 

Note that once a grant is awarded, the contribution to staff salaries cannot be increased in line with inflation or any other pay amendments. Please account for costs required for the full duration of your project and note you will only be able to claim for pay costs at the rates agreed in the proposal. UK Space Agency will not increase the grant value or re-allocate budget to cover higher pay rates even if actual pay increases during the project duration.  

Costs for project work done by sub-contractors must be declared as a separate budget line classified as sub-contract costs. 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.

44. Do staff 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. 

45. How is funding scrutiny managed? Are we to expect financial scrutiny?  

At each milestone a finance report detailing breakdown of project spend by budget category is required and grant claims must be accompanied by evidence of spend (timesheets, receipts or similar) for all claimed items (from any budget category) over £500, or a minimum of the top three highest value items if none over £500, and any assets or asset improvement costs. Evidence of the values claimed may be requested at any time during the project or for 7 years following. We recommend you keep a file of all staff time sheets, receipts and sub-contracts. 

You will also be required to revisit the work package costs at any formal change, and project reviews, reporting on spend against profile and confidence in future spend values. 

Financial scrutiny extends beyond grant funded activity.  UK Space Agency must be satisfied that the recipient organisation is not in financial difficulties and must not provide rescuing or restructuring subsidies to ailing or insolvent enterprises so may request organisation level supporting information.  We are also required to ensure the project and organisations are acting within the subsidy scheme rules for which a £3 million cap applies to funded activity over the previous 3 years (or life of the project) if: 

• 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.

Major Projects vs Kick Starter Guidance 

46. Can you provide guidance on the amount of funding that can be applied for? 

NSIP Kick Starter will provide grants of £150k - £1m over 12 months for low TRL (1-4) projects with an emphasis on innovation and disruption. NSIP Major Projects, for higher TRL projects (5-9) will offer grants of £150k - £2m. All grants under NSIP Call 3 must complete by  30th September 2029 and any money not spent must be returned.  

47. We have a project that requires a significant proportion of the spend in this financial year. Is this acceptable? 

The UK Space Agency recognises that in many instances, rapid route to market is important. We are very happy to receive proposals that will undertake significant work this financial year and will seek to support companies in a timely way as best we can, within our budget envelope.  

48. May a project that implies a change from TRL 7 to TRL 8 be taken in consideration? 

Yes. By the end of the project there must be a tangible improvement in the TRL of the technology or a demonstration of advancement in approach (engineering method, technical competence etc) that would enable and support space industry.  

49. Can you clarify whether the TRL’s listed for Kickstarter/Major projects are start or end levels? Can end TRL’s be higher than the bracket, i.e. can a Kickstarter begin at 4 and end at 7? 

There are no prescribed TRL target for proposals. By the end of the project there must be a tangible improvement in the TRL of the technology or a demonstration of advancement in approach (engineering method, technical competence etc) that would enable and support space industry. The indicated TRL split between Major Projects and Kick Starter are indicative and applications may differ from this. In this instance applicant should consider the purpose of the grant and how it aligns to the varied assessment weightings set out in the Announcement of Opportunity.

50. What is meant by low-TRL vs. high-TRL? What is expected at each TRL level? 

Technology readiness levels (TRL) are a type of measurement system used to assess the maturity level of a particular technology. A technology project is evaluated against the parameters for each technology level and can then be assigned a TRL rating based on the projects progress. 

There are 9 technology readiness levels. TRL 1 is the lowest and TRL 9 is the highest. As NSIP we classify low-TRL as TRL levels 1 - 4 and high-TRL as TRL levels 5 - 9. 

The TRL levels and definitions are as follows: 

• TRL 1: basic principles observed and reported 

• TRL 2: technology concept or application formulated 

• TRL 3: analytical and experimental critical function or characteristic proof-of-concept 

• TRL 4: technology basic validation in a laboratory environment 

• TRL 5: technology basic validation in a relevant environment 

• TRL 6: technology model or prototype demonstration in a relevant environment 

• TRL 7: technology prototype demonstration in an operational environment 

• TRL 8: actual technology completed and qualified through test and demonstration 

• TRL 9: actual technology qualified through successful mission operations 

There are many TRL level guides available online. For example the European Space Agency TRL Guide. 

Partnership

51. What is expected of a Project Lead? 

The project lead is the liaison between the project team and UK Space Agency. They are expected to have comprehensive knowledge of work undertaken by their own and any partner organisations.   

The Lead Organisation is responsible for flow down of grant terms and conditions, due diligence of any partners and sub-contractors to ensure compliance with government wide and NSIP specific funding rules. Milestone claims and payments will flow through the Lead Organisation who are responsible for checking parter claims are correct and disseminating payments. The Lead Organisation will be required to provide Post-award updates to support our monitoring and evaluation of the NSIP programme for up to 8 years beyond the grant end, to allow us to follow-up on any long-term success. 

The Project Lead is NSIP’s main point of contact with the project and facilitates regular reporting and milestone reviews, in addition to ad hoc updates.  They should be confident reporting on technical progress, risk, budget and schedule, and should any of these areas indicate a change to the project plan, communicate early with UKSA to discuss ways forward. The Project Lead does not need to be the most experienced person in the project team but must ensure they have adequate time set aside for the role and authority within the team to relay information. The Project lead should be available to respond to queries from the point of proposal submission, through Pre-Award due diligence checks, completion of the project and until provision of the Independent Assurance Report.  

52. What is the difference between a partner and a sub-contractor?  

• A project partner will be included in your proposal and will be included in the grant award. They will need to contribute match funding to their proportion of project cost. 

• A project partnership that results in an uplift in the subsidy control intervention rate is defined as: Enterprises may receive a 15% uplift to the subsidy ratios for Feasibility Studies, Industrial Research or Experimental Development where the project involves collaboration between enterprises, where at least one of the enterprises is an SME, or between an enterprise and one or more research and knowledge dissemination organisation, which must have the right to publish its own research results. Academic partners on projects led by enterprises will still be funded in all cases at 80% of full economic cost 

• a subcontractor will be paid from the award and therefore will be included as part of the overall project costs. Sub-contractor costs must only be for the value of the work completed, please review the announcement of opportunity for full details.

An organisation cannot be both a partner and a sub-contractor to the same proposal. An applicant organisation may choose to partner on multiple proposals with other consortia however should consider resourcing if multiple proposals are successful.

The lead organisation is responsible for completing diligence checks on partner organisations and should complete Application Form Part D – Partner Assurance Statements for each partner. During the project, the lead organisation must coordinate project schedules, complete milestone reports and sign off on other partner and subcontractor claims and costs.

53. What type of collaboration/partnership programme is the Agency 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. 

For any partnerships or subcontractor arrangements please ensure agreement on IP ownership is properly agreed and formalised. 

54. Is there a limit to the number of collaboration partners? 

There are no minimum or maximum number of partners. However, we suggest each partner has a clear role within the project.  If you require more than 7 partner organisations please contact UKSA.NSIP@dsit.gov.uk in good time before the proposal submission date so that we can provide support with the application form limitations.

55. Is the participation of an industry partner necessary/preferred or that all academic consortia may also be welcome to apply? 

There is no requirement for an industry partner to be involved, all academic consortiums are welcome. Consideration will need to be made to the type of collaboration that best suits the project and roles each organisation plays.  

When applying for intervention rates, Academic partners on projects led by enterprises will still be funded in all cases at 80% of full economic cost. The uplift to subsidy ratios are limited by the subsidy scheme to those between enterprises, where at least one of the enterprises is an SME, or between an enterprise and one or more research and knowledge dissemination organisation, which must have the right to publish its own research results.   

56. 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. 

57. What are collaboration agreements? Would sub-contractors have any IP publication rights? 

Collaboration Agreements should provide a flow-down of the UK Space Agency Grant Funding Agreement terms, explicitly define IP ownership and other terms of collaboration such as work schedules and payments. 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.   

A collaboration agreement must be in place and shared with NSIP team by the lead organisation within 2 months of project kick off. The Agency does not supply a template collaboration agreement or get involved in their negotiation – this is a matter for lead organisations and their project partners.

58. Will the UK Space Agency maintain any rights over any IP developed in the project? 

No, the UK Space Agency doesn’t retain any IP. Please refer to the Grant Funding Agreement for terms and conditions - listed in the call documents. 

59. Is it a requirement to have partners in the project? Would applications with a single partner working with advisors and subcontractors be penalised over partnerships? 

It is not a requirement to have a project partner and applications without partners will not be penalised. It may be advantageous to fill capability gaps or demonstrate commercial pull for the innovation through partnerships, however this may be done through any other mechanism that suits your proposal, and partnerships must be demonstrably effective to benefit the proposal on assessment.  For further information please see Section 6 ‘Assessment of Applications’ in the Announcement of Opportunity, which outlines the assessment criteria and weighting for applications.

60. Can a university be a lead organisation, or does the call require an industry partner? 

Yes, a university can be a lead organisation or sole grant recipient for a proposal. Based on the assessment criteria it will be important that university applicants consider the commercial benefit or target market their innovation might bring, and how they might develop a route to market for the resulting technology/capability. We strongly encourage any academics or researchers planning to act as Project Lead to carefully consider their workloads as grant project management and reporting duties that may impact teaching or researching time. 

61. What is the maximum percentage of total funding requested that can be allocated to non-UK subcontractors? 

A maximum of 50% of grant funds can be spent on subcontracting costs, however these costs can only be incurred for essential capabilities that cannot otherwise be sourced in the UK.  

62. Do all project staff have to be identified/hired prior to submitting the project application?  

No, not all staff have to be place/hired by submission of the proposal, but recruitment plans should indicate confidence that a position will be filled and the time required to do so must be contained within the project schedule.

Monitoring and Evaluation 

63. How will UK Space Agency collect monitoring and evaluation data? 

The Applicant is required to report on how the grant has led to investment and contract revenue as well as wider impacts of the funding received. UKSA will agree with the Applicant at kick off the leading outcomes indicators to monitor as set out in Annex 12 of the Grant Funding Agreement. It will be captured via a short, structured check to provide early signals of outcomes (e.g. technical progress, route-to-market signals). These are not a measure of performance.  

UKSA will also monitor benefits realised or progress made against the exploitation plan in the proposal at key progress meetings.  

UKSA also may appoint an external M&E consultancy to capture M&E data and delivery findings for NSIP and the programme’s overall benefits realisation plan. We ask that projects engage with the process, through surveys, interviews and information requests. UKSA reserves the right to update the information and indicators it requires grantees to report for the purposes of programme evaluation and benefits management during the project lifecycle.

1. Are we required to submit metrics as a university? 

Yes, it is a condition of grant funding that all organisations in the project will need to return metrics data agreed at the kick off meeting for outcomes monitoring and evaluation, coordinated by the project lead. Consistent monitoring and evaluation of our programmes is vital to ensure we are delivering our programme’s goals, ensures we are delivering effectively against the Government’s space goals, informs how we prioritise our resource, and make the case for future public spending on space R&D. 

65. What are the audit requirements on the grant? 

An independent reasonable assurance report is required as part of the total cost of the project. Confirmation will be required that the Grant Recipient has expended the sums in respect of the period in which the milestone payments have been claimed. For this purpose, a report must be completed within 6 months of the grant concluding. Reasonable assurance reports are an ineligible project cost (so can’t be claimed through the grant).

As part of UK Space Agency Grant Funding Agreements, recipients should keep project documentation for seven years following the completion of the grant. UK Space Agency commissions audits of grant projects through the Government Internal Assurance Agency (GIAA) each year and NSIP grants may be subject to this scrutiny at any time.

66. Is guidance available on what is meant by Market Opportunity and Share? 

Yes, this may be found in Section 5 of the Investor Readiness Essentials: Track 1: Investor Readiness Essentials - GOV.UK

Flexigrant 

67. How do I register for Flexigrant to apply for NSIP Call 3? 

Flexigrant is an online grant management tool being used to manage the NSIP Call 3 Outline stage. To apply, you will need to register for Flexigrant via the Portal homepage - DSIT Grants. Once you have signed in you should be able to see on the Application Portal the details for applying to NSIP Call 3.  

68. I cannot find the NSIP Call 3 application link in the DSIT Grants portal 

You can register your interest in applying for NSIP Call 3 on the EOI application page here.  

To apply for NSIP Call 3, please submit an online application form via the Outline proposal application page here. 

69. Can I request multiple users to view the same application? 

You can enable the ‘application collaboration’ setting which allows the lead applicant to invite others (as long as you have a Flexigrant account) to view/complete the application with them. For instructions on this, select the Participants tab on the Summary page and add participants. This will then send an invite to collaborate on the application to the email address provided. The lead applicant is responsible for checking and submitting the final application. Collaborators or co-applicants can be deleted at any time during the application process.

70. Do I need to add all collaborators and partners to the application? 

Yes, you will need to list all the partners on the consortium that you intend to use in the project in the Organisation Details section on page 2 of Flexigrant. Letters of intent will need to be uploaded as part of the Outline application to evidence the involvement of the partners listed on the application. These can be attached on page 5 of the application. If you don’t have any partners you will still need to fill in Lead Organisation details on page 2. 

71. Can I work on the application over a period of time? 

Yes, as long as you submit before the Outline proposal deadline on 21 August, you are welcome to edit your application and save progress as you go. The portal allows you to edit each part of the application at any time as follows:

• i. Main Details 

• ii. Organisation Details 

• iii. Estimated Costs 

• iv. Outline Proposal 

• v. Letters of Support/Letters of Intent 

• vi. Declaration

The portal times out after two hours. Please ensure you save progress as you go or have backed up answers elsewhere, so as not to lose any changes.

72. Can I change the lead applicant details? 

The name of the individual creating the proposal on Flexigrant will be auto populated as the named contact at the top of page 1, in both the Outline and Expression of Interest forms. This cannot be amended. You must click ‘Edit’ and enter mandatory contact details before you are able to submit the forms. Messages sent via Flexigrant for administrative purposes, for example notifications regarding deadlines and proposal outcomes, will be sent to this contact. 

If you wish to name a different lead applicant, who will be responsible for communicating on the grant at later stages should it be successful, including any due diligence questions UKSA may ask, you can do so in each form where lead organisation details are requested. 

It is important that the named contact has the authority to submit on behalf of the lead organisation and reads and understands all the Call 3 documents including the Announcement of Opportunity before applying. 

If the named contact is no longer available, please contact the fund administrators and we will send further instruction on how to proceed with the application. 

73. Can I change my application from Kick Starter to Major Project? 

You can change the details of your proposal right up to the point of submission. After the application has been submitted, we cannot change any details in the application form.

74. Can I change the estimated costs? 

You are able to edit the estimated costs by financial year and matched funding information, up to the point of submission. Once the proposal has been submitted you cannot change the costings, and UKSA reserves the right to reject applications at Full Proposal stage in the event the budgets are materially different from those set out at Outline Proposal stage. Please ensure that you read the Subsidy guidance and adhere to the match funding rates, or your application may be rejected. 

75. Do I have to attach images and documents to the application form? 

An image/diagram in support of question 4 is mandatory for question 4b. Letters of intent from any project partners are also mandatory. An image/diagram in support of question 2 and letters of support from other parties in support of question 4 are optional. 

Attachments should be uploaded to the Flexigrant portal where requested on the application form and clearly referenced as per the naming convention outlined in Section 5.3 of the Announcement of Opportunity. 

You may edit/delete attachments at any point during the live application.

76. Is Flexigrant compatible with Assistive Technology? 

No, Flexigrant is not compatible with Assistive technology. If you have accessibility requirements, or continue to have significant difficulties completing your application online using Flexigrant, please contact UKSA.NSIP@dsit.gov.uk before the deadline.  

77. Can we fill out the Word version outline application form? 

You may use the downloadable Outline application form as a reference document or for drafting purposes. However, any application submissions using the offline form will not be accepted, and only those through the Flexigrant portal will be reviewed.   

You have the option of downloading your application form as a pdf document should you wish to keep an offline copy of your application, although all communications on the progress of your application will be managed through Flexigrant portal.

78. I realised I missed out a section of the application after submitting, can I please recall and complete it? 

Once your application has been submitted, it is not possible recall the application and send a different version or edit it post-submission. Mandatory sections will be highlighted for completion and the application cannot be submitted without completion. All submissions are final, and multiple applications of the same proposal will not be accepted and the first submission taken as final. Please ensure that you check all the details in your application and all sections are ticked or completed before submission. 

79. Will I be able to withdraw an application following submission? 

You may withdraw an application after the Stage 1 deadline by emailing UKSA.NSIP@dsit.gov.uk but you will be unable to submit a replacement proposal. 

80. I want to provide additional information outside of the word count restriction, can I upload a document to supplement a question? 

No, all answers to the question must fit within the word count in the online Outline application form. Additional words outside the limit will be deleted automatically. Any supplementary answer sheets will not be considered as part of the application. Supplementary diagrams are allowed in support of the application but these must be provided as per stated limits. 

81. Where do I find the downloadable versions of the Call 3 documents? 

All NSIP Call 3 documents are published on the gov.uk page:  

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-space-innovation-programme-call-3 

We recommend that project teams develop their answers offline, seek necessary approvals and once all information is final the lead contact can upload on the Flexigrant portal to avoid too many changes in the live application. 

82. I saved my application but it did not submit and now its past the deadline 

We recommend that you submit the application in plenty of time ahead of the deadline to avoid technical issues that might delay submission close to the deadline. In the event that you have submitted the application but did not get a confirmation message, please contact UKSA.NSIP@dsit.gov.uk as soon as possible and we will respond during office hours. Please do not leave your application submission to the last minute as it will limit the support we can give to any technical issues with your application. All applications are in draft but not submitted will not be considered for review.