Notice

Annex 3 – FAQs

Updated 7 November 2023

1. Can I resubmit a proposal that was rejected in a previous NSTP/ETP/NSIP 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?

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.

There is an option for SMEs or startups to defer the start of the grant to allow sufficient time to raise match funding. The UK Space Agency will issue a Grant Funding Agreement (GFA) to successful candidates wishing to defer. The GFA will include conditions around the need for Match Funding to be clearly identified for the Grant activity to commence. In the event match funding cannot be delivered, the Grant agreement may be terminated by the Agency. Recipients wishing to defer the start of the grant should identify so within the application guide, including the period for deferral and justification.

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. However, we can provide examples of previously funded ETP projects. NSIP Kickstarter is a similar programme to ETP, therefore projects will be comparable.

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 NSIP Kickstarter 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?

The assessment process and marking criteria are described in detail in the announcement of opportunity.

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

FAQs following the Eventbrite Bidder Briefing held 17 October 2023:

17. What is meant by low-TRL versus 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 (ESA) TRL Guide  .

18. What are the match funding intervention rates for this call?

Please see the Announcement of Opportunity section 13 - ‘Subsidy Control’, as well as Annex 1 - Subsidy Control Guidance for grant applicants and Annex 2 - Subsidy Control and State Aid.

19. 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.

20. How many proposals can a company submit?

Organisations are able to submit more than one proposal as leads and are also able to be partners on other proposal.

21. Does winning a grant through this count towards Minimal Financial Assistance allowance or is it competitive like the Innovate UK type grant awards?

Please see the Announcement of Opportunity section 13 - ‘Subsidy Control’, as well as Annex 1 - Subsidy Control Guidance for grant applicants and Annex 2 - Subsidy Control and State Aid.

22. We have previously had funding from the UK Space Agency for our project. Are we eligible?

To ensure clarity - the subsidy control scheme refers to projects rather than companies. If the project (relating to the piece of work you intend on submitting for the application) has had more than £3 million of funding, it won’t be eligible for this call.

23. What are the priority topic areas?

For Kickstarter: Proposals are sought for projects in areas including innovation; innovative technology proof of concept that could result in a significant technological step-change; new technology developments; establishing new academic/industrial research collaborations and feasibility studies targeting emerging disruptive technologies.

For Major Projects: Proposals are sought for projects in areas including: innovative technology development, satellite applications and services that could result in a significant commercial opportunity; establishing new academic/industrial research collaborations and feasibility studies targeting emerging disruptive technologies.

Additionally, applicable to both calls, the UK Space Agency aims to spend a target of 30% programme budget on the following technology themes:

• in orbit servicing capability (High-cadence, high volume complex Rendezvous and Proximity operations)
• in orbit assembly capabilit
• in orbit manufacturing capability
• in orbit deployment of large structures

Proposals on any other space topic are still eligible for support in this open programme. The authority reserves the right to award less than 30% on themed calls, based on the submissions received.

For more information, please refer to the Announcement of Opportunity for each call.

24. What is the submission process for this call?

All applicants should provide an Expression of Interest (EOI) by email to the UK Space Agency by the 31 October 2023. This should include the project title, a lead contact name and a short description of the project (1 paragraph). Failure to provide an EOI by the desired date will not stop applicants submitting a proposal before the deadline.

All applications must be submitted by midday on 17 November 2023 following the application guidance and form supplied on the gov.uk website.

25. Will there be any networking session for academics to talk to companies in this space?

Unfortunately, due to timescales for NSIP call - 1 we are unable to offer a networking session for universities and companies. However, we will take this under consideration for next NSIP call. The space sector is active with conferences and networking opportunities - we recommend applicants researching and participating in these events.

26. Can we combine successful ETP and NSIP funding applications?

No. They are different programmes established under separate business cases and cannot be mixed. Projects that are successful in securing and delivering an ETP project are welcome to apply for further funding through later NSIP funding calls.

27. What is the selection criteria for applications?

Please see the Announcement of Opportunity section 14 which outlines the assessment criteria and weighting for applications.

28. Can companies outside of the space sector (ie, no previous track record in space) apply?

Yes, if your proposal aligns with the assessment criteria and relevant proposal area, we welcome applications from a variety of organisations including academia, industry and other not for profit organisations. Please refer to the Announcement of Opportunity for either Kick Starter or Major Projects, section 1. ‘Organisational Eligibility’ for further guidance.

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

NSIP call 1 consists of two parts, providing end-to-end support across the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) spectrum from early-stage concepts to commercialisation. NSIP Kick Starter, will provide grants of £150k - £1m over 18 months for low TRL (1-4) projects with an emphasis on innovation and disruption. NSIP Major Projects, which build upon the NSIP pilot, will offer grants of £1m - £5m for up to 36 months for higher TRL projects (5-9) with an emphasis on catalysing investment and commercialisation. For further guidance on applications please refer to the Announcement of Opportunity on the gov.uk website.

30. Is there guidance for the application?

Please see the Announcement of Opportunity section 2 ‘Application Guidelines for Projects’.

31. What are the implications of the Subsidy control for universities?

Please refer to Annex 1 - Subsidy Control Guidance for grant applicants.

32. Can a project be delayed? If yes, if a project is deferred, can it remain 18 months in duration? Does a request to defer a project negatively impact the assessment of that project? In the case of a deferred project is the contract signature also deferred or can it be signed say 6 months in advance?

Yes. Deferral is only applicable to Kick Starter projects and is for a maximum of 12 months. Even with a 12-month delay, projects can still 18 months in duration. Justification is needed for deferring a project, ie, 3-month deferral needed to hire a PDRA. Requesting a deferral will not impact the assessment of a proposal.

In the event that a grant start is deferred, upon start a level of due diligence will need to be undertaken to ensure that the grant can begin, ie, no change in subsidy control, confirmation of staffing etc. In the event these are not passed, the grant maybe terminated with no additional cost to the Authority.

33. Does all the project work need to be completed in the UK, or can it be performed in another country? Can sub-contractors be international?

As a national funded programme, a UK-based organisation must lead any project or consortium. Non-UK based organisation cannot receive funding, therefore, any monies awarded cannot go outside the UK to a partner body.

If a 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 no amount of the award is paid by the UK Space Agency to a non-registered UK company.

34. Can SMEs and Universities jointly apply for the call?

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.

35. Are applications from the UK subsidiary of an EU-based 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.

36. How is the funding split between the ‘kick starter’ and the ‘major projects’ call?

Please see the Announcement of Opportunity section 2 ‘Application Guidelines for Projects’.

37. Are there any differences in the key selection criteria between Kick Starter and Major Projects?

The assessment criteria remains the same for Kick Starter and Major Projects. However, the weighting of the criteria differs between the two calls. Kick starter focuses more on Innovation and Disruptive Technology whilst Major Projects focuses more on catalysing investment and commercialisation. More information can be found in the Announcement of Opportunity, section 14, which outlines the assessment criteria and weighting for applications.

38. Is there an expectation to work collaboratively across entrants and how highly is cross-industry collaboration rated?

We encourage collaboration and there are no minimum or maximum number of partners. However, we suggest each partner has a clear role within the project.

Collaboration is part of the application assessment criteria. Please see the Announcement of Opportunity section 14 which outlines the assessment criteria and weighting for applications.

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

Yes, it would. 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.

40. The projects can range from £150k to £5m per grant, is this amount for an 18–36-month project or will there be a Phase 1/Phase 2 approach?

Where required the funding ranges for NSIP KS/MP can be used within their respective timeframes. We don’t have plans for a phased approach, but applicants who successfully delivery NSIP projects will be welcome to apply for further funding in later funding calls.

41. Are there any restrictions on the number of proposals that an organisation can submit? Is there a maximum amount of funding per project?

No restriction on the number of applications, however they will be judged on their quality. The upper limits of funding are specified in the Announcement of Opportunity.

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

For NSIP Call – 1 we are hoping to have selected the successful projects selected in January 2024 and intend for projects to kick off shortly after selection – early 2024.

43. I was wondering about two points: 1. What are your expectations of a project that can apply for a grant of near £1m? 2. Is the participation of an industry partner is necessary/preferred or that all academic consortia may also be welcome to apply?

Besides the guidance and assessment criteria it’s not possible to say what is expected as projects will come in very many different shapes and sizes. There is no requirement for an industry partner to be involved, all academic consortiums are welcome.

44. What is the expected form of updating the UK Space Agency on the development of the North Star Metrics?

Project leads will be asked to provide updated figures across the NSM document on a 6-monthly basis. There may also be occasions where we ask you to engage with the UK Space Agency’s NSM analysts to help gather data.

45. I wondered if there is a training for dealing with the Finance documents.

Unfortunately, not. We could consider this if there is need in future calls.

46. What is the matched funding requirement for micro companies?

Please refer to the call documentation.

47. To answer the requirement: “evidence of company legitimacy and financial solvency supported by suitable evidence (eg, company Annual Reports)”, 1. Is it possible to apply with a recently created startup? 2. Given that the UK company is a spinoff of another Colombian company, can the annual reports belong to the parent company of this spinoff?

New Companies can apply for Grant funding, financial checks will be done on any company applying for Grant funding and the checks will be dependent on the amount of grant being sought. Any subsidiary company would need to sign a Parent Company Guarantee, 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.

48. Do NSIP Major Project applicants (with a higher starting TRL level) need to have come via the NSIP pilot first to apply?

No, this is not a requirement.

49. What are the options for projects with TRL 5 or higher that could require less than £1m or shorter possible project lengths such as 12-18mths?

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 project with TRL5 or higher that requires less than 1m or less time could be considered under either. If the project has commercialisation as a strength, it would make sense to apply under MP, and would likely benefit from reduced risk given the lower cost and time involved.

50. How will the Kickstarter differ from the Enabling Technologies Programmes?

Higher funding levels and longer timelines available.

51. How different is the application to the ETP4?

The assessment criteria is the same as ETP4 however there are some changes to the application form.

52. Can the audit costs to the business be included in the costing as an activity? Since the call says full overheads cannot be included as they are not justified for new products, whereas you are requiring us to use those services we need to deliver the proposed products and services in this programme.

Please see the eligible expenditure of the relevant GFA which identifies the audit costs that are eligible and ineligible.

53. Could you elaborate on the definition of space services for the NSIP Major Projects call and what affects you hope they will have on the UK space economy?

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. Potential benefits will vary, but positive outcomes could include the development of new UK services and capabilities, particularly those which align with the National Space Strategy in Action.

54. Is it purely tech based or can service based application be accepted?

Technologies, satellite applications, and services can all be proposed.

55. 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 flag in reference to the project team’s experience.

56. 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, however added value from collaboration is included in the assessment criteria. You would likely score low on this element unless you can justify the value of working alone. It is also the case that you will not just get points simply for collaboration - there must be a clear value added through the collaboration. For further information please see the Announcement of Opportunity section 14 which outlines the assessment criteria and weighting for applications.

57. We believe that our technology will be able to reach TRL 5 within this project, but would that get us out of scope for this call? Will we need to de-scope this to fit within guidelines?

No, this is perfectly within scope. This sounds like a good Kick Starter project. If successful, the applicants may be able to seek further funding via NSIP MP to further develop the output towards commercialisation.

58. Can a company submit multiple projects? Similar project with different partners or completely different projects?

Organisations are able to submit more than one proposal as leads and are also able to be partners on other proposal. If successful, an organisation could be awarded funding for multiple projects.

59. 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, ie, 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.

60. Can information such as Gant charts and Project plans be submitted as Annexes’ (ie Excel table)

Please see the Announcement of Opportunity section 2 ‘Application Guidelines for Projects’.

61. The call website suggests projects can start from December 2023, is this possible if submission is on 17 November? If project start is before full proposal acceptance, can payments be backdated?

We do not advise starting at risk. Projects should start after GFAs have been awarded.

62. Is there a link that can be provided to the UK Space Agency TRL table?

A brief overview of TRL levels is provided in question 17. We do not supply a TRL table however, these can be found online – ESA’s TRL guide provides a good overview.

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

Yes, a university can be a lead organisation for a proposal. It is not a requirement to have a project partner, however added value from collaboration is included in the assessment criteria. You would likely score low on this element unless you can justify the value of working alone. It is also the case that you will not just get points simply for collaboration - there must be a clear value added through the collaboration. For further information please see the Announcement of Opportunity section 14 which outlines the assessment criteria and weighting for applications.

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

No.

65. 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 proposal. Please refer to the Announcement of Opportunity section 2 ‘Application Guidelines for Projects’.

66. If the project is deferred, will the kick off meetings be deferred to the project start date too?

Yes. Please note, deferral is only applicable to Kick Starter projects and is for a maximum of 12 months. Even with a 12-month delay, projects can still 18 months in duration. Justification is needed for deferring a project, ie, 3-month deferral needed to hire a PDR.

In the event that a grant start is deferred, upon start a level of due diligence will need to be undertaken to ensure that the grant can begin, ie, no change in subsidy control, confirmation of staffing etc. In the event these are not passed, the grant maybe terminated with no additional cost to the Authority.

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

We don’t specify this. Sub-contracting in general should not make a large percentage of the grant.

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

That would be a business decision and not something the Agency could not comment on. Kick starter projects with justification are eligible for grant deferral up to a maximum of 12 months.

69. 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. We do encourage applicants to review the other programmes/ grant funding opportunities available within the UK Space Agency, ie, Space Exploration funding opportunities.

70. 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.

71. Is it possible to: 1) have a consultation on an application before it is submitted; and 2) have an application reviewed before an 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 NSIP mailbox and we shall get back to you.

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

No. We can’t accept in-kind contributions for match funding. But an organisation can still receive in-kind contributions.

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

Yes.

74. What is considered “same project within an institute” limited to £10m?

Please see Chapter 10 of the UK Subsidy Control Statutory Guidance.

75. How much justification/details on commercialisation/route to market do you expect to be provided in Kickstarter call applications vs the higher TRL call?

Please see the Announcement of Opportunity section 2 ‘Application Guidelines for Projects’.

76. With limitations on funds moving outside the UK, if a proposal aims to launch new hardware to advance TRL, can money be utilised for non-UK based launch providers (given the lack of UK options)?

If a 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.

77. Do all project staff have to be identified/hired prior to submitting the project application? You’ve mentioned delaying grant start date to hire PDRAs specifically, but I was wondering more generally. For example, delaying raising investment then using this to hire relevant project staff into an SME.

No, not all staff have to be place/hired by submission of the proposal. In the event that a grant start is deferred, upon start a level of due diligence will need to be undertaken to ensure that the grant can begin, ie, no change in subsidy control, confirmation of staffing etc. In the event these are not passed, the grant maybe terminated with no additional cost to the Authority.

78. Can we apply development of two technologies into one application?

Yes.

79. NorthStar metrics - are these expected to be submitted for universities working without partners?

Yes. It may be the case that some of the entries submitted are 0 or null for early stage or feasibility projects.

80. For kick-starter, can we have a costed Work Package for business case/road to market?

Yes.

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

We recommend you don’t alter the template but contact the NSIP team for advice or help on troubleshooting.