Notice

ESA ARTES ITTs — Applicant Guidance

Updated 7 May 2026

1. Background 

At CMIN25, the UK subscribed a total of £141.4 million to the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) programme, reflecting our continued commitment to strengthening the UK’s satellite communications sector and supporting national priorities. to support the UK satellite telecommunications industry.  

This targeted allocation is designed to create new opportunities for UK-led innovation, growth, and collaboration in satellite communications and related technologies, working alongside our international partners.   

1.1 ESA ITTs 

ESA-initiated ARTES Invitations to Tender (ITTs) are up to 100% funded activities focussed on low technology readiness levels development activities and foundational capabilities. Proposals may be led by any eligible organisation (UK Company, Academia or Research and Technology Organisation).  

ESA-Initiated Invitations to Tender are activities proposed by ESA through a yearly work plan which is released on ESA-STAR.  

For Advanced Technology, Space for 5G/6G, ScyLight and 4S, the UK Space Agency pre-selects a number of ITTs which are to be supported by the UK National Delegate each year. This takes place through a yearly Request for Information (RFI) in the first quarter of each year, and the following guidance is related to this selected list.  

No further RFIs will be released in 2026, the next opportunity to input will be ahead of the 2027 workplans.  

The UK National Delegate will not support proposals for any activities that are not on the list as a prime contractor or as a subcontractor. An invitation from the European Space Agency to bid for the tender will not be successful without national delegate support. 

2. Supported Activities 

Supported activities can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-national-delegate-support-for-the-advanced-technology-call/uk-space-agency-supported-itt-activities 

2.1 Registering with ESA 

New applicants who have not worked with the European Space Agency will need to register their organisation on ESA-STAR (ESA’s System for Tendering and Registration) to view and bid for a supported activity. Further information on the registration process can be found here: ESA-Star Registration Process. 

3. What is National Delegate support  

Applicants must demonstrate national support prior to applying to ESA (European Space Agency). This is called ‘National Delegate support’, as the UK delegates its national support to a named member of staff within the UK Space Agency. This guidance is designed to set out the process for applying for National Delegate support for ARTES ITTs 

4. How to apply  

There are 3 steps to applying for National Delegate support: 

1. complete the online form to register interest in ITT activities 

2. complete and submit full proposal to the UK Space Agency 

3. receive authorisation of funding letter from the UK Space Agency and submit the full proposal to ESA 

4.1 Step 1: Complete the online form to register interest in the ITT activities  

Once you have confirmed the ITT is supported by the UK Space Agency, to apply for National Delegate support, you must complete the online UK Registration form for ARTES Invitations to Tender. 

In order to ensure you have time to submit a proposal to ESA, we advise completing this form well in advance of the ITT deadline.  

If your online application is accepted, you may then proceed to submit a completed full proposal to the UK Space Agency. If you are not successful, you will receive feedback on the reasons why.  

Please note, you must register your interest via the online form. We will not consider applications that are sent directly to the UK Space Agency.  

4.2 Step 2: Complete and submit full proposal to UK Space Agency 

If you are invited to apply for National Delegate support, you must submit the ESA full proposal by email to telecoms@ukspaceagency.gov.uk by the date outlined in your UK Space Agency EOI response. Full proposals not sent to this address will not be considered.   

4.3 Step 3: Receive authorisation of funding letter from the UK Space Agency and submit full proposal to ESA  

Once any outstanding questions relating to your full proposal have been addressed, we will confirm our support and provide an ‘authorisation of funding letter’ from the UK National Delegate. At this stage you can begin the process of submitting directly to ESA, who will begin its formal consideration.  

Please note, if you do not provide the required information by the date agreed, you may not receive your letter in time.  

If successful through the ESA competition, we expect you to stay in touch throughout the life of the programme, from contracting to completion. We expect to publicise most funding awards in coordination with winning companies and to be kept informed of any changes or developments for the duration of the project. This ensures we can support you if any adjustments are needed.  

5. Eligibility and assessment criteria  

5.1 Eligibility 

Please check the ESA guidance on eligibility criteria under the ARTES Programme. In addition to this, the UK Space Agency will apply the following eligibility criteria:  

UK-based organisations  

To be considered for UK National Delegate support, organisations must be UK-based and, for commercial companies, must have a UK registration at Companies House. If you are considering moving to the UK, or you do not have a UK registration, you can seek further guidance from the team by email at telecoms@ukspaceagency.gov.uk.   

Essential non-UK spend requests  

Products and services from non-UK suppliers that are considered essential to deliver successful projects, may be included in proposals. However, all proposals must demonstrate their value to the UK and non-UK spend requests are unlikely to score highly against other, UK-based activities. Any non-UK spend requests should be clearly stated in your initial application. Late requests will not be considered if they have not been declared and approved at the applications stage.  

Match-funding  

In line with ESA rules governing invitations to tender, companies can seek funding of up to 100% for individual activities. Moreover, SMEs, universities, and research institutions can prime proposals and are eligible to apply for complete funding coverage of up to 100%.  

Travel and Subsistence  

UK will only support reasonable travel and subsistence costs. No claims for alcohol or entertainment will be accepted.  

All projected expenditure must be recorded in the relevant ESA proposal. The UK Space Agency reserves the right not to support projects where costs appear excessive, and any challenges may delay your application to ESA.  

If you are in any doubt about what is reasonable you should contact the team.  

6. Complaints  

If you are unhappy with either the outcome of your application or how the process was managed, or for any other reason, you can make a complaint by contacting the team at telecoms@ukspaceagency.gov.uk. Please set out the nature of your complaint in detail. The team will try to resolve a complaint in the first instance but, if a resolution is not possible, we will refer it to the UK Space Agency central complaints process, where it will be independently assessed.  

7. Further information  

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