Notice

Unlocking Space for Business Grant Call Webinar

Published 12 May 2025

This content was presented during the Unlocking Space for Business Grant Call webinar 10th April 2024.

1. Unlocking Space for Business Programme

The Unlocking Space for Business (USB) programme is supporting the adoption of space solutions by business in the financial services and transport and logistics sectors through the following initiatives: 

Information hub: 

• GOV.UK website to share programme updates  

• monthly newsletters to share insights and case studies (300+) of satellite propositions  

Insight and networking events 

• 7 in-person events for FS, T&L and Maritime including 2 dedicated supplier events  

• 5 industry roundtables to promote USB initiatives to end-users 

Exploration workshops  

• 27 end-users completed a workshop  

• 42 tailored workshops to help end-users explore and prioritise opportunities  

Learning and development  

• 10 live webinars around how to identify procure and integrate propositions and  

• 10 summary videos to view at own pace and upskills colleagues  

Government funding opportunities 

• £5m of funding awarded to support new satellite-data projects and pilots  

• showcase event to share project outcomes and learnings

2. USB Grant Call 2 

Proposals are invited from end-user business led consortiums, with a space supplier and any relevant integrator organisations, for innovative pilot projects to commercialise space solutions within the financial services or transport & logistics sectors in the UK.​ 

• total available funding: up to £2 million​ 

• maximum value of each grant: up to £400,000 for each project​ 

• match funding requirement ​ 

• length of grant: preferred duration of 6 months (Sept-25 – Feb-26), with a maximum duration of 7 months.​ 

  • Start by 1 September 2025​ 

  • Aim to conclude by 28 February 2026, but must finish by 31 March 2026​ 

  • Final milestone must be delivered by 28 February 2026​ 

• grant applicants: end-user business led consortium, with a space supplier (and integrator organisations)​ 

The UK Space Agency reserve the right to adjust the value or duration of the grant funding available.​ 

2.1 Scope 

Projects:​ 

• must provide positive economic benefit to an end-user business within either the Financial Services OR Transport and Logistics sector in the UK​ 

• must be able to demonstrate progress towards commercialisation​ 

• must address at least one of Strategic Grant objectives for end-user business:​ 

  • driving revenue growth ​ 

  • improving customer retention ​ 

  • enhancing operational and financial efficiency ​ 

  • addressing environmental obligations ​ 

• must involve at least one satellite domain (EO, SatCom, PNT)​ 

• must start at TRL5+ and must progress to at least TRL7​ 

• may involve complementary enabling technologies (e.g. AI, Quantum, Machine Learning)​

2.2 Consortium Members

End User business in either Financial Services OR Transport & Logistics sector	Required
Space Supplier (e.g. satellite data, service or insights provider)	Required
Integrator Organisations	Optional

• the Lead applicant must be an end-user business, from either the Financial Services or Transport & Logistics sector​ 

  • Financial Services​ 

  • Transport & Logistics​ 

• there must be a space supplier within the consortium​ 

• there may be other integrator organisations within the consortium​ 

• applicants must meet UK Space Agency standard eligibility criteria​

2.3 Milestones 

Project proposals should include up to four milestones​ 

• project teams are free to split the funding up between these milestones and set their deliverables as required​ 

• grant funding is offered on a cost recovery basis only​

Milestone	Deliverables	Deadline for delivery
1	Deliverables set by project team	By 31 October 2025
2	Deliverables set by project team	By 30 November 2025
3	Deliverables set by project team	By 31 January 2026
4	Required: Final Report and Commercialisation Plan Optional: any other deliverables set by project team	By 28 February 2026

2.4 Project Reporting Requirements: 

Before grant:​ 

• grant recipient (lead applicant) will engage with USB team to complete due diligence checks ​ 

During grant:​ 

• all project partners will attend a kick-off meeting with the UK Space Agency​ 

• all project partners will engage in an initial interview as part of USB programme’s monitoring and evaluation​ 

• grant recipient will provide short monthly written progress reports to UKSA (template provided)​ 

• grant recipient will attend monthly review meetings (all project partners to attend where possible)​ 

• all project partners will attend a mid-term review meeting ​ 

• grant recipient will provide milestone deliverables and financial evidence​ 

• grant recipient will provide regular updates on risks, benefits and lessons learned​ 

End of grant:​ 

• all project partners will attend a final review meeting​ 

• grant recipient will provide a final project report​ 

• grant recipient will complete a case study using the UK Space Agency’s template, to be uploaded to GOV.UK​ 

After grant:​ 

• grant recipient will provide required information to support the North Star Metric monitoring​ 

• grant recipient will engage in follow-up interviews as part of the USB programme’s monitoring and evaluation ​

2.5 Projects out of scope 

We will not fund projects that:​ 

• have a lead applicant that is not an end user in either the Financial Services OR Transport and Logistics sectors​ 

• are not original or in scope​ 

• duplicate someone else’s work​ 

• can’t provide match funding​ 

• are being funded elsewhere in the UK Space Agency or UK Government​ 

• would directly duplicate other UK government or EU funded initiative you have already been funded to deliver​ 

• are covered by existing commercial agreements to deliver the proposed solutions​ 

• cannot provide reporting against the UK Space Agency’s North Star Metric​

2.6 Grant Call Timeline

Open Date	12 May 2025
Online MS Teams Webinar briefing event	22 May 2025
Close date	4:00 pm, 7 July 2025
Applicants notified	August 2025
Projects start	1 September 2025
Final Milestone 4 completed	28 February 2026
Project end by	No later than 31 March 2026

Please note that each deadline may be subject to change.​ 

All clarification questions should be sent to USB_Grant@ukspaceagency.gov.uk

3. Subsidy Control  

3.1 Subsidy Control 

• this award is being offered under the Research, Development & Innovation Streamlined Subsidy Scheme subcategory 2: Industrial Research and Experimental Development Projects in accordance with Subsidy Control Act 2022 s.20(4).  

• applicants should note that the maximum award amount for both industrial research and experimental development projects is £3,000,000 per enterprise per project. Due to cumulation rules and limits of the scheme, organisations seeking project funding that would exceed a total of £3million from public bodies in the last 3 years for this project will be ineligible to apply for this opportunity. 

• onus is on applicants to determine which category their project falls within, based on their knowledge of the work they are proposing to undertake. 

• The UK Space Agency cannot provide pre-application advice on which to select. 

3.2 Match Funding  

Applicants will be required to provide match funding. As a condition of funding, the applicant must agree to pay for a certain percentage of the total project costs.  

Subsidies given under these categories are subject to maximum award amounts and subsidy ratios set out in the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Subsidy Scheme.

	Industrial Research	Experimental Development
Small Enterprises	70% of the eligible project costs	45% of the eligible project costs
Medium Enterprises	60% of the eligible project costs	35% of the eligible project costs
Large Enterprises	50% of the eligible project costs	25% of the eligible project costs
Academic Partner	80% Full Economic Cost	80% Full Economic Cost

Example of how Match Funding is reported: 

The name size and match funding level will be automatically inserted to any line with details the first sheet 

e.g. if the total line item is £600, the grant contribution 50%. Therefore, the grant contribution will be £300 and the private contributions (i.e. match funding) will be £300.

3.3 Value for Money  

Grants funded by the public purse are subject to the principle of achieving Value for Money. Applicants are expected to consider how their bid reflects Value for Money. 

3.4 Eligible expenditure for grant funded activities 

Subject to project requirements and set out in the application  

• pay costs  

• subcontractors  

• overheads 

• general IT office services related to the project  

• travel and subsistence  

• equipment  

• facilities only directly used as part of the project  

• general materials

See UK Space Agency guidance on grants for further information on what is considered eligible expenditure and for more detail on overheard.

3.5 Pay costs for those without PAYE 

• if you do not currently operate a company PAYE scheme and are working directly on the project, you can include your labour as an eligible cost. This should be in line with eligibility rules and is subject to the following conditions:  

• your labour costs must be calculated using a maximum of eight hours per day (at up to £22 per hour), up to 40 hours per week  

• your costs must be recorded through the business accounts  

• your project time must be supported by timesheets and project records  

• Any claims for grant awarded must comply with these criteria. Claims for pay costs which are submitted without timesheets may be rejected. 

3.6 Ineligible Expenditure  

• payment that supports lobbying or activity intended to influence or attempt to influence Parliament, Government, or political parties, or attempting to influence the awarding or renewal of contracts and grants, or attempting to influence legislative or regulatory action; 

• using grant funding to petition for additional funding; 

• input VAT reclaimable by the Grant Recipient from HMRC; 

• payments for activities of a political or exclusively religious nature; 

• goods or services that the Grant Recipient has a statutory duty to provide; 

• payments reimbursed or to be reimbursed by other public or private sector grants 

• contributions in kind (i.e. a contribution in goods or services, as opposed to money); 

• depreciation, amortisation, or impairment of fixed assets owned by the Grant Recipient; 

• the acquisition or improvement of fixed assets by the Grant Recipient (unless the grant is explicitly for capital use – this will be stipulated in the Grant Offer Letter); 

• interest payments (including service charge payments for finance leases); 

• gifts to individuals; 

• entertaining (entertaining for this purpose means anything that would be a taxable benefit to the person being entertained, according to current UK tax regulations); 

• statutory fines, criminal fines, or penalties; or liabilities incurred before the issue of this funding agreement unless agreed in writing by UK Space Agency; 

• employee paid benefits and bonuses; 

• costs incurred in the preparation of the independent assurance report where required within the grant funding agreement (for grants above the value of £250,000); 

• alcohol.

See UK Space Agency guidance on grants for further information on what is considered eligible expenditure.

4. Application FAQs 

4.1 Assessment Criteria

Question	Weighting	Application Page Limit
How does your proposal advance the strategic goals identified within the call document and the wider goals of the UK Space Agency?	20%	2
Why do you need grant funding, how will you spend it and how does this represent good value for money for the taxpayer?	10%	1
How will this project catalyse future investment into the UK space sector?	15%	2
What will be the impact of receiving the grant, both for your business and outside your organisation?	15%	2
How is your idea both innovative and technically feasible?	15%	2
How does your proposed project aim to have a positive impact on the environment and incorporate sustainability practices?	10%	1
How will you ensure effective delivery of this project throughout its full duration?	15%	1

• across the majority of grants we fund, the UK Space Agency uses standard assessment criteria, meaning you will be asked the same questions each time. ​ 

• applications will be scored by a minimum of three evaluators against the Investment Assessment Criteria.​ 

• an initial sift of proposals will remove any proposals which do not meet the eligibility criteria. ​ 

• eligible proposals will be assessed by reviewers to be scored against assessment criteria. ​ 

• a moderation panel will follow to ensure consistency in marking.  ​ 

• a scored and ranked list of fundable proposals will be generated. The UK Space Agency takes a portfolio approach to funding, which means we look to fund a range of projects that cover the full breadth of the strategic objectives. This means we may move some fundable proposals up or down the ranked list. ​

4.2 Filling out the Application Form 

SECTION 2: Organisation Details 

• please ensure you fully set out your consortium details  

• the lead organisation should be the end-user 

• all other consortium members should be listed in Section 3: Partner Organisation Details  

4.3 Application FAQs 

What needs to be submitted in the application? 

• application form  

• any accompanying annexes to the main application to support your application  

• Unlocking Space for Business Call 2: Budget Breakdown Spreadsheet  

• National Security Questionnaire 

• any proposed GFA amendments requirements to comply with law or regulation  

• overheads template (if applicable) 

Where should the application be sent? 

• applications should be submitted to commercial@ukspaceagency.gov.uk by 4pm BST on Monday 7 July 2025 

Are there word counts or page limits? 

• the page limits are made clear within the Application form. Any allowance to diagrams or PDFs is set out in the application form. 

4.4 Submission FAQs 

Can projects that were previously funded by an Unlocking Space for Business SBRI contract or grant apply? ​ 

• Yes, project partners that were involved in a previous Unlocking Space for Business funded SBRI or grant project can apply, either as part of the same consortium or a different consortium, as long as the project is sufficiently different from that which was previously funded (for example, the project involves a different product or service, and/or a different end-user business) and the project proposal demonstrates how the project will progress TRL towards commercialisation.​ 

• the lead applicant must be an end-user business within either the Financial Services or Transport & Logistics sectors. We will not fund projects that are being funded elsewhere in the UK Space Agency or UK government. ​ 

• 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. The UK Space Agency 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. ​

What has changed between the Unlocking Space for Business grant call released in 2024 and this call? ​ 

While the scope and strategic goals of this grant call are largely the same as the first USB grant call, there are some differences in the grant delivery: ​ 

• funding amounts: the maximum amount of funding available is £2,000,000. ​ 

• length of project: this has been reduced to a maximum of 7 months. ​ 

• assessment criteria: the structure and wording of questions is consistent with other UK Space Agency grant processes. ​ 

• assessment process: assessment will be conducted internally by the UK Space Agency. 

• grant administration: project leads may now delegate project administration to a partner organisation. Project leads will still be required to attend the monthly check-ins, with all project partners required to attend the kick-off meeting, mid-term review and end of project review. ​ 

• continuous improvement: changes to finance forms, number of milestones and reporting templates.  

Can I resubmit a proposal that was rejected in a previous call? ​ 

• yes, you may re-submit your proposal which will then 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. ​ 

Can suppliers/partners who are not lead applicants be involved in more than one bid? ​ 

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

• you can submit more than one proposal, but it must be clear how the proposals differ.​ 

If we miss the deadline, will we be able to submit after the set date?​ 

• we cannot accept any late applications unless a failure on the part of UKSA has been identified, where all applicants will give extra time.​

4.5 What happens next? 

• grant Call opened on 12 May 2025 with all documents available on GOV.UK and Find-Government-Grants​ 

• MS Teams Webinar briefing event held online on 22 May 2025​ 

• briefing webinar recording and Q&A received will be uploaded to GOV.UK​ 

• applications should be submitted to UnlockingSpaceforBusiness@ukspaceagency.gov.uk by 4pm BST, Monday 7 July 2025​ 

• a selected panel of assessors will review and score applications​ 

• we intend to notify applicants of the outcome and provide feedback by August 2025​ 

• grants will then be awarded to successful applicants​ 

• projects to start from 1 September 2025 

4.6 Q&A 

All questions and answers asked in the webinar will be published on the Unlocking Space for Business: Call 2 notice page. 

Please refer to the webinar recording for all questions answered during the webinar.