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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Core Objective: To develop capabilities to 'Act in Space' by demonstrating an In-Space Operations and Services (ISOS) pilot mission by 2030, specifically focusing on the detailed design of the 'Hub for Operational Services and on-orbit Testing' (HOST) component.
Target Recipient Type: This grant targets a diverse range of organizations including industry, SMEs, and research institutions capable of conducting research and innovation actions in the space sector.
Designation: This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant, focusing exclusively on space technology, in-space operations, and related infrastructure.
Geographic Scope: Funding is exclusively available to legal entities established in EU Member States, Norway, and Iceland.
Key Filtering Criteria: Ideal applicants will be involved in advanced research and development for space platforms, robotics, and in-orbit servicing, with a strong emphasis on European non-dependence and strategic autonomy.
Grant Program Context: This is a specific topic within the Horizon Europe Cluster 4 Work Programme 2025, contributing to the broader 'Open strategic autonomy in developing, deploying and using global space-based infrastructures, services, applications and data' destination.

Financial Structure

Funding Program: Horizon Europe.
Type of Action: Research and Innovation Actions (RIA).
Expected Number of Grants: 1 project is expected to be funded under this topic.
Minimum Grant Amount: 12000000.0 EUR per project.
Maximum Grant Amount: 17500000.0 EUR per project.
Total Topic Budget: 17500000.0 EUR (allocated for the single expected project in 2025).
Currency: EUR.
Funding Rate: None (not explicitly stated in the provided document, but typically 100% for Horizon Europe RIAs).
Eligible and Ineligible Costs: Details regarding eligible and ineligible costs, as well as the legal and financial setup of the grants, are described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Financial Capacity Requirements: Financial and operational capacity requirements are outlined in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type and Legal Status

Legal entities must be established in one of the EU Member States, Norway, or Iceland.
Organizations controlled, directly or indirectly, by a non-eligible country or entity may only participate if they can provide guarantees, positively assessed by their eligible country of establishment, that their involvement will not negatively impact the EU's strategic assets, interests, autonomy, or security.

Geographic Location

Only organizations based in EU Member States, Norway, or Iceland are eligible to receive funding.

Technical and Capacity Requirements

Proposals must include a concrete plan demonstrating how all required technologies will achieve the necessary Technology Readiness Level (TRL) by the project's end.
Applicants must clearly describe how their proposed R&I builds upon and complements previous or ongoing work funded by Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, other EU programs, European Space Agency (ESA), and/or national programs.
The use of existing European technologies and building blocks, including at the component level, is expected to enhance European non-dependence and competitiveness.

Exclusion Criteria

Proposals that include legal entities established in countries outside the specified eligible scope (EU Member States, Norway, Iceland) will be declared ineligible.
Entities controlled by non-eligible countries or entities are excluded unless they provide specific, approved guarantees related to EU strategic interests (as detailed in the 'Compliance and Special Requirements' section).
Failure to complete the compulsory 'declaration of ownership and control' questionnaire will lead to ineligibility.

Application Process

Application Deadlines and Submission

Application Submission Window: Opens 2025-05-22.
Application Deadline: 2025-09-25 00:00:00+0000 (Brussels time).
Submission Procedure: Single-stage application process.
Submission Platform: Applications must be submitted through the Electronic Submission Service available on the Funding & Tenders Portal. A specific application form for this call is available there.

Required Documentation and Materials

Application Form: Part B of the application form must be completed as specified in the Submission System.
Page Limit: The application has a strict page limit of 60 pages.
Declaration of Ownership and Control: A compulsory questionnaire must be filled by all project participants. The coordinator is responsible for assembling all declarations into a single file and uploading it to the portal.

Application Support and Guidance

Comprehensive resources are available, including the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, and European Standards Organizations' Research Helpdesks (CEN-CENELEC, ETSI).

Collaboration and Post-Award Requirements

Expected Collaboration: The selected project is expected to actively collaborate with projects funded under related topics (HORIZON-CL4-2025-02-SPACE-21, 23, 24) and the ISOS Pilot Mission Coordination and Support Action.
Collaboration Agreement: This collaboration will be formalized through a dedicated collaboration agreement to ensure interoperability, efficient information sharing, best practices exchange, common processes, and joint dissemination activities.

Evaluation Criteria

Award Criteria, Scoring, and Thresholds

Specific award criteria, scoring methodologies, and thresholds for evaluation are detailed in Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Innovation and Technology Advancement

Proposals will be assessed on the depth and completeness of their Research and Innovation (R&I) plan for the detailed mission and system design of the HOST component.
The proposal's ability to demonstrate the achievement of the required Technology Readiness Level (TRL) for all relevant technologies will be a key scoring factor.
Evaluation will focus on R&I of key enabling technologies for a scalable, modular, and flexible HOST platform, including robotic manipulation, 'satApp' compatibility, and refuelling capabilities.
Quality of R&I on related HOST functions and applications, such as distributed computing, multi-agent, and network architectures, supported by simulations, will be evaluated.

Impact and Alignment with Strategic Objectives

Projects will be scored on their expected contribution to: developing a sustainable, highly automated, flexible, and economically viable space infrastructure; advancing the ISOS Pilot Mission; elaborating interfaces between mission components; defining clear use cases and business models; providing enhanced opportunities for In-Orbit Demonstration/Validation (IOD/V); and ensuring results are available for subsequent mission phases.
The promotion of cooperation among different actors (industry, SMEs, research institutions) is a positive factor.
Proposals demonstrating clear pathways to quickly translate technological innovation into commercial use in space (e.g., via on-ground or in-orbit demonstration) will be favored.
The proposal's ability to ensure a balanced provision of expertise and capabilities from various Member States and eligible Associated Countries to the overall ISOS pilot mission will be considered.

Quality of Implementation and Management

The clarity and feasibility of the plan to bring required technologies to the necessary TRL by the project's conclusion will be assessed.
The proposal's description of complementarities with existing and ongoing R&I (e.g., from Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, ESA, national programs) will be evaluated.
Consideration and effective utilization of existing European technologies and building blocks for non-dependence and competitiveness are important.
The integration of the gender dimension in the research and innovation content, where relevant to the project's objectives, will be considered.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Satellite Data Usage: If the project involves satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation, or related timing data and services, beneficiaries are required to use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS. Other data and services may be used additionally.

Strategic Autonomy and Security Requirements

Participation is explicitly limited to legal entities established in EU Member States, Norway, and Iceland. This is to safeguard the Union's strategic assets, interests, autonomy, and security.
For organizations established in an eligible country but directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or entity, participation is conditional on demonstrating, through verifiable guarantees, that their involvement will not negatively impact the Union's strategic interests. These guarantees must substantiate:
- Control: The controlling entity must not restrict the applicant's ability to perform the action, deliver results, or impose restrictions on its infrastructure, assets, IP, or know-how.
- Sensitive Information: Access to sensitive project information by non-eligible countries or entities must be prevented. Employees or personnel involved in the action may require national security clearance from an eligible country.
- Intellectual Property: Ownership of IP and results from the action must remain within the recipient (located in an eligible country) and must not be subject to control or restrictions by non-eligible countries/entities. Access to IP from outside eligible countries is prohibited without approval from the eligible country of establishment.

Ethical and Cross-Cutting Considerations

Gender Dimension: The integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in the research and innovation content should be addressed if and only if it is relevant to the specific objectives of the research effort.

Intellectual Property Policies

Ownership: Intellectual property (IP) generated from the project and its results must remain with the grant recipient (the legal entity established in an eligible country) both during and after project completion.
Control and Access: Such IP must not be controlled or restricted by non-eligible countries or entities, nor can access to it be granted from outside eligible countries without the explicit approval of the eligible country in which the legal entity is established.

Project Collaboration and Integration

Mandatory Collaboration: The successful project for this topic is expected to collaborate extensively with projects funded under related ISOS topics (HORIZON-CL4-2025-02-SPACE-21, 23, 24) and the ISOS Pilot Mission Coordination and Support Action. This formal collaboration, typically via a 'collaboration agreement', aims to ensure interoperability, efficient information exchange, shared best practices, common processes, and coordinated dissemination efforts.

Grant Details