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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

ISOS Pilot Mission Detailed Design – satAPPs component - Single, clear statement of grant's core objective: To develop capabilities to 'Act in Space' by demonstrating a pilot mission by 2030, specifically focusing on the detailed design of the 'satAPPs' component for satellite upgrade and the development of a European catalogue of satAPPs. - Explicit identification of target recipient type and size: Organisations involved in the space sector, including industry, SMEs, and research institutions. No specific size limitations beyond general Horizon Europe rules for SMEs. - MUST state if grant is 'SECTOR-SPECIFIC' or 'SECTOR-AGNOSTIC': SECTOR-SPECIFIC - Geographic scope and any location requirements: Projects must involve entities from EU Member States and Countries Associated to Horizon Europe. - Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Focus on in-space operations and services, satellite application components (satAPPs), and technologies reaching TRL 6. - Grant frequency and program context: This is a specific topic within the Horizon Europe Cluster 4 Work Programme 2025. Horizon Europe is an ongoing research and innovation framework programme, with annual work programmes featuring specific topics.

Financial Structure

Funding type: Lump Sum grant.
Budget range per project: Minimum €2,000,000, Maximum €3,000,000.
Total budget for this topic (HORIZON-CL4-2025-02-SPACE-24): €5,000,000 (for 2 expected grants).
Currency: EUR.
Funding rate: Standard Horizon Europe reimbursement rates are included in the calculation of the lump sum contribution. For Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), this is typically 100.0% of eligible costs.
Eligible costs: Lump sum is an approximation of underlying actual costs. Proposals must detail costs for Personnel, Subcontracting, Purchase (travel, equipment, other goods/services), and Other categories (e.g., financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods/services, research infrastructure access, PCP/PPI procurement). Only costs eligible under standard Horizon Europe rules can be included.
Ineligible costs: Any costs deemed ineligible under general Horizon Europe rules.
Indirect cost policies: Indirect costs are calculated by applying a 25% flat rate to the eligible direct costs and are included in the lump sum calculation.
Financial guarantees: A portion of the total lump sum (between 5% and 8%) is retained as contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.
Payment schedule and mechanisms: Payments are made upon proper implementation of corresponding work packages as defined in the grant agreement. Payments do not depend on costs actually incurred.
Financial reporting: Beneficiaries are not required to report actual incurred costs; focus is on technical performance and output.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type and Structure

Eligible organization types: Any legal entity that can participate in Horizon Europe, specifically mentioned are industry, SMEs, and research institutions.
Consortium requirements: Proposals are expected to promote cooperation between different actors (industry, SMEs, and research institutions). Mandatory collaboration with other selected projects under topics HORIZON-CL4-2025-02-SPACE-21, 22, 23, and the ISOS Pilot Mission Coordination and Support Action, formalized by a collaboration agreement.

Geographic Location Requirements

Eligible countries: Organizations from EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe. (Note: Specific associated countries are defined in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes).

Technical and Capacity Requirements

Technical expertise requirements: Must be capable of R&I for detailed mission and system design for satAPPs, and developing innovative satAPPs technologies at TRL 6.
Infrastructure requirements: Beneficiaries must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS satellite-based data and services if their project uses satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation, and/or related timing data and services.
Project maturity: Technologies must reach TRL 6 (Technology Readiness Level 6) by the end of the project.

Exclusion Criteria

Financial and operational capacity: Must meet conditions described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
General Horizon Europe exclusion criteria apply.

Application Process

Application Process Steps

Application procedure: Single-stage submission.
Submission platform: Applications must be submitted through the Funding & Tenders Portal's Submission System.
Submission open date: 2025-05-22.
Application deadline: 2025-09-25 at 00:00:00+00.

Required Documentation and Materials

Application form: Standard application form (HE RIA, IA) available in the Submission System.
Proposal page limit: 60 pages.
Detailed budget table: Applicants must use the specific 'Detailed budget table (HE LS)' template provided for lump sum grants.
Technical annex: Proposals should refer to the provided technical annex for ISOS Pilot Mission objectives.
Guidance document: 'Guidance Document for the EU ISOS Pilot Mission' provides detailed information on objectives, boundary conditions, and high-level requirements.

Review and Selection Process

Evaluation criteria: Proposals are evaluated based on 'Excellence', 'Impact', and 'Quality and efficiency of the implementation'.
Review process: External independent experts will evaluate proposals. Experts with financial expertise will check budget estimates against benchmarks.
Selection criteria: Eligible proposals exceeding all evaluation thresholds will be awarded a STEP Seal.

Post-Award Requirements and Obligations

Project planning: Projects must present a concrete plan to ensure required technologies reach the necessary TRL by project end.
Collaboration requirement: Projects selected under this topic are expected to collaborate with those selected under topics HORIZON-CL4-2025-02-SPACE-21, 22, 23, and the ISOS Pilot Mission Coordination and Support Action. This collaboration will be formalized by a collaboration agreement to ensure interoperability and information sharing.
Progress tracking: Monitoring and evaluation will focus on technical implementation and fulfillment of work package conditions, rather than financial reporting.

Evaluation Criteria

Standard Evaluation Criteria

Excellence: Quality of the proposed R&I actions, scientific approach, and innovation potential.
Impact: Potential to contribute to expected outcomes and wider societal/economic/environmental benefits.
Quality and efficiency of the implementation: Soundness of the project plan, management, resources, and consortium capabilities.

Specific Scoring Factors

Contribution to a sustainable, highly automated, flexible, and economically viable space infrastructure, including concepts for a circular economy in space (e.g., plug-and-play spacecraft functionality, recycling/re-use of modules).
Maturation of the ISOS Pilot mission preparation up to detailed mission and system design for the satAPPs component, including enabling technologies and innovative system and operational concepts.
Elaboration of clear interfaces between the satAPPs component and other mission components (servicing, HOST, logistics) and the ISOS Pilot Mission Coordination and Support Action (CSA).
Enhancement of opportunities for In-Orbit Demonstration/Validation (IOD/V) through satAPPs, by actively promoting experiment plug and play on HOST and prepared assets.
Contribution to the overarching ISOS Pilot Mission Objectives as detailed in the technical annex.
Elaboration of clear use cases and relevant business models focusing on governmental and/or commercial needs.
Contribution to a European catalogue of satAPPs, following an 'AppStore' approach to foster system modularisation and flexibility.
Ensuring the availability of project results for subsequent mission phases.
Promotion of cooperation between diverse actors (industry, SMEs, research institutions).
Concrete plan for ensuring required technologies reach the necessary TRL (Technology Readiness Level) by project completion.
Clear demonstration of complementarities with relevant previous and/or ongoing R&I from Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, EIC Accelerator, ESA, and national programmes.
Consideration of using existing European technologies and building blocks to enhance European non-dependence and strengthen competitiveness.
Strategic alignment: Contribution to the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP), specifically addressing space technologies under 'digital technologies' and 'deep tech innovation' to reduce strategic dependencies and strengthen EU value chains.
Cross-cutting themes: Integration of the gender dimension in research and innovation content, if relevant to the objectives.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

General conditions: Adherence to the admissibility conditions, eligible country rules, financial and operational capacity requirements, and evaluation and award processes described in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Satellite data usage: If projects utilize satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation, or related timing data/services, beneficiaries must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS.
Legal framework compliance: Compliance with EU Financial Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046, and relevant decisions for Horizon Europe and Euratom programs.

Ethical and Data Standards

Ethical standards: Compliance with ethical principles and research integrity standards, which will be subject to checks, reviews, or audits.
Data protection: Standard data protection and privacy regulations apply for portal use.

Intellectual Property and Technology

Intellectual Property (IP) policies: Standard Horizon Europe IP policies apply, with checks focusing on dissemination, exploitation of results, and IP management.
Technology specifications: Focus on TRL 6 for satAPPs technologies, emphasizing European non-dependence and competitiveness through the use of existing European technologies and building blocks.

Risk Management and Security

Risk management: Implied through the focus on project implementation and technical objectives; specific risk management expectations are not explicitly detailed but are part of good project management.

Unique Aspects and Considerations

Lump Sum Funding Model: The grant uses a lump sum contribution model, meaning payments are linked to the successful completion of predefined work packages, not to detailed cost reporting. This aims to simplify financial management and shift focus to technical performance.
Strategic alignment: This topic contributes to the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) by addressing critical space technologies (digital and deep tech innovation) to strengthen EU value chains and reduce strategic dependencies.
International cooperation: Encouraged.
Gender dimension: Integration of sex and gender analysis in research and innovation content should be addressed if relevant to the research objectives.
Post-award collaboration: A specific requirement for selected projects to collaborate with other related ISOS Pilot Mission projects to ensure interoperability and shared best practices.

Grant Details