Grants8 | The most comprehensive grants search on the web

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant, 'On-orbit operations and services', under the European Defence Fund (EDF), aims to develop a 'dual-use by-design' demonstrator for space systems and technologies. The core objective is to advance capabilities for on-orbit operations and services for defence applications, leveraging synergies with civilian EU-funded research and innovation. - Target Recipient Type: Organizations and businesses active in space technology, research and development, and defence sectors. While not explicitly defined by size, the scope implies entities with significant R&D capacity. - SECTOR-SPECIFIC: Focuses on Space and Defence industries. - Geographic Scope: Open to entities from EU Member States and EDF Associated Countries. - Key Filtering Criteria: Proposals must address on-orbit operations and services, demonstrate dual-use potential (civilian and defence), and be at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6, ready for In-Orbit Demonstration/Validation (IOD/IOV). - Grant Frequency: Part of the recurring European Defence Fund (EDF) Annual Work Programme, specific to the EDF-2025 call.

Financial Structure

Total Budget: 49,000,000.0 EUR for this specific topic (EDF-2025-DA-SI-SPACE-3OS).
Minimum Grant Amount: Not specified in the provided information.
Maximum Grant Amount: Not specified in the provided information.
Currency: EUR.
Funding Rate: Not specified in the provided information. However, the mention of a 'Cofinancing declaration' among the required documents implies that co-financing or matching funds will be required.
Eligible Costs:
Activities defined in Article 10(3) of the EDF Regulation are eligible.
Mandatory eligible activities include:
- (c) Studies: Such as feasibility studies to explore new or upgraded products, technologies, processes, services, and solutions.
- (d) Design: Of a defence product, component, or technology, including technical specifications and partial tests.
Optional eligible activities include:
- (b) Activities that aim to increase interoperability and resilience, master critical defence technologies, strengthen security of supply, or enable effective exploitation of results for defence products and technologies.
- (e) System prototyping.
- (f) Testing.
- (g) Qualification.
- (h) Certification.
- (i) Development of technologies or assets increasing efficiency across the life cycle of defence products and technologies.
Ineligible Costs: Activities that aim to create, underpin, and improve knowledge, products, and technologies, including disruptive technologies (generating knowledge) are explicitly not eligible.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type and Structure

Eligible organizations are implied to be entities with R&D and technological development capabilities in the space and defence sectors. Specific types (e.g., SME, large enterprise) are not explicitly defined in the provided information.

Geographic Requirements

Organizations must be from EU Member States or EDF Associated Countries. The specific list of EDF Associated Countries is not provided, but EU Member States include:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.

Technical Qualifications and Project Stage

Projects must demonstrate a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6, meaning the technology is ready for In-Orbit Demonstration/Validation (IOD/IOV).
Proposals must cover specific mandatory activities:
Studies: Including CONOPS (Concept of Operations) and detailed technical feasibility analysis for on-orbit operations and services for defence, adopting a 'dual-use by-design' approach. Analysis of synergies with civil sector activities and identification of defence-specific technology gaps.
Design: Including system and subsystem mission design (for LEO, MEO, GEO orbits), payloads/sensors/interfaces design, ground systems design for Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing and autonomous/teleoperated operations, and definition of technology roadmaps.
Proposals may cover optional activities:
Activities that aim to increase interoperability and resilience, master critical defence technologies, strengthen security of supply, or enable effective exploitation of results (integrating knowledge).
System prototyping.
Testing.
Qualification.
Certification.
Development of technologies or assets increasing efficiency across the life cycle of defence products and technologies.
Projects involving 'generating knowledge' activities are not eligible.

Exclusion Criteria

Activities solely focused on 'generating knowledge' (as defined in Article 10(3)(a) of the EDF Regulation) are explicitly ineligible.

Application Process

Application Timeline

Planned Opening Date: 2025-02-18
Submission Deadline: 2025-10-16 00:00:00+0000 (latest deadline available).

Application Procedure

Submission is via a single-stage process through the Electronic Submission Service on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Required Documentation and Materials

Standard application form (EDF): Specific to this call, available in the Submission System.
Detailed budget table (EDF DA).
Participant information (EDF).
List of infrastructure, facilities, assets and resources (EDF).
Cofinancing declaration (EDF DA, DA LS AND ASAP).
Actual indirect cost methodology declaration (EDF).
Harmonised capability declaration (EDF DA AND DA LS).
Declaration on procurement intent and common specifications (EDF DA AND DA LS).
Ownership control declaration.
PRS declaration (EDF).
Model Grant Agreements (MGA): EDF, ASAP, and EDIRPA MGA are referenced.

Application Support

Contact: [email protected] for call-related questions.
General Support:
EDF Info-days 2025
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ (specific to proposal submission)
IT Helpdesk (for technical issues like passwords, access rights, submission technicalities)
Online Manual (step-by-step guide for portal processes).

Project Implementation Timeline and Reporting

Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in section 4 of the call document, which is not provided.
Reporting obligations will be defined in the grant agreement, which is based on the EDF, ASAP, and EDIRPA Model Grant Agreements.

Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation criteria are described in section 9 of the call document, which is not provided. However, the grant's objective, expected impact, and scope provide strong indicators of what will be assessed. Expected Impact and Strategic Alignment

Contribution to future European on-orbit operations and services for security and defence satellites.
Enhancement of the ability of armed forces of EU Member States and EDF Associated Countries to conduct operations and act in space, enabling responsive space capabilities.
Optimization of investment by leveraging synergies with past, ongoing, and future EU civilian R&I in in-space operations and services.

Project Quality and Technical Excellence

Dual-use by Design: Strong emphasis on designing solutions that serve both civilian and defence applications.
Technological Advancement: Development of a demonstrator at TRL 6, ready for In-Orbit Demonstration/Validation (IOD/IOV), including advanced robotic systems, multi-spectral systems, and cyber-resilient components.
Functional Requirements: Adherence to specified functional requirements for the developed capability, such as:
Ability to perform multiple in-orbit operations (e.g., RPOs, assembly, repairing, integration, refuelling).
Robotic system capabilities (e.g., handling objects up to 1500 kg, 7 degrees of freedom, tool exchanger, precise contact control, impedance control, robotic refuelling interface).
System resilience and security (cyber-resilient, key management, security accreditation, communication security, RF threat detection).
Rendez-vous system flexibility and adaptability.
Integration of high-resolution sensors (lidar, optical/infrared cameras) for far-range inspection.
Optimized on-board processing computation power and rapid response.
Autonomous operation during proximity operations.
Feasibility and Implementation Plan: Detailed technical feasibility analysis, clear technology roadmaps, and plans for TRL maturation.

Synergy and Collaboration

Demonstrated ability to build upon or integrate results from relevant civilian EU-funded actions.
Exploration and substantiation of potential synergies with ongoing call topics under Horizon Europe Cluster 4 (HORIZON-CL4-SPACE-2025-01-21 to 25) and other EU-funded dual-use space technologies.

Innovation and AI Integration

Assessment and validation of AI algorithms for autonomous missions, responsiveness, and imagery processing for alerts.
Consideration of improved accuracy navigation filters and advanced detection systems for tracking approaching space objects.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance Requirements

Compliance with EDF Regulation 2021/697 and EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.
Adherence to space security requirements, regulations, and certifications.

Data Protection and Security

The system developed must include key management and security accreditation to protect mission-sensitive data and processes from unauthorized access.
Communication and transmission security measures are required to protect critical space-to-space and space-to-ground data exchanges against spoofing, corruption, and eavesdropping.
Technologies and techniques to detect, resolve, and respond to RF threats (ground and co-orbital sourced), including advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) for threat intelligence.

Ethical Standards

While not explicitly detailed, adherence to general EU ethical standards is expected.

Intellectual Property Policies

Not specified in the provided text, but typically covered in the Model Grant Agreement for EU-funded projects.

Risk Management Expectations

Projects should include partial tests for risk reduction in an industrial or representative environment.
The system design must ensure complete reliability of orbital operations during task execution.
Ability to perform escape or evasion manoeuvres in response to mission contingencies.

Unique Aspects and Strategic Opportunities

'Dual-use by-design': The core requirement is that the demonstrator serves both defence and potential civilian applications.
Spin-in from Civilian Research: Proposals must build upon or integrate results from relevant civilian EU-funded actions, fostering synergies between civil and defence space domains.
Military C2 Integration: The demonstrator should be designed to be potentially operated by defence users through their military C2 (Command and Control) ground segments.
Focus on Uncooperative Objects: Projects should address the complexity of operating on unprepared and non-cooperative Resident Space Objects (RSOs) and military satellites.
High TRL Requirement: The TRL 6 (ready for IOD/IOV) signifies a focus on mature technologies close to operational deployment.
Synergy with Horizon Europe: Explicit encouragement to explore synergies with In-Space Operations and Services (ISOS) topics within Horizon Europe Cluster 4.

Industry-Specific and Legal Framework Compliance

The project must consider military space logistics and responsive space capabilities.
Functional requirements mandate capabilities relevant to defence/military applications for operations like life-extension and relocation.
The system should comply with relevant space security requirements and certifications, indicating a need for deep understanding of the regulatory landscape in space and defence.

Grant Details