ISOS Pilot Mission Detailed Design – satAPPs component

The EU grant opportunity titled "ISOS Pilot Mission Detailed Design – satAPPs component" falls under Horizon Europe's Cluster 4 specifically concerning Digital, Industry, and Space. This grant focuses on developing satellite applications (satAPPs) for space infrastructure related to in-space operations and services (ISOS). The application deadline is set for September 25, 2025.

Eligible applicants for this grant include research institutions, universities, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), large companies, and public-private partnerships specializing in space technologies. The funding type is primarily a lump sum grant, categorized under Research and Innovation Actions (RIA).

While it's not explicitly stated whether consortiums are mandatory, Horizon Europe generally encourages cooperative proposals between different entities given the scale and complexity of these projects. The geographical eligibility extends to EU member states, associated countries, and potentially international partners, aimed at enhancing strategic autonomy within the EU.

The project targets advancements in the space sector, especially focusing on satellite applications, digital technologies, and deep tech innovations. Funding for projects is expected to range significantly, with previous similar topics allowing contributions of up to €10 million, although specific amounts for this call might vary based on project scope.

The application process follows a single-stage procedure. Successful projects should encourage cooperation among various stakeholders and emphasize achieving necessary technological readiness levels (TRLs). Projects are expected to develop detailed designs and interfaces for satellite applications, facilitate in-orbit demonstrations, and explore innovative business models.

Overall, this funding opportunity aims to enhance the sustainability and automation of space infrastructure, reduce dependency on non-European technologies, and promote a circular economy in space. Selected projects will likely need to engage with related initiatives for greater interoperability and collaborative output.

The EU funding opportunity HORIZON-CL4-2025-02-SPACE-24, titled "ISOS Pilot Mission Detailed Design satAPPs component," is a call for proposals under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program, specifically within the SPACE-HADEA (HORIZON-CL4-2025-02) call. It aims to develop capabilities for in-space operations and services, focusing on the detailed design of the satAPPs component for the In-Space Operations and Services (ISOS) pilot mission, with a deadline of September 25, 2025.

The primary goal is to create composable and exchangeable functional modules for satellite upgrades and to develop a European catalogue of satAPPs, akin to an AppStore, to enhance system modularization and flexibility. This initiative aims to contribute to a sustainable, highly automated, flexible, and economically viable space infrastructure, fostering a circular economy in space.

Key expected outcomes include:

Detailed mission and system design for the satAPPs component of the ISOS Pilot mission.
Maturation of enabling technologies and innovative system and operational concepts.
Elaboration of interfaces between mission components, including servicing, HOST, and logistics.
Enhancement of in-orbit demonstration and validation (IOD/V) opportunities through satAPPs.
Contribution to ISOS Pilot Mission Objectives as outlined in the technical annex.
Development of clear use cases and relevant business models for governmental and commercial needs.
Creation of a European catalogue of satAPPs, promoting system modularisation and flexibility.
Ensuring the availability of results for subsequent mission phases.

The scope of the call involves Research and Innovation (R&I) actions, including:

Completing the detailed mission and system design for the satAPPs component, including key technology maturation to reach necessary Technology Readiness Levels (TRL).
Developing innovative satAPPs at TRL 6 for demonstrating component functionality upgrades, payload exchange, and IOD/V experiments.
Creating satAPP modules specifically for hosting IOD/V experiments.
Contributing to the overall ISOS pilot mission detail design in collaboration with other mission components and advisory groups.

Proposals should promote cooperation between industry, SMEs, and research institutions, emphasizing the commercial use of technological innovations through on-ground or in-orbit demonstrations. They should also present a concrete plan to achieve the necessary TRL for the technologies involved and describe complementarities with previous and ongoing R&I efforts. The call encourages international cooperation and the integration of the gender dimension in research and innovation content where relevant.

This topic contributes to the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP), focusing on digital technologies and deep tech innovation, aiming to strengthen the EU value chain and reduce strategic dependencies on external components and equipment for the EU Space Programme.

Selected projects are expected to collaborate with other related projects under HORIZON-CL4-2025-02-SPACE-21, 22, 23, and the ISOS Pilot Mission Coordination and Support Action to ensure interoperability, share best practices, and define common processes. This collaboration will be formalized through a collaboration agreement.

The application page limit is 60 pages, following the guidelines in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form.

Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Projects utilizing satellite-based data must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Eligible proposals exceeding evaluation thresholds will be awarded a STEP Seal. Evaluation criteria, scoring, and thresholds are detailed in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F, and the indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is also in Annex F.

Eligible costs will be reimbursed as a lump sum, as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021, with details available on the Funding and Tenders Portal. Legal and financial aspects are described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific conditions are outlined in the topic description and the Guidance Document for the EU ISOS Pilot Mission, which provides information on the mission's objectives, boundary conditions, and requirements.

Application forms, evaluation forms, and the Model Grant Agreement (MGA) are available in the Submission System, including the Standard Application Form (HE RIA, IA), Standard Evaluation Form (HE RIA, IA), Lump Sum MGA, Detailed Budget Table (HE LS), and related guidance documents.

Additional resources include the HE Main Work Programme 2025, HE Programme Guide, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, and various guidance documents and FAQs available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

The budget overview for 2025 includes various topics, with HORIZON-CL4-2025-02-SPACE-24 having a budget of EUR 5,000,000 and an indicative number of 2 grants, with contributions ranging from EUR 2,000,000 to EUR 3,000,000.

There are 19 partner search announcements available for collaboration on this topic.

In summary, this funding opportunity aims to advance the development of a European in-space service infrastructure by focusing on the design and implementation of satAPPs, which are modular software applications for satellites. The goal is to create a more flexible, sustainable, and economically viable space ecosystem, fostering innovation and reducing dependence on non-European technologies. The call encourages collaboration between various stakeholders and emphasizes the importance of achieving high technology readiness levels and contributing to the overall objectives of the ISOS pilot mission. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and successful projects will be expected to collaborate with other related initiatives to ensure interoperability and maximize impact.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call is open to different actors including industry, SMEs, and research institutions.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) with eligible costs taking the form of a lump sum.

Consortium Requirement: Proposals are expected to promote cooperation between different actors (industry, SMEs and research institutions), suggesting a consortium is preferred, although not explicitly stated as mandatory.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and EEA countries. The call also mentions that a number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Target Sector: The target sector is space, specifically focusing on in-space operations and services (ISOS), digital technologies, and deep tech innovation related to space technologies.

Mentioned Countries: EU Member States, EEA countries, and non-EU/non-Associated Countries.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is at least TRL 6 for innovative satAPPs. The call aims to complete ISOS Pilot mission detailed mission and system design, including relevant key technology maturation.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from EUR 500,000 to EUR 17,500,000.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage open call.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic is provided, allowing for an estimation of the potential success rate based on the number of expected applications.

Co-funding Requirement: The need for co-funding is not explicitly stated.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call, under the SPACE-HADEA (HORIZON-CL4-2025-02) program, aims to foster the development of capabilities to ‘Act in Space’ through a pilot mission demonstrating In-Space Operations and Services (ISOS) by 2030. The focus is on the detailed design of the satAPPs component of this ISOS pilot mission, which involves creating composable and exchangeable functional modules for satellite upgrades and developing a European catalogue of satAPPs, similar to an AppStore concept.

The call seeks Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA) that contribute to a sustainable, highly automated, and economically viable space infrastructure. Projects should address key areas such as plug-and-play spacecraft functionality, recycling/re-use of spacecraft modules, detailed mission and system design for the satAPPs component, maturation of enabling technologies, and the elaboration of interfaces between different mission components.

Eligible applicants include industry, SMEs, and research institutions, with a preference for collaborative projects. Funding is provided as a lump sum, and international cooperation is encouraged. The call contributes to the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) and aims to reduce strategic dependencies from outside of the EU for components and equipment for the EU Space Programme. The application deadline is September 25, 2025.