Reinforcing EU autonomous access to space through EU-based spaceports

The Horizon Europe program call, HORIZON-CL4, aims to reinforce the EU's autonomous access to space through the development of EU-based spaceports. The focus is on reducing dependencies on non-EU entities and enhancing commercial space services in the EU. Eligible applicants are legal entities established in EU Member States, Norway, and Iceland, with an emphasis on EU launch service providers, who must be part of the project consortium. The funding type is a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, with a total budget of €22,590,000 allocated specifically for this topic, providing between €10,000,000 and €15,000,000 per project. The call is forthcoming, with planned opening on March 10, 2026, and a submission deadline of September 3, 2026, at 17:00 CEST. Projects should aim to establish or improve launch pads and ground facilities necessary for conducting launch services within EU territory. This includes infrastructure for launch integration, payload processing, and operational control. The call encourages collaboration and synergies with previous projects and aligns with national and ESA initiatives. The application process is a single-stage submission, with specific guidelines and requirements outlined in the Horizon Europe Work Programme. Success rates for funding typically vary, and co-funding is not explicitly required but may be beneficial. Participants must meet strict security conditions regarding ownership and control, particularly for entities associated with non-eligible countries. Overall, this initiative represents a significant effort to enhance the EU's strategic autonomy in space access, fostering innovation and commercial opportunities in the European space sector.

This is a description of the Horizon Europe program call SPACE HORIZON-CL4-2026-03, specifically focusing on the topic HORIZON-CL4: Reinforcing EU autonomous access to space through EU-based spaceports. This call aims to bolster the EU's strategic autonomy in space access, reduce dependencies on non-EU entities, diversify space access providers, and enhance commercial space services within the EU. The program falls under Horizon Europe and is classified as a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The call is forthcoming with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is March 10, 2026, and the deadline for submission is September 03, 2026, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The expected outcomes of projects funded under this topic include: Reinforcing EU strategic autonomy by reducing non-EU dependencies for accessing space. Providing an EU access to space necessary for EU space missions through state of the art and innovative solutions. Diversifying the access to space providers in the EU. Contributing to expand commercial access to space offers and services in the EU. Reinforcing Access to Space to ensure that Europe maintains and improve autonomous, reliable and cost-effective access to space. The scope of the projects should focus on: Improving the resilience of the EU's access to space for the implementation of the EU space program, with new entrants contributing to this endeavor. Supporting EU launch service providers in setting up launch pad(s) in the EU territory to enable EU launch services. Contributing to the development of necessary ground facilities to conduct launch services from the EU territory, such as launch integration, storage and operation facilities, launch pad and complex, control command facility, payload processing and integration facilities, tracking means, safety means, and propellant storage. Ensuring that EU launch service providers are part of the project consortium and are the ultimate users of the resulting facilities, utilizing EU launch vehicles for providing EU launch services. Exploring synergies and being complementary to past actions related to ground segment for launch services, specifically topics HORIZON-CL4-2023-SPACE-01-23 and HORIZON-CL4-2025-02-SPACE-11. Complementing national and ESA on-going or future activities, particularly those decided at the ESA council Ministerial Meeting in November 2025. Integrating the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content, if relevant to the objectives of the research effort. The general conditions for admissibility include: Proposal page limits and layout as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. Eligible countries as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Note that some non-EU/non-Associated Countries have specific provisions for funding participants in Horizon Europe projects, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation, and/or related timing data and services, they must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS. Participation is limited to legal entities established in Member States, Norway, and Iceland to safeguard the Union’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy, or security. Entities directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or entity may not participate unless they can demonstrate that their participation would not negatively impact the Union’s strategic interests, autonomy, or security, with guarantees assessed by their eligible country of establishment. Entities assessed as high-risk suppliers of mobile network communication equipment cannot submit guarantees. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum, as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021. Legal and financial set-up of the grants are described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme. Application and evaluation forms and the Model Grant Agreement (MGA) are available in the Submission System. Standard application forms (HE RIA, IA) and evaluation forms will be used with necessary adaptations. Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide and the Lump Sum MGA. Call-specific instructions, a detailed budget table (HE LS), and guidance on lump sums are also available. A compulsory questionnaire on the declaration of ownership and control must be filled by all project participants. Additional documents include: HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 7. Digital, Industry and Space HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes HE Programme Guide HE Framework Programme 2021/695 HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764 EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement The budget overview for the call indicates that for the topic HORIZON-CL4, the budget is €22,590,000, the opening date is March 10, 2026, the deadline is September 03, 2026, the contribution ranges from 10,000,000 to €15,000,000, and the indicative number of grants is 2. There are partner search announcements available for collaboration on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated in the topic header. This opportunity is about reinforcing the EU's strategic independence in space by funding projects that establish or improve EU-based spaceports. It seeks to reduce reliance on non-EU resources and promote innovation in launch services. The EU is looking for projects that will create new launch pads and upgrade ground facilities within the EU, ensuring that European launch providers are at the forefront of these developments. To be eligible, projects must involve EU launch service providers and align with broader EU space program goals, including the use of Copernicus and Galileo/EGNOS systems. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and applicants must adhere to strict guidelines regarding proposal structure, eligible countries, and security protocols, especially concerning ownership and control by non-EU entities.

Eligible Applicant Types:The eligible applicant types are legal entities established in Member States, Norway, and Iceland. EU launch service providers are expected to be part of the project consortium. 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.

Funding Type:The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant under the Horizon Europe Programme. There are also HORIZON Innovation Actions and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions.

Consortium Requirement:A consortium is required, and EU launch service provider(s) are expected to be part of the project consortium.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The geographic eligibility is primarily for legal entities established in EU Member States, Norway, and Iceland. 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 reinforcing EU autonomous access to space, launch services, and the development of ground facilities.

Mentioned Countries:EU Member States, Norway, Iceland.

Project Stage:The project stage appears to be focused on innovation actions (IA) and research and innovation actions (RIA), suggesting a focus on development, validation, and demonstration, potentially leading to commercialization.

Funding Amount:The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call:

HORIZON-CL4:€10,000,000 to €15,000,000 (total budget: €22,590,000)

HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-31:€3,000,000 to €6,000,000 (total budget: €12,000,000)

HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-32:€5,000,000 to €10,000,000 (total budget: €26,000,000)

HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-61:€1,500,000 to €2,500,000 (total budget: €3,920,000)

HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-81:€12,000,000 to €13,000,000 (total budget: €12,740,000)

HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-82:€6,000,000 to €7,000,000 (total budget: €6,860,000)

HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-85:€3,000,000 to €4,000,000 (total budget: €3,920,000)

HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-86:€2,000,000 to €3,000,000 (total budget: €2,940,000)

Application Type:The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

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

Application Stages:The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates:The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight into the potential competitiveness.

Co-funding Requirement:The need for co-funding is not explicitly stated, but given the nature of Horizon Europe and the use of lump sum grants, some level of resource commitment from the applicants is generally expected.

Summary:This Horizon Europe call, under the SPACE (HORIZON-CL4-2026-03) designation, aims to reinforce the EU's autonomous access to space by supporting projects that develop EU-based spaceports and related ground facilities. The call is structured around several specific topics, each with its own budget and expected outcomes, ranging from setting up launch pads to developing necessary infrastructure for launch services. Eligible applicants are legal entities established in EU Member States, Norway, and Iceland, with a requirement for EU launch service providers to be part of the project consortium. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the application process involves a single-stage submission. The call targets the space sector, focusing on enhancing EU strategic autonomy, diversifying access to space, and fostering commercial opportunities in the EU space industry. Projects should align with the Horizon Europe Programme's goals and complement ongoing activities by the ESA and national initiatives. The call aims to improve the resilience of the EU's space program by reducing dependencies on non-EU entities and promoting state-of-the-art, cost-effective solutions for accessing space.