SESAR Engage 2 KTN – second Call for Catalyst funding in the domain of air traffic management (ATM)

The SESAR Engage 2 Knowledge Transfer Network is launching its second Call for Catalyst funding aimed at advancing innovation in air traffic management (ATM). The call opens on December 1, 2025, with a submission deadline of February 2, 2026, at 17:00 Brussels time. A total funding pool of €540,000 is available, providing up to €60,000 per project for focused initiatives that mature exploratory research into practical applications.

Eligible applicants include single entities or consortia consisting of 2 to 4 entities from countries eligible for Horizon Europe funding. However, members of the Engage 2 consortium, certain Hungarian entities operated by public interest trusts, and UK entities are excluded from applying. The initiative emphasizes collaborations that can integrate research institutions, universities, and industry partners.

The call targets specific thematic challenges: climate impact analysis and mitigation for ATM-related non-CO₂ emissions, developing passenger-centric digital airport solutions, modernizing disruptive ATM systems, and integrating new entrants into aviation, such as urban air mobility and drone services. Proposals can also be submitted as "open" submissions that address other relevant ATM-related innovations.

The project duration is limited to 12 months, forming part of a competitive evaluation process that assesses proposals based on four main criteria: relevance and impact for ATM, clarity of contribution to the state of the art, research plan quality, and engagement with industry members. The success rate is estimated between 10-39%, with up to 9 projects expected to receive funding, dependent on the quality of submissions.

Proposals must be submitted electronically via email and must include a project description, an administrative form, and potentially an annex of references. An intermediate progress report and a final report are required for reassessing funding at the six-month and twelve-month marks, respectively.

This funding opportunity aims to foster open research practices and requires that beneficiaries participate in workshops, conferences, and public dissemination of results, encouraging collaboration within the area of air traffic management and U-Space technologies. Entities may seek additional co-funding but are capped at a maximum of €60,000 total funding from Engage 2 across all calls.

In summary, this second Call for Catalyst funding under the SESAR Engage 2 framework represents an important opportunity for innovation in ATM, facilitating research projects that aim to progress ideas from theoretical concepts to applicable industry solutions. The submission deadline is February 2, 2026, and selected projects should demonstrate a commitment to transparency and open-access research dissemination.

The SESAR Engage 2 KTN is offering a second Call for Catalyst funding in the domain of air traffic management (ATM). The opening date for this call is December 1, 2025, and the deadline for submission is February 2, 2026, at 17:00 Brussels time. The total funding available is 540,000 EUR. The grant agreement number is 101114648, and the topic is HORIZON-SESAR-2022-DES-ER-01-WA3-1 - Knowledge Transfer Network.

The catalyst funding aims to support focused projects that mature exploratory research towards applications and operational contexts with a clear European dimension. Projects can address specific thematic challenges or be ‘open’ proposals that move solutions closer to industry goals and higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs). Priority will be given to proposals aligned with specific thematic challenges. Proposals must clearly state which challenge they align with.

Thematic challenges include:
1. Climate impact analysis and mitigation for ATM-related non-CO2 emissions.
2. Passenger-centric digital airport.
3. Disruptive ATM system modernization.
4. Integration of new entrants.

The first call awarded funding to projects aligned with these challenges, and thematic challenges 1 and 2 will receive some priority in the second wave. Examples of projects funded in the first wave are:
For Thematic challenge 2: ‘Enlighten the dark aircraft cabin (Passenger-centric operations - Enlighten the dark aircraft cabin)’.
For Thematic challenge 3: ‘GenAI models for ATM’, ‘ChatMET (Natural language solution for historical meteorological information)’, and ‘HYPERSTREAM’.
For Thematic challenge 4: ‘Vertiports (Decision support tool for vertiport site selection)’, ‘QWIRTTA (Quantifying Weather Influence on RTTA)’, and ‘MEDUSA (Modelling the Economics of Delivery UAS in airspace Surrounding Airports)’.

Associated workshops will be advertised on the Engage 2 wiki page and through SESAR e-newsletters.

Proposals can be submitted by a single entity or a consortium of two to four entities. Each entity must be located in a country eligible for Horizon Europe funding. There is no requirement for consortia to include entities from a minimum number of countries. For consortia, one entity acts as the project coordinator, responsible for submitting the proposal and acting as the point of contact with Engage 2. The project coordinator must be clearly identified in the proposal. Funding is allocated to the project coordinator, who is responsible for paying the other entities in the consortium. The same eligibility conditions apply as for the original Call for Proposals leading to the award of Engage 2. Funding is made available as ‘financial support to third parties’ and complies with Engage 2’s Grant Agreement. Proposals not funded in the first wave can be revised and resubmitted. The project duration is limited to 12 months.

The maximum award per funded catalyst project is EUR 60,000, and additional co-funding is permitted. Eligible costs include:
1. Effort of all parties according to Horizon Europe rules, with personnel costs expected to be the principal share of the budget.
2. Travel costs directly attributable to the project, such as meetings with industry and stakeholders, participation in Engage 2 thematic challenge workshops, or sessions at SESAR Innovation Days conferences.
3. Data and other supporting material costs, including computing infrastructure (e.g., cloud resources). All taxes eligible under Horizon Europe rules are covered.

The maximum amount any third party can receive from Engage 2 is EUR 60,000 over the duration of the network, inclusive of funding from both waves of the Call and any prior Engage 2 funding. Entities that have already received EUR 60,000 are ineligible for additional funding.

Proposals must be submitted in English as a PDF file and include:
1. Project description.
2. Project administrative form (MS Word template available on the Engage 2 wiki).

The project description should include:
(1) Summary (1 page): Concise overview of the project and its background, inputs, and planned outputs. The summary will be anonymized and published on the Engage 2 wiki and the S3JU website, subject to applicants’ permission.
(2) Project goals and objectives, supporting a specific thematic challenge or stated as ‘open’.
(3) Research plan, including:
Description of the research approach, with reference to specific criteria.
Brief description of each entity with relevance to the topic and ability to execute it.
Description of the data sources and their use, if applicable.
Project schedule and milestones over the 12 months, aligned with project reporting requirements.
(4) Financial plan (concise summary):
Evidence of eligible costs per entity, including an estimate of effort.
Evidence of co-funding, if applicable.
(5) Project administrative form (complete the supplied template).

An optional annex of references may be included. The proposal (parts 2-4) should be 5-8 pages long, using a font no smaller than 11-point. Proposals supporting a thematic challenge should clearly state which challenge they align with. Projects should start promptly, no later than June 8, 2026.

Submissions should be e-mailed to Engage2-coordinator@dblue.it with the subject line “Catalyst Call”. All proposals received before the deadline will be acknowledged. The last date for questions is January 19, 2026.

Proposals will be evaluated by the Engage 2 Awards Board based on four criteria:
Criterion 1: Impact on, and relevance for ATM, including U-Space/UAS (Threshold 7/10, Weight 30%).
Criterion 2: Clarity of how the research will contribute to advancing the state of the art/mature the TRL/improve the potential application of the concept (Threshold 7/10, Weight 25%).
Criterion 3: Quality of the research plan, including the identification of measures of success and overcoming future barriers (Threshold 7/10, Weight 25%).
Criterion 4: Integration and consultation with industry members (Threshold 7/10, Weight 20%).

Proposals must receive a score above the threshold for each criterion to be eligible. Eligible proposals will be ranked by their final score. Funding will be awarded to:
Two proposals aligned with thematic challenge 1 and two proposals aligned with thematic challenge 2.
One proposal aligned with thematic challenge 3 and one proposal aligned with thematic challenge 4.
The remaining proposals, including ‘open’ proposals, will be awarded funding by rank order alone.

Up to nine projects will be awarded, although Engage 2 may award fewer or more depending on the quality and complementarity of the proposals. Applicants will be notified about the evaluation outcome approximately two months after the submission deadline.

The project coordinator must submit three reports: an Intermediate Progress Report (after six months), a Final Progress Report, and a Final Technical Report. Payment will be released after Engage 2 approves the Intermediate Progress Report and the Final Progress Report/Final Technical Report.

Catalyst fund projects will be encouraged to disseminate their findings, ensuring open access publication standards are followed. Projects supporting a thematic challenge should participate in a corresponding Engage thematic challenge workshop and present their work in at least one. A poster and/or paper are expected to be submitted to the 16th SESAR Innovation Days conference.

An agreement will be signed between Deep Blue (as Engage 2 Coordinator) and the project coordinator. Two payments will be made by Deep Blue to the project coordinator after approval of the Intermediate Progress Report and the Final Progress Report/Final Technical Report.

Eligible countries for funding are those eligible for Horizon Europe funding. Hungarian entities operated by public interest trusts are precluded from receiving EU funding, while other Hungarian entities are eligible. UK entities are ineligible for funding through ‘financial support to third parties’ from Engage 2. Engage 2 consortium members are ineligible to apply for catalyst funding.

Third-party entities can submit more than one proposal, but the aggregate total funding per entity cannot exceed EUR 60,000. All funding received from the Engage 2 KTN (including PhD funding) counts towards this total.

In summary, this call for proposals seeks to fund catalyst projects that advance exploratory research in air traffic management with a European dimension. The projects can address specific thematic challenges related to climate impact, passenger-centric airports, ATM modernization, and integration of new entrants, or they can be open proposals. The funding aims to mature research towards practical applications and higher TRLs. Eligible entities can apply individually or as part of a consortium, with a maximum funding of EUR 60,000 per project. The selection process involves evaluating proposals based on their impact, contribution to the state of the art, quality of the research plan, and integration with industry members. The projects are expected to report their progress and results through intermediate and final reports, and to disseminate their findings through open research practices.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types include single entities or consortia of between two and four entities. Each entity must be located in a country eligible to receive funding through Horizon Europe grants. Engage 2 consortium members are ineligible to apply. Hungarian entities operated by public interest trusts are also ineligible. UK entities are ineligible to receive funding through ‘financial support to third parties’ from Engage 2.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically provided as ‘financial support to third parties’ in compliance with Engage 2’s Grant Agreement and Horizon Europe rules.

Consortium Requirement: Both single applicants and consortia are eligible. Consortia can be composed of between two and four entities.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility extends to countries eligible to receive funding through Horizon Europe grants. The annex refers to ‘Entities eligible for funding’ on page 9 of Horizon Europe’s General Annexes for clarification. However, UK entities are ineligible to receive funding through ‘financial support to third parties’ from Engage 2, and certain Hungarian entities are also excluded.

Target Sector: The target sector is air traffic management (ATM), including U-Space/UAS. The call focuses on maturing exploratory research towards applications and operational contexts with a clear European dimension within the ATM domain. Thematic challenges include climate impact analysis and mitigation for ATM-related non-CO2 emissions, passenger-centric digital airport, disruptive ATM system modernization, and integration of new entrants.

Mentioned Countries: Hungary, United Kingdom

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on maturing exploratory research further towards applications and operational contexts, suggesting a stage between research, development, and validation, moving solutions closer towards industry goals and objectives, and towards higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).

Funding Amount: The maximum award from Engage 2 per funded catalyst project is EUR 60,000. Additional co-funding from another source is permitted. The total funding available is 540,000 EUR.

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

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money, with a maximum award of EUR 60,000 per project.

Application Stages: The application process appears to be a single-stage process, where proposals are submitted and then evaluated based on the specified criteria.

Success Rates: The success rate is not explicitly stated, but the document mentions that up to nine projects will be awarded through this Call, assuming each requests a budget of EUR 60,000. However, Engage 2 may award fewer or more depending on the quality and complementarity of the proposals, and of the total funding requested.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is permitted but not required. Evidence of co-funding may be used as evidence to support criterion C(iv) in Table 1 but will not be given explicit weighting in its own right. Co-funding is separate and does not contribute towards the EUR 60 000 maximum award per proposal.

Summary:

This is the second call for catalyst funding under the SESAR Engage 2 Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN), aimed at supporting focused projects that mature exploratory research in air traffic management (ATM) towards practical applications. The call is open to single entities or consortia of two to four entities from countries eligible for Horizon Europe funding, excluding Engage 2 consortium members, certain Hungarian entities, and UK entities. The funding is provided as a grant, with a maximum of EUR 60,000 per project, and additional co-funding is allowed.

The call encourages proposals that address specific thematic challenges: climate impact analysis and mitigation for ATM-related non-CO2 emissions, passenger-centric digital airport, disruptive ATM system modernization, and integration of new entrants. "Open" proposals that move solutions closer to industry goals and higher TRLs are also welcome. Projects should be completed within 12 months and must demonstrate an original contribution to the state of the art.

The selection process involves evaluation based on four criteria: impact and relevance for ATM, clarity of research contribution, quality of the research plan, and integration/consultation with industry members. The process includes submitting a project description, an administrative form, and potentially an annex of references. The submission deadline is February 2, 2026. Successful projects will be required to submit an Intermediate Progress Report, a Final Progress Report, and a Final Technical Report. The funding aims to foster open research practices, encouraging transparency, accessibility, and collaboration throughout the research lifecycle.