Guidance

Annex G: Competition fund Q&A

Published 15 August 2024

General questions

What is the UK Space Agency Spaceflight Competition Fund for organisations developing or continuing Rocketry Competitions?

The Rocketry Competition Fund is a new fund established by the UK Space Agency’s Launch team to support the development of new or existing rocketry competitions. The programme will provide grant funding to UK organisations, including industry, academia, and institutional bodies, to support the development of new, or existing competitions focused on developing rocketry skills for pupils and/or students.  

What is the total amount of funding available for the Rocketry Competition Fund?

The total amount of funding available for the Competition Fund is £760,000, but the maximum amount of funding per application is £250,000.

When does the competition need to be delivered and when does the total amount of funding available for the Rocketry Competition Fund need to be spent?

The Rocketry Competition Fund must be delivered and funding spent by 31 March 2025.

Who is eligible for funding?

The grant call is open to all UK organisations that meet the eligibility criteria set out in Annex D.

Can I resubmit a proposal that was rejected in a previous UK Space Agency funding call?

Yes, proposals which have been unsuccessful in previous funding calls may be submitted. These will be subject to an independent evaluation process and the specific evaluation criteria for this competition which are set out in Annex D. We recommend that any previous feedback is taken into consideration.

Can a non-UK based organisations receive Competition Fund funding?

No, projects must be led by UK-registered organisations and all of the project work must be carried out in the UK in order to harness the benefits of the project across the UK space sector. However, applications which have international partners and/or contractors will be accepted. Any organisation that does not satisfy this criteria will not be eligible to apply or receive funding as part of this initiative, as the primary focus of the UK Space Agency is to catalyse growth across the UK space sector and bridge the skills gaps within the UK space sector.

How are proposals assessed?

A summary of the assessment process is below:

• all proposals must be received by the closing date of Wednesday 11 September. Proposals received after this date will not be considered
• eligible proposals will be assessed by an independent panel and scored against the specific entry criteria. Any proposals which do not meet the entry criteria will not be taken forward
• proposals will be reviewed, and successful applications will proceed to the next stage during which they will be ranked
• virtual interviews will be held with applicants that pass the evaluation phase to seek further information regarding proposals
• successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified

Do you have any examples of applications which have been successful in previous Competition Fund funding rounds?

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer examples of successful proposal applications, but relevant information can be found in the announcement of opportunity guidance.

I was not able to apply for this year’s funding round. Does the UK Space Agency offer any other funding opportunities which I can apply for?

Yes, all UK Space Agency funding opportunities are advertised on our website

Can we extend the timeline beyond financial year 2024 to 2025?

Currently we are unable to extend the timelines beyond the end of March 2025. Further funding may be able to be used depending on confirmation of the next Spending Review.

Can the spending happen by end of March 2025, but allow the project to continue?

The UK Space Agency cannot pay for any expenditure before it occurs. However, exceptions may be made if the applicant can provide robust evidence to support the project costs being claimed. If it is possible to provide evidence supporting the project costs being claimed, then the UK Space Agency could allow the project to run on beyond March 2025.

Can one organisation submit multiple applications?

The primary applicant can only submit one application. However other participants engaged in the project may submit separate proposals for different initiatives (ie, not funding the same outcomes across two proposals).

If the main applicant wanted to get an additional organisation on board (for example, a test stand provider) does the said additional organisation need to be a project partner or can it be part of the proposal as a subcontractor?

The additional organisation can be part of the proposal as a subcontractor.

What will the grant call cover?

Potential delivery partners will be able to apply for a grant call that will support UK pupils and/or students to apply for funding to participate in either UK domestic or international rocketry competitions, both individually and as teams. The funding provided will primarily cover costs for competition fees and travel and subsistence, but the UK Space Agency may also consider equipment costs.

Can an organisation bid for funding for specific parts of the competition (for example, the equipment needed or specialist training)?

No, the applications submitted must be part of a complete rocketry competition and must be endorsed by the competition organisers as a minimum requirement. Collaborations between different organisations and different sectors are strongly encouraged.

Is the UK Space Agency able to circulate contact details of the webinar participants in order to enable collaboration?

The UK Space Agency cannot share contact details unless it has written approval from the participant, but we happy to circulate the contacts shared in the webinar chat. The Launch team can circulate the contact details of any interested party to the webinar participation list if they express interest in having their contact details shared.

Will proposals be scored based on the student participation number?

No, the number of students reached by the competition is not part of the selection criteria for the proposals and proposals will be evaluated according to the criteria set out in Annex D. It is recommended applications also consider the education aims set out in the National Space Strategy, the UK Space Agency Corporate Plan and the UK Space Agency priorities.

Could the grant calls timelines be aligned with the academic year timelines (for example, the grant call to be published before September for future grant calls)?

The UK Space Agency recognises the importance of this request. However, due to government spending review cycles we are unable to align grant call timelines to the academic year on this occasion.