Notice

ITT guidance

Updated 13 November 2024

1. ARTES in the UK  

The UK subscribed £190 million to the ARTES (Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems) programme in 2022 to support the UK satellite telecommunications industry. The programme can cover development of components, systems or services, and any aspect of the space, ground or network segments.  

Please note that this guidance refers to the technology development elements of the programme and not business applications. To find out about applying for funding support for business applications, please refer to the appropriate guidance. 

2. What is National Delegate support 

Applicants must demonstrate national support prior to applying to ESA (European Space Agency). This is called ‘National Delegate support’, as the UK delegates its national support to a named member of staff within the UK Space Agency. This guidance is designed to set out the process for applying for National Delegate support for ESA Workplan Activities, otherwise referred to as “Invitations to Tender”. 

3. When to apply 

Applicants should register their interest for ITTs at least six weeks before ITT deadlines.  

4. How to apply 

There are four steps to applying for National Delegate support:

1. check UK Space Agency support for specific ITT
2. complete the online form to register interest in ITT activities
3. complete and submit full proposal to the UK Space Agency
4. receive authorisation of funding letter from the UK Space Agency and submit the full proposal to ESA

4.1 Step 1: Check UK Space Agency support for the specific ITT 

Before formally submitting a bid to ESA, you need to check whether it is an activity the UK Space Agency are willing to support. Please refer to the UK Space Agency-supported ITT activities attachment.  

To enquire about a specific ITT not included on the list, please get in contact by email: telecoms@ukspaceagency.gov.uk.

4.2 Step 2: Complete the online form to register interest in ITT activities 

Once you have confirmed the ITT is supported by the UK Space Agency, to apply for National Delegate support, you must complete the online UK Registration form for ARTES Invitations to Tender. 

This can be completed at any time throughout the year. However, in order to ensure you have time to submit a proposal to ESA, we advise completing this form well in advance of the ITT deadline. 

If your online application is accepted, you may then proceed to submit a completed full proposal to the UK Space Agency. If you are not successful, you will receive feedback on the reasons why. 

Please note, you must register your interest via the online form. We will not consider applications that are sent directly to the UK Space Agency. 

4.3 Step 3: Complete and submit full proposal to UK Space Agency

If you are invited to apply for National Delegate support, you must submit the ESA full proposal by email to telecoms@ukspaceagency.gov.uk by the date outlined in your UK Space Agency EOI response. Full proposals not sent to this address will not be considered.  

4.4 Step 4: Receive authorisation of funding letter from the UK Space Agency and submit full proposal to ESA 

Once any outstanding questions relating to your full proposal have been addressed, we will confirm our support and provide an ‘authorisation of funding letter’ from the UK National Delegate. At this stage you can begin the process of submitting directly to ESA, who will begin its formal consideration. 

Please note, if you do not provide the required information by the date agreed, you may not receive your letter in time. 

If successful through the ESA competition, we expect you to stay in touch throughout the life of the programme, from contracting to completion. We expect to publicise most funding awards in coordination with winning companies and to be kept informed of any changes or developments for the duration of the project. This ensures we can support you if any adjustments are needed. 

5. Eligibility and assessment criteria 

5.1 Eligibility

Please check the ESA guidance on eligibility criteria under the ARTES Programme. In addition to this, the UK Space Agency will apply the following eligibility criteria: 

UK-based organisations 

To be considered for UK National Delegate support, organisations must be UK-based and, for commercial companies, must have a UK registration at Companies House. If you are considering moving to the UK, or you do not have a UK registration, you can seek further guidance from the team by email at telecoms@ukspaceagency.gov.uk.  

Essential non-UK spend requests 

Products and services from non-UK suppliers that are considered essential to deliver successful projects, may be included in proposals. However, all proposals must demonstrate their value to the UK and non-UK spend requests are unlikely to score highly against other, UK-based activities. Any non-UK spend requests should be clearly stated in your initial application. Late requests will not be considered if they have not been declared and approved at the applications stage. 

Match-funding 

In line with ESA rules governing invitations to tender, companies can seek funding of up to 100% for individual project activities. Moreover, SMEs, universities, and research institutions can prime proposals and are eligible to apply for complete funding coverage of up to 100%. 

Regulation, licensing and spectrum use and filing 

The UK Space Agency will not fund licensing or regulatory compliance activities, either in the UK or overseas.  

We expect to see a viable approach to spectrum use in projects and we will not fund activities that are not supported by current UK government policy. Where activities involve the novel use of spectrum, we will expect to see evidence of engagement with relevant regulators which demonstrates programmes are viable and are not dependent on a single high-risk or novel use of spectrum. 

Travel and Subsistence 

UK will only support reasonable travel and subsistence costs. No claims for alcohol or entertainment will be accepted. 

All projected expenditure must be recorded in the relevant ESA proposal. The UK Space Agency reserves the right not to support projects where costs appear excessive, and any challenges may delay your application to ESA. 

If you are in any doubt about what is reasonable you should contact the team. 

6. Complaints 

If you are unhappy with either the outcome of your application or how the process was managed, or for any other reason, you can make a complaint by contacting the team at telecoms@ukspaceagency.gov.uk. Please set out the nature of your complaint in detail. The team will try to resolve a complaint in the first instance but, if a resolution is not possible, we will refer it to the UK Space Agency central complaints process, where it will be independently assessed. 

7. Further information 

If you would like any further information, or have any questions or feedback about this guidance, please contact the team by email at telecoms@ukspaceagency.gov.uk.