Unlocking Space for Business
Unlocking Space for Business is a UK Space Agency programme supporting companies to deliver operational, customer and environmental benefits through the use of innovative satellite data and services.
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The UK Space Agency Unlocking Space for Business programme logo.
Programme Overview
Unlocking Space for Business plays a key role in enabling the government’s ambition to accelerate innovation and investment through world-class science, research and development. Unlocking Space for Business is delivering a range of government initiatives to support the realisation of business, operational and environmental benefits from innovative uses of satellite data and services for end-user businesses in the financial services and transport and logistics sectors.
Since launching in October 2023, the programme has engaged over 300 organisations through initiatives, including in-person networking events, customised exploration workshops and learning and development webinars.
Sign up to the Unlocking Space for Business Newsletter to stay up to date on upcoming initiatives.
Information hub
Learn more about how businesses in the financial services and transport and logistics sectors can unlock value from satellites, with examples of activity from across the world.
Find out more about the key learnings from the Unlocking Space for Business programme including demonstration of the value of satellite data propositions, case studies and programme insights.
Exploration workshops
The programme has now held over 40 exploration workshops with end-user organisations interested in exploring potential opportunities to leverage satellite data and services.
These customised workshops provided organisations with dedicated support to help explore value propositions, prioritise areas most relevant to their current business needs, understand the supplier ecosystem and develop a forward-looking delivery plan.
These exploration workshops have now concluded.
Learning and development
The programme held a series of bite-size learning and development webinars for current or potential users of satellite data and services within the financial services and transport and logistics sectors.
These interactive sessions explored topics relating to the procurement and integration of different types of satellite data and services and discussed specific use cases for financial services and transport and logistics sectors.
Short summary videos are available to watch below:
Watch the sessions for the financial services sector.
Watch the sessions for the transport and logistics sector.
Funded projects
The Unlocking Space for Business programme has provided funding for 12 feasibility study projects through Contracts for Innovation (previously Small Business Research Initiatives).
Contracts were up to £200,000 each and aimed to develop innovative and commercially viable feasibility studies that combine ground-based and satellite services for the transport, logistics and finance sectors. Each project ran for 6 months and completed July 2024.
Unlocking Space for Business has also provided grant funding for pilot projects, which will trial new solutions that use satellite data and services to support transport, logistics and financial services.
Unlocking Space for Business Environmental Intelligence and Emissions Grant Call
The UK Space Agency’s Unlocking Space for Business programme has launched a £2 million challenge-led grant competition to accelerate the adoption of space-enabled data, services and technologies by UK businesses.
The competition is seeking end-user-led consortia to develop and demonstrate innovative space-enabled solutions that address real-world business needs across two challenge areas:
- Environmental Intelligence for Climate, Nature and Natural Capital: improving environmental monitoring, analysis and decision-making through space-enabled capabilities.
- Environmental Emissions Monitoring and Verification: enhancing the identification, monitoring, reporting and verification of emissions to support organisational and national sustainability objectives.
Up to £400,000 in grant funding per project is available. Applications close at 16:00 GMT on Friday 11 December 2026.
Visit the Environmental Intelligence and Emissions Grant Call page on GOV.UK for full information about the competition, including:
- the full competition guidance, eligibility requirements and application process
- details of the two challenge areas and funding available
- a link to apply through FlexiGrant
- the applicant webinar recording and information presented during the session
- updated FAQs, including clarification questions received from prospective applicants
- a template Grant Funding Agreement for prospective applicants to review
Find out more and access the competition: USB Environmental Intelligence and Emissions Grant Call - GOV.UK
Important information for participants
Unlocking Space for Business aims to implement a number of customer-focused initiatives to support and enable greater awareness, engagement, learning and development and demand for satellite data and services.
As a new pilot programme, continuous learning and feedback is encouraged from participants of events, workshops and recipients of funding.
The focus areas for the programme are businesses within the financial services, and transport and logistics sectors.
The programme will be open to opportunities across all satellite domains (including satellite imagery, satellite connectivity and communications, satellite position, navigation and timing), in combination with complementary data types.
Further information
Sign up to the Unlocking Space for Business Newsletter and upcoming events.
Our privacy notice sets out how we will process personal data received through the sign up form for the Unlocking Space for Business Newsletter and upcoming events.
A live webinar took place on 6 November to launch Unlocking Space for Business, looking at what the programme involves and how it could benefit you.
Watch the Unlocking Space for Business live launch webinar.
If you would like any further information, have any questions or feedback about this programme, or would like to request the newsletter and events sign-up form in a different format, please contact the team at UnlockingSpaceforBusiness@ukspaceagency.gov.uk.
Watch a video about Unlocking Space for Business by the UK Space Agency.
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