Description

The ESA Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) Arctic Region: Environmental and Economic Resilience Call for Proposals is a non-competitive funding opportunity supporting the development of space-enabled services that strengthen environmental protection and climate resilience in the Arctic. As one of three thematic sub-calls under ESA's Arctic Region initiative, it focuses on protecting Arctic ecosystems while supporting economically important sectors such as fisheries and aquaculture that are increasingly affected by climate change, pollution and growing maritime activity. Projects are funded as Proof-of-Concept Studies or Pilot Projects.

Funding Amount

• Funding is provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) under the Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme.
• Funding is provided as zero-equity co-funding.
• Projects may be submitted as:
  • Proof-of-Concept Studies
  • Pilot Projects
• ESA funding covers 50%–80% of eligible project costs, depending on:
  • applicant SME status; and
  • approval by the relevant National Delegation.
• Applicants must provide the remaining project co-funding.

Submission Deadlines

• Opening date: 4 June 2026
• Closing date: 4 September 2026

Submission Conditions

• Proposals must address the Environmental and Economic Resilience theme within the Arctic Region initiative.
• Projects must be submitted as either a Proof-of-Concept Study or a Pilot Project.
• Proposals must be submitted through the ESA Activity Pitch Questionnaire (APQ).
• Applicants are encouraged to engage with their National Delegation before submission.
• The call has been pre-authorised by the Danish and Norwegian delegations, subject to their specific national conditions and funding requirements.
• Projects must utilise one or more ESA-recognised space assets (Satellite Earth Observation, Satellite Navigation and/or Satellite Communications).

Eligible Types of Businesses

• Start-ups
• SMEs
• Large companies
• Consortia involving industrial and non-industrial partners
• Cross-sectoral teams combining space and non-space expertise

Applicants should demonstrate a clear user need, with target users such as:

• Public authorities
• Environmental agencies
• Fisheries operators
• Aquaculture operators
• Port authorities
• Coastal authorities
• Environmental service providers

Eligible Countries

• Eligibility depends on participation in the ESA Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme and the applicable national delegation approvals.
• The call is pre-authorised by the Danish and Norwegian delegations, subject to their national conditions.
• Applicants should verify eligibility and funding authorisation requirements with their respective National Delegation before applying.