The UK Space Agency are launching this funding call to improve UK Earth Observation data handling capabilities, which will assist UK entities in accessing future commercial opportunities in this field.
This call is looking to fund enhancement of capabilities and capacity in UK Earth Observation data handling, to ensure UK entities can be competitive in future opportunities. We are specifically looking to fund the “midstream” part of the Earth Observation value chain, including but not limited to the following activities:
data acquisition
data processing
data storage
data interoperability
data assurance
data dissemination
The UK Space Agency is open to a variety of research and development ideas that will improve these capabilities. This can include early-stage activity such as roadmaps or studies, or hardware or software to help companies advance their own midstream capabilities and competitiveness.
We are particularly interested to fund bids that seek to develop existing commercially operational capability or capacity which can put UK entities in a stronger position to bid for ESA missions, including ESA Copernicus Frameworks. In the event this call is oversubscribed and more fundable proposals are received than the UK Space Agency has budget to support, priority will be given to bids that focus on this area.
Activities related to the “upstream” or “downstream” parts of the value chain are not in scope of this funding call and therefore ineligible. This includes:
designing and building spacecraft for data detection
developing applications that utilise acquired data
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