Unlocking Space for Business Grant Call Webinar
Published 12 May 2025
This content was presented during the Unlocking Space for Business Grant Call webinar 10th April 2024.
1. Unlocking Space for Business Programme
The Unlocking Space for Business (USB) programme is supporting the adoption of space solutions by business in the financial services and transport and logistics sectors through the following initiatives:Â
Information hub:Â
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바카라 사이트 website to share programme updates Â
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monthly newsletters to share insights and case studies (300+) of satellite propositions Â
Insight and networking eventsÂ
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7 in-person events for FS, T&L and Maritime including 2 dedicated supplier events Â
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5 industry roundtables to promote USB initiatives to end-usersÂ
Exploration workshops Â
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27 end-users completed a workshop Â
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42 tailored workshops to help end-users explore and prioritise opportunities Â
Learning and development Â
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10 live webinars around how to identify procure and integrate propositions and Â
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10 summary videos to view at own pace and upskills colleagues Â
바카라 사이트 funding opportunitiesÂ
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£5m of funding awarded to support new satellite-data projects and pilots Â
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showcase event to share project outcomes and learnings
2. USB Grant Call 2Â
Proposals are invited from end-user business led consortiums, with a space supplier and any relevant integrator organisations, for innovative pilot projects to commercialise space solutions within the financial services or transport & logistics sectors in the UK.바카라 사이트‹Â
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total available funding: up to £2 million바카라 사이트‹Â
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maximum value of each grant: up to £400,000 for each project바카라 사이트‹Â
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match funding requirement 바카라 사이트‹Â
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length of grant: preferred duration of 6 months (Sept-25 바카라 사이트“ Feb-26), with a maximum duration of 7 months.바카라 사이트‹Â
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Start by 1 September 2025바카라 사이트‹Â
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Aim to conclude by 28 February 2026, but must finish by 31 March 2026바카라 사이트‹Â
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Final milestone must be delivered by 28 February 2026바카라 사이트‹Â
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grant applicants: end-user business led consortium, with a space supplier (and integrator organisations)바카라 사이트‹Â
The UK Space Agency reserve the right to adjust the value or duration of the grant funding available.바카라 사이트‹Â
2.1 ScopeÂ
Projects:바카라 사이트‹Â
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must provide positive economic benefit to an end-user business within either the Financial Services OR Transport and Logistics sector in the UK바카라 사이트‹Â
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must be able to demonstrate progress towards commercialisation바카라 사이트‹Â
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must address at least one of Strategic Grant objectives for end-user business:바카라 사이트‹Â
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driving revenue growth 바카라 사이트‹Â
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improving customer retention 바카라 사이트‹Â
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enhancing operational and financial efficiency 바카라 사이트‹Â
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addressing environmental obligations 바카라 사이트‹Â
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must involve at least one satellite domain (EO, SatCom, PNT)바카라 사이트‹Â
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must start at TRL5+ and must progress to at least TRL7바카라 사이트‹Â
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may involve complementary enabling technologies (e.g. AI, Quantum, Machine Learning)바카라 사이트‹
2.2 Consortium Members
End User business in either Financial Services OR Transport & Logistics sector | Required |
Space Supplier (e.g. satellite data, service or insights provider) | Required |
Integrator Organisations | Optional |
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the Lead applicant must be an end-user business, from either the Financial Services or Transport & Logistics sector바카라 사이트‹Â
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Financial Services바카라 사이트‹Â
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Transport & Logistics바카라 사이트‹Â
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there must be a space supplier within the consortium바카라 사이트‹Â
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there may be other integrator organisations within the consortium바카라 사이트‹Â
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applicants must meet UK Space Agency standard eligibility criteria바카라 사이트‹
2.3 MilestonesÂ
Project proposals should include up to four milestones바카라 사이트‹Â
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project teams are free to split the funding up between these milestones and set their deliverables as required바카라 사이트‹Â
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grant funding is offered on a cost recovery basis only바카라 사이트‹
Milestone | Deliverables | Deadline for delivery |
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1 | Deliverables set by project team | By 31 October 2025 |
2 | Deliverables set by project team | By 30 November 2025 |
3 | Deliverables set by project team | By 31 January 2026 |
4 | Required: Final Report and Commercialisation Plan Optional: any other deliverables set by project team | By 28 February 2026 |
2.4 Project Reporting Requirements:Â
Before grant:바카라 사이트‹Â
- grant recipient (lead applicant) will engage with USB team to complete due diligence checks 바카라 사이트‹Â
During grant:바카라 사이트‹Â
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all project partners will attend a kick-off meeting with the UK Space Agency바카라 사이트‹Â
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all project partners will engage in an initial interview as part of USB programme바카라 사이트™s monitoring and evaluation바카라 사이트‹Â
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grant recipient will provide short monthly written progress reports to UKSA (template provided)바카라 사이트‹Â
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grant recipient will attend monthly review meetings (all project partners to attend where possible)바카라 사이트‹Â
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all project partners will attend a mid-term review meeting바카라 사이트¯바카라 사이트‹Â
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grant recipient will provide milestone deliverables and financial evidence바카라 사이트‹Â
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grant recipient will provide regular updates on risks, benefits and lessons learned바카라 사이트‹Â
End of grant:바카라 사이트‹Â
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all project partners will attend a final review meeting바카라 사이트‹Â
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grant recipient will provide a final project report바카라 사이트‹Â
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grant recipient will complete a case study using the UK Space Agency바카라 사이트™s template, to be uploaded to 바카라 사이트바카라 사이트‹Â
After grant:바카라 사이트‹Â
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grant recipient will provide required information to support the North Star Metric monitoring바카라 사이트‹Â
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grant recipient will engage in follow-up interviews as part of the USB programme바카라 사이트™s monitoring and evaluation바카라 사이트¯바카라 사이트‹
2.5 Projects out of scopeÂ
We will not fund projects that:바카라 사이트‹Â
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have a lead applicant that is not an end user바카라 사이트¯in either the Financial Services OR Transport and Logistics sectors바카라 사이트‹Â
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are not original or in scope바카라 사이트‹Â
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duplicate someone else바카라 사이트™s work바카라 사이트‹Â
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can바카라 사이트™t provide match funding바카라 사이트‹Â
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are being funded elsewhere in the UK Space Agency or UK 바카라 사이트바카라 사이트‹Â
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would directly duplicate other UK government or EU funded initiative you have already been funded to deliver바카라 사이트‹Â
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are covered by existing commercial agreements to deliver the proposed solutions바카라 사이트‹Â
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cannot provide reporting against the UK Space Agency바카라 사이트™s North Star Metric바카라 사이트‹
2.6 Grant Call Timeline
Open Date | 12 May 2025 |
Online MS Teams Webinar briefing event | 22 May 2025 |
Close date | 4:00 pm, 7 July 2025 |
Applicants notified | August 2025 |
Projects start | 1 September 2025 |
Final Milestone 4 completed | 28 February 2026 |
Project end by | No later than 31 March 2026 |
Please note that each deadline may be subject to change.바카라 사이트‹Â
All clarification questions should be sent to바카라 사이트¯USB_Grant@ukspaceagency.gov.uk
3. Subsidy Control Â
3.1 Subsidy ControlÂ
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this award is being offered under the Research, Development & Innovation Streamlined Subsidy Scheme subcategory 2: Industrial Research and Experimental Development Projects in accordance with Subsidy Control Act 2022 s.20(4). Â
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applicants should note that the maximum award amount for both industrial research and experimental development projects is £3,000,000 per enterprise per project.바카라 사이트¯Due to cumulation rules and limits of the scheme, organisations seeking project funding that would exceed a total of £3million from public bodies in the last 3 years for this project will be ineligible to apply for this opportunity.Â
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onus is on applicants to determine which category their project falls within, based on their knowledge of the work they are proposing to undertake.Â
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The UK Space Agency cannot provide pre-application advice on which to select.Â
3.2 Match Funding Â
Applicants will be required to provide match funding. As a condition of funding, the applicant must agree to pay for a certain percentage of the total project costs. Â
Subsidies given under these categories are subject to maximum award amounts and subsidy ratios set out in the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Subsidy Scheme.
 | Industrial Research | Experimental Development |
Small Enterprises | 70% of the eligible project costs | 45% of the eligible project costs |
Medium Enterprises | 60% of the eligible project costs | 35% of the eligible project costs |
Large Enterprises | 50% of the eligible project costs | 25% of the eligible project costs |
Academic Partner | 80% Full Economic Cost | 80% Full Economic Cost |
Example of how Match Funding is reported:Â
The name size and match funding level will be automatically inserted to any line with details the first sheetÂ
e.g. if the total line item is £600, the grant contribution 50%. Therefore, the grant contribution will be £300 and the private contributions (i.e. match funding) will be £300.
3.3 Value for Money Â
Grants funded by the public purse are subject to the principle of achieving Value for Money. Applicants are expected to consider how their bid reflects Value for Money.Â
3.4 Eligible expenditure for grant funded activitiesÂ
Subject to project requirements and set out in the application Â
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pay costs Â
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subcontractors Â
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overheadsÂ
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general IT office services related to the project Â
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travel and subsistence Â
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equipment Â
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facilities only directly used as part of the project Â
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general materials
See UK Space Agency guidance on grants for further information on what is considered eligible expenditure and for more detail on overheard.
3.5 Pay costs for those without PAYEÂ
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if you do not currently operate a company PAYE scheme and are working directly on the project, you can include your labour as an eligible cost. This should be in line with eligibility rules and is subject to the following conditions:Â Â
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your labour costs must be calculated using a maximum of eight hours per day (at up to £22 per hour), up to 40 hours per week Â
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your costs must be recorded through the business accounts Â
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your project time must be supported by timesheets and project records Â
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Any claims for grant awarded must comply with these criteria. Claims for pay costs which are submitted without timesheets may be rejected.Â
3.6 Ineligible Expenditure Â
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payment that supports lobbying or activity intended to influence or attempt to influence Parliament, 바카라 사이트, or political parties, or attempting to influence the awarding or renewal of contracts and grants, or attempting to influence legislative or regulatory action;Â
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using grant funding to petition for additional funding;Â
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input VAT reclaimable by the Grant Recipient from HMRC;Â
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payments for activities of a political or exclusively religious nature;Â
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goods or services that the Grant Recipient has a statutory duty to provide;Â
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payments reimbursed or to be reimbursed by other public or private sector grantsÂ
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contributions in kind (i.e. a contribution in goods or services, as opposed to money);Â
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depreciation, amortisation, or impairment of fixed assets owned by the Grant Recipient;Â
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the acquisition or improvement of fixed assets by the Grant Recipient (unless the grant is explicitly for capital use 바카라 사이트“ this will be stipulated in the Grant Offer Letter);Â
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interest payments (including service charge payments for finance leases);Â
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gifts to individuals;Â
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entertaining (entertaining for this purpose means anything that would be a taxable benefit to the person being entertained, according to current UK tax regulations);Â
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statutory fines, criminal fines, or penalties; or liabilities incurred before the issue of this funding agreement unless agreed in writing by UK Space Agency;Â
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employee paid benefits and bonuses;Â
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costs incurred in the preparation of the independent assurance report where required within the grant funding agreement (for grants above the value of £250,000);Â
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alcohol.
See UK Space Agency guidance on grants for further information on what is considered eligible expenditure.
4. Application FAQsÂ
4.1 Assessment Criteria
Question | Weighting | Application Page Limit |
How does your proposal advance the strategic goals identified within the call document and the wider goals of the UK Space Agency? | 20% | 2 |
Why do you need grant funding, how will you spend it and how does this represent good value for money for the taxpayer? | 10% | 1 |
How will this project catalyse future investment into the UK space sector? | 15% | 2 |
What will be the impact of receiving the grant, both for your business and outside your organisation? | 15% | 2 |
How is your idea both innovative and technically feasible? | 15% | 2 |
How does your proposed project aim to have a positive impact on the environment and incorporate sustainability practices? | 10% | 1 |
How will you ensure effective delivery of this project throughout its full duration? | 15% | 1 |
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across the majority of grants we fund, the UK Space Agency uses standard assessment criteria, meaning you will be asked the same questions each time. 바카라 사이트‹Â
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applications will be scored by a minimum of three evaluators against the .바카라 사이트‹Â
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an initial sift of proposals will remove any proposals which do not meet the eligibility criteria.바카라 사이트¯바카라 사이트‹Â
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eligible proposals will be assessed by reviewers to be scored against assessment criteria.바카라 사이트¯바카라 사이트‹Â
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a moderation panel will follow to ensure consistency in marking.바카라 사이트¯바카라 사이트¯바카라 사이트‹Â
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a scored and ranked list of fundable proposals will be generated. The UK Space Agency takes a portfolio approach to funding, which means we look to fund a range of projects that cover the full breadth of the strategic objectives. This means we may move some fundable proposals up or down the ranked list.바카라 사이트¯바카라 사이트‹
4.2 Filling out the Application FormÂ
SECTION 2: Organisation DetailsÂ
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please ensure you fully set out your consortium details Â
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the lead organisation should be the end-userÂ
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all other consortium members should be listed in Section 3: Partner Organisation Details Â
4.3 Application FAQsÂ
What needs to be submitted in the application?Â
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application form Â
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any accompanying annexes to the main application to support your application Â
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Unlocking Space for Business Call 2: Budget Breakdown Spreadsheet Â
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National Security QuestionnaireÂ
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any proposed GFA amendments requirements to comply with law or regulation Â
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overheads template (if applicable)Â
Where should the application be sent?Â
- applications should be submitted to commercial@ukspaceagency.gov.uk by 4pm BST on Monday 7 July 2025Â
Are there word counts or page limits?Â
- the page limits are made clear within the Application form. Any allowance to diagrams or PDFs is set out in the application form.Â
4.4 Submission FAQsÂ
Can projects that were previously funded by an Unlocking Space for Business SBRI contract or grant apply? 바카라 사이트‹Â
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Yes, project partners that were involved in a previous Unlocking Space for Business funded SBRI or grant project can apply, either as part of the same consortium or a different consortium, as long as the project is sufficiently different from that which was previously funded (for example, the project involves a different product or service, and/or a different end-user business) and the project proposal demonstrates how the project will progress TRL towards commercialisation.바카라 사이트‹Â
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the lead applicant must be an end-user business within either the Financial Services or Transport & Logistics sectors. We will not fund projects that are being funded elsewhere in the UK Space Agency or UK government. 바카라 사이트‹Â
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applicants should be mindful of the requirements of the Subsidy Control Act 2022 and the Streamlined Scheme for Research, Development and Innovation, which caps subsidies at £3,000,000 per enterprise per project. The UK Space Agency is required to consider any previous subsidies you may have received, including previous grant funding, to determine if they should count towards this £3,000,000 total. 바카라 사이트‹
What has changed between the Unlocking Space for Business grant call released in 2024 and this call? 바카라 사이트‹Â
While the scope and strategic goals of this grant call are largely the same as the first USB grant call, there are some differences in the grant delivery: 바카라 사이트‹Â
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funding amounts: the maximum amount of funding available is £2,000,000. 바카라 사이트‹Â
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length of project: this has been reduced to a maximum of 7 months. 바카라 사이트‹Â
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assessment criteria: the structure and wording of questions is consistent with other UK Space Agency grant processes. 바카라 사이트‹Â
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assessment process: assessment will be conducted internally by the UK Space Agency.Â
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grant administration: project leads may now delegate project administration to a partner organisation. Project leads will still be required to attend the monthly check-ins, with all project partners required to attend the kick-off meeting, mid-term review and end of project review. 바카라 사이트‹Â
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continuous improvement: changes to finance forms, number of milestones and reporting templates. Â
Can I resubmit a proposal that was rejected in a previous call? 바카라 사이트‹Â
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yes, you may re-submit your proposal which will then go through the independent evaluation process when being considered for funding.바카라 사이트‹Â
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we recommend proposals are checked for alignment with the current call objectives and that any previous feedback is taken into consideration. 바카라 사이트‹Â
Can suppliers/partners who are not lead applicants be involved in more than one bid? 바카라 사이트‹Â
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yes. Depending on the nature of the awards and activity undertaken, the total amount of public funding may be limited per enterprise per project. This would be assessed on a case-by-case basis. 바카라 사이트‹Â
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you can submit more than one proposal, but it must be clear how the proposals differ.바카라 사이트‹Â
If we miss the deadline, will we be able to submit after the set date?바카라 사이트‹Â
- we cannot accept any late applications unless a failure on the part of UKSA has been identified, where all applicants will give extra time.바카라 사이트‹
4.5 What happens next?Â
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grant Call opened on 12 May 2025바카라 사이트¯with all documents available on 바카라 사이트 and 바카라 사이트‹Â
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MS Teams Webinar briefing event held online on 22 May 2025바카라 사이트‹Â
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briefing webinar recording and Q&A received will be uploaded to 바카라 사이트바카라 사이트‹Â
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applications should be submitted to UnlockingSpaceforBusiness@ukspaceagency.gov.uk by 4pm BST, Monday 7 July 2025바카라 사이트‹Â
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a selected panel of assessors will review and score applications바카라 사이트‹Â
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we intend to notify applicants of the outcome and provide feedback by August 2025바카라 사이트‹Â
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grants will then be awarded to successful applicants바카라 사이트‹Â
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projects to start from바카라 사이트¯1 September 2025Â
4.6 Q&AÂ
All questions and answers asked in the webinar will be published on the Unlocking Space for Business: Call 2 notice page.Â
Please refer to the webinar recording for all questions answered during the webinar.