ESA ARTES 4.0 Future Preparation (FP)
Future Preparation is the strategy element of ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) programme. Its primary purpose is to identify new market opportunities for industry, define future technology development needs, monitor regulatory trends, create growth by developing new industry standards and build new ARTES programmatic activity.
What is ESA's Future Preparation Programme?
To meet its goals and ensure ARTES remains relevant to the needs of the industry it supports, Future Preparation efforts are conducted through several parallel streams:
Market Research
Related to the global Satellite Communications sector, the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry, as well as global economic and industrial trends and developments.
Industry and academia relations
Establishing and maintaining close relations and a continuous dialogue with industrial, academic, and institutional players from across the Satellite Communications sector: to properly understand, influence, and support their future development and growth plans.
New Satellite Communication Concepts
Studying and developing new Satcom system concepts and applications: including new satellite system architectures, new services, and applications, improving integration and interoperation with terrestrial systems, and exploring spin-in from other relevant high technology application areas.
Future Technology Development Needs
Identifying future technology development needs: for execution under other ARTES elements, either in terms of technology feasibility demonstrations, product and system development support, or in-orbit validation and demonstration needs.
Access to Radio Spectrum
Ensuring access to radio spectrum: identifying spectrum access requirements for new and future systems, advocating for the Satcom sector in securing new and protecting existing allocations, promoting efficient sharing and interoperation between Satcom systems and terrestrial networks.
Standardisation
Supporting standardisation activities: to promote fair and equal market access within the Satcom sector e.g. modulation and coding standards, communication protocols, ground terminal standards, test and verification methods, and equipment interoperability.
Regulation
Supporting Regulatory Efforts: for example, to help overcome access barriers to space, access to global markets, and related to the long-term sustainable exploitation of the space environment.
New ARTES Programmes
Defining and building new ARTES 4.0 programmatic activity: creating the next group of Strategic Programme Lines for the ARTES 4.0 programme, identifying new programmatic structures to support the development and growth of the Satcom sector, as well as building partnership opportunities with industrial actors.
What projects are we looking for?
For the best chance of success in securing funding via the ARTES 4.0 programme and provided all other conditions are met, submissions for the Future Preparation programme line should be in line with the following specific requirements:
- Ideas that are new market opportunities for industry.
- Activities that align with future technology development needs
- Projects that create growth by developing new industry standards.
- Projects that help ESA build new ARTES programmatic activity.
Funding
Study activities conducted by industry and institutions under the Future Preparation programme are fully funded by ESA.
How to work with the ESA Future Preparation programme
Future Preparation activities are chiefly implemented through a Rolling Work Plan that is continuously updated as needs develop across the Satcom sector. The topics covered by the Rolling Work Plan are based in part on the results of the ARTES Call for Ideas that is continuously open to participating Member States’ satellite industries, satellite operators, service providers, universities, and research centres.
Invitations To Tender for the activities of the workplan are issued in open competition.
