The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) programme, through the Directorate of Connectivity and Secure Communications, is streamlining its programmatic tools to accelerate time-to-market for European and Canadian industry, stimulating and maintaining technological and commercial leadership in the satellite communications domain.
The adoption of satellite communications across society and many sectors of the economy is growing at an unprecedented rate. Space-enabled systems, products and services are increasingly pivotal for the daily functions of businesses and institutions, while providing resilient connectivity for remote areas. This creates a need for innovative companies to have more streamlined access to funding, to meet demands and challenges as efficiently and effectively as possible.
To meet this increasing demand, the ARTES Competitiveness and Growth programme – which forms part of ARTES Core Competitiveness – is launching a new call for proposals. Following the successes of ARTES AGILE, the programmatic tool has been reshaped into AGILE+ which will drive new opportunities for innovation with a simplified process, faster contracting times and increased outreach for newcomers and SMEs. As satellite communication continues to become an integrated part of sectors across the economy, AGILE+ will help reach new sectors, organisations and businesses to further expand and exploit the opportunities that satellite communications provide, de-risking and maturing technologies with ESA support.
AGILE+ is now eligible for projects seeking ESA funding of under 500,000 EUR, with the previous cap for ARTES AGILE being 250,000 EUR. Doubling the funding cap will enable a more competitive and leaner process to encourage new collaboration, increased innovation and more benefit for Europe and its technological ecosystem. For funding over 500,000 EUR, the current legacy ARTES Competitiveness & Growth tool remains.
Domenico Mignolo, Acting Head of the Technology and Products Division, within the Directorate of Connectivity and Secure Communications, said: “The need for European and Canadian space-enabled applications is growing with each day. To meet these challenges and unlock opportunities, ESA is evolving ARTES Core Competitiveness programmatic tool by introducing ARTES AGILE+, allowing faster market introduction of disruptive products and increased competitiveness.”
These new opportunities will be published on esa-star, ready for collaboration with partners. To submit your tender, industry is encouraged to visit the ARTES Core Competitiveness page.
