InCubed programme is a partnership between industry, national delegation(s) and ESA to support and develop the commercial sector based on Earth observation data. Entities can apply at any time for different levels of co-funding depending on the type of activity.
Before applying please make sure that you have read the below, Additional Application information and What we are looking for pages.
All Ideas will be strictly confidential, only the InCubed team will have access to them. The overview of the process is presented for information and completeness below.
This figure shows the tendering process; the different coloured circles (GREEN for Industry, BLUE for ESA, RED for National delegation(s)) shows the actor(s) for each step of the process.
Submitted industrial proposals must demonstrate that the product or service to be developed will be commercially viable by the end of the InCubed activity (or at the very least include a very robust roadmap to commercialisation).
Step 1: Pitch your idea directly to ESA using this online tool
Submit your draft Proposal Part 1 [Outline] directly to ESA using the online tool. ESA will check if you qualify for InCubed co-funding and you may be offered the possibility of pitching your idea in a 15 minute session, followed by 45 minutes of Q&A from ESA and potentially your National Delegation(s). This leads to a formal decision point (Idea Assessment) where ESA and the National Delegation(s) provide early feedback. This assessment results in one of three outcomes: GO, NO-GO (Process Terminated), or Possible Iteration.
[OPTIONAL] Step 1B: Iteration of Proposal Part 1 [Outline]
Following the idea pitch and with the agreement of the supporting National Delegation(s), you may be asked to iterate specific parts of the Proposal Part 1 [Outline]. This iteration must be completed within two weeks of ESA notification and will be followed by a final assessment by ESA and the National Delegation(s).
Step 2: Completion and Evaluation of the Proposal Part 2 [Full]
Following a successful assessment and once the National Delegation Authorization of Funding is confirmed, you will have between four to six weeks to submit the Proposal Part 2 [Full], incorporating ESA’s detailed feedback and following the InCubed template.
Additional Application Information
If successful at each step, the full application process from pitching an idea to signing a contract with InCubed may vary depending on the time you will prepare the proposals. ESA has standard response times which are reported in blue below. Please note that the following timeline only gives an overall indication and the application process may take longer for a number of reasons.
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