How to apply

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).

Three steps to apply

Step 1: Pitch your idea directly to ESA using this 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 questions from ESA and potentially your national delegation, that typically happens on a monthly basis. National delegation(s) are involved and decide if they support the idea.

Step 2: Fill in part 1 of the InCubed proposal

Following a successful idea pitch and with agreement from the supporting national delegation(s), you will be invited to fill in and submit part 1 of the InCubed proposal using this tool. ESA will provide comments on your proposal.

Step 3: Assessment and completion of InCubed proposal

If successful at assessment, you will have up to eight weeks to submit part 2 of the InCubed proposal, taking into account ESA’s detailed feedback. There will also be the possibility of a reiteration.

Additional Application Information

Application timeline

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.