The programme “Investing in Industrial Innovation (InCubed)” from European Space Agency (ESA), which provides co-financing for projects developing innovative products and services that use Earth Observation (EO) data and are commercially viable, is now available for Portuguese companies.

The competing projects can include activities in any area of the EO value chain, ranging from the construction of satellites to the development of new applications, including the creation of new business models linked to Earth Observation.

“Earth Observation and all its potentialities are a central part of the National Strategy for Space, so we expect to receive several proposals that meet the national needs identified in the strategy”, says Carolina Sá, responsible for Earth Observation projects at the Portuguese Space Agency.

National companies may apply at any time of the year on ESA’s InCubed platform. However, applications will only be assessed in two periods each year. In 2023 the first round will take place in July and the second in September/October (date to be defined). In 2024, the initial assessment will occur in January and June, and in 2025 it will happen in January.

“The Portuguese Space Agency believes that this funding opportunity for innovative products and services will greatly boost the national Earth Observation ecosystem,” adds Carolina Sá.

For each evaluation period, there will be a dedicated day (pitch day) to present the competing ideas. The evaluation of the proposals will be done jointly by the ESA InCubed team and members of the Portuguese Space Agency, who will evaluate and select the best ideas according to criteria such as the credibility of the business case, technical feasibility, the connection of the project to Earth observation and the experience and technical capacity of the team.

For more detailed information on the whole procedure of the competition, please consult the regulations and the website: Additional stimulus for InCubed Portuguese applicants - Portugal Space (ptspace.pt)