{"id":17444,"date":"2026-10-30T10:53:07","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T09:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/commercialisation.esa.int\/?post_type=esa-opportunities&#038;p=17444"},"modified":"2026-10-30T10:56:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T09:56:30","slug":"commercial-telecom-partnership-calls-for-proposals","status":"publish","type":"esa-opportunities","link":"https:\/\/commercialisation.esa.int\/?esa-opportunities=commercial-telecom-partnership-calls-for-proposals","title":{"rendered":"Commercial Telecom Partnership Calls for Proposals"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>ESA Supports Industry-Initiated Satcom Engineering &amp; Technology<\/h2>\n<p>For over 15 years, the European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully implemented <strong>Partnership Projects<\/strong> through its Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (<strong>ARTES<\/strong>) programme. This portfolio includes more than 50 satellite-based systems at various stages of implementation, ranging from large geostationary satellites to CubeSats.<\/p>\n<p>These projects bring the European space industry together around innovative, cutting-edge solutions developed in collaboration with private operators. Alongside traditional research and development Invitations to Tender (issued via the EMITS procurement system), ESA offers several permanent Calls for Proposals to boost industry competitiveness.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<h4>ARTES 4.0 \u2013 Preparatory Activities<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>This call helps the satellite communication industry to prepare partnership projects introducing innovative, space-based solutions into the commercial market.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Objective:<\/strong> Conduct early-phase activities (typically Phase 0\/A and\/or B1) to bring a project to the maturity level required for formal implementation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Scope:<\/strong> Covers feasibility analyses, technical specification definitions, risk assessments (technical, schedule, financial), business planning, and early-stage technology validation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Apply Here:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/esastar-publication.sso.esa.int\/ESATenderActions\/details\/183867\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">esa-star Tender Actions &#8211; 183867<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li>\n<h4>ARTES 4.0 \u2013 Technology and Product Developments<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>This initiative supports industry-initiated activities across various strategic program lines, including <em>Competitiveness &amp; Growth<\/em>, <em>5G\/6G<\/em>, <em>Sustainable Connectivity<\/em>, <em>ScyLight<\/em>, and <em>4S<\/em>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Objective:<\/strong> Maintain and improve the market competitiveness of ESA Member State industries in the Telecom domain.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Scope:<\/strong> Supports the development of innovative technology and services at any point in the development pipeline\u2014from the initial idea to a high Technology Readiness Level (TRL).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Apply Here:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/esastar-publication-ext.sso.esa.int\/ESATenderActions\/details\/190744\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">esa-star Tender Actions &#8211; 190744<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li>\n<h4>Pioneer Partnership Projects (Pioneer 4.0)<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Pioneer focuses on developing the necessary space infrastructure to provision new telecom- related services<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Objective:<\/strong> Support the emergence of Space Mission Providers (SMPs)\u2014commercial entities operating as one-stop-shop service providers for public and private customers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Apply Here:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/esastar-publication-ext.sso.esa.int\/ESATenderActions\/details\/66556\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">esa-star Tender Actions &#8211; 66556<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>How to Submit a Proposal<\/h2>\n<p>To apply for an ESA industry-initiated partnership, you must complete the following steps:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Register on esa-star:<\/strong> Registration is mandatory to download relevant tender documents.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Secure National Delegation Support:<\/strong> Before ESA can evaluate any application, you must obtain a formal <strong>Authorisation of Funding<\/strong> from your country\u2019s national space delegation (e.g., UK Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, Belspo).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Submit an Outline Proposal first:<\/strong> It is highly recommended to secure tentative national support and submit a brief outline proposal via esa-star (see also contacts below). This allows you to receive case-by-case feedback before investing resources into a full proposal.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Arrange Co-Funding:<\/strong> All industry-initiated activities require financial co-funding. ESA\u2019s financial contribution rules are:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Up to 75%<\/strong> of eligible costs for technologies up to <strong>TRL 6<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Up to 50%<\/strong> of eligible costs for technologies at <strong>TRL 7 and beyond<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Further Questions:<\/strong> ESA\u2019s Commercial Partnerships Department (CIP-P) is available to provide further details or support should you require any assistance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Contact:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>For Partnership Project preparation: <a href=\"mailto:francois.balme@esa.int\">francois.balme@esa.int<\/a> and <a href=\"mailto:Oscar.del.Rio.Herrero@esa.int\">Oscar.del.Rio.Herrero@esa.int<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For ARTES 4.0 Technologies and Products: <a href=\"mailto:Antonio.franchi@esa.int\">Antonio.franchi@esa.int<\/a> and <a href=\"mailto:Fabrizio.De.Paolis@esa.int\">Fabrizio.De.Paolis@esa.int<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For Pioneer 4.0: <a href=\"mailto:clive.edwards@esa.int\">clive.edwards@esa.int<\/a> and <a href=\"mailto:Oscar.del.Rio.Herrero@esa.int\">Oscar.del.Rio.Herrero@esa.int<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":17445,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"tags":[],"directorate":[431],"esa_comm_programme":[],"sts-api_categories":[],"esa-opportunities-type":[],"esa-fields":[],"class_list":["post-17444","esa-opportunities","type-esa-opportunities","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","directorate-commercialisation-competitiveness-support"],"acf":{"opportunity_id":"","opportunity_closing_date":"22601001","opportunity_bics":"","opportunity_alt_link":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Commercial Telecom Partnership Calls for Proposals - ESA Commercialisation Gateway<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/commercialisation.esa.int\/?esa-opportunities=commercial-telecom-partnership-calls-for-proposals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Commercial Telecom Partnership Calls for Proposals - ESA Commercialisation Gateway\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"ESA Supports Industry-Initiated Satcom Engineering &amp; Technology For over 15 years, the European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully implemented Partnership Projects through its Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) programme. 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