NCP Flanders
choose your programme
Horizon Europe

Horizon Europe is the main Research and Innovation Funding Programme of the European Commission.

Horizon 2020

Horizon 2020 is the previous Funding Programme. There are no longer calls, but projects can run until 2024.

Digital Europe

Digital Europe is a Funding Programme focused on bringing digital technology to businesses, citizens and administrations.

Other EU Funding

There are many other relevant EU funding programmes, managed by several agencies and directorates.

Partnership

Global competitive space systems (S.P.A.C.E partnership)

Global competitive space systems (S.P.A.C.E partnership)

Partnership website: https://www.sme4space.org/s-p-a-c-e-partnership/

The space partnership entitled ‘Globally Competitive Space Systems’ gives SMEs the opportunity to discuss with the European Commission the priorities of Horizon Europe in 2025-2027.

The co-programmed partnership for space will start in the second half of 2023. Through this partnership, the SME4SPACE members have a unique opportunity to define the topics of the next calls of Horizon Europe. SME4SPACE is looking for contributors to elaborate the work programmes, to define roadmaps and to provide inputs in the domains covered by the space partnership.

Please inform the partnership of your interest by sending a message to info@sme4space.org.

 

WHAT IS THE SPACE PARTNERSHIP

The space partnership entitled ‘Globally Competitive Space Systems’ gives SMEs the opportunity to discuss with the European Commission the priorities of Horizon Europe in 2025-2027. Through dialogue, working groups and road mapping activities, our members will be able to determine the topics for inclusion in the next calls of Horizon Europe for the domains covered by the partnership. Thanks to the space partnership, SMEs will contribute to the programming of the EU for the next years and this as of the second half of 2023.

SCOPE OF THE SPACE PARTNERSHIP : THE UPSTREAM SPACE SECTOR

We are looking for contributors and members that want to express their views and provide inputs in the following domains:

  1. Foster competitiveness of end-to-end systems and associated services
    • Telecommunication systems
    • Earth Observation
    • Ground Segment aspects
    • Data Chain aspects
  2. New industrial processes and product tools
    • Digitalisation and automation
    • MAIT at larger-scale
    • Lean qualification processes
  3. Innovation for launchers competitiveness targeting initial operational capabilities by 2030
    • Smart technologies (higher autonomy, in-flight configurability, modular wireless avionics with smart sensors)
  4. Fostering and enabling new commercial space transportation solutions
    • New space transportation services & concepts
    • Technologies to improve versatility, cost reduction & flexibility
    • New services requiring re-entry
    • Standardisation of services and actions promoting the use of COTS components

A full description of the SRIA and the above mentioned chapters, can be found on the website of the European Commission.

 

Working Groups will start in the autumn of 2023. The deadline for sending the contributions to the work programme 2025 to the European Commission is set at 15 March 2024.

 

What are partnerships?

Partnerships group the EC and private and/or public partners, to coordinate and streamline the research & innovation initiatives and funding in some selected key domains.

How to use partnerships?

  • orientation
    Partnerships publish strategic documents, e.g. outlining the main research and innovation challenges or key focus points.
  • networking
    Partnerships often organise events, such as info days, brokerage events, etc. Meet potential partners and learn about the nuances that are not visible in the official documents.
  • ecosystem analysis
    Partnerships typically have an advisory board, and publish impact studies of previous actions. These are good sources of information to uncover the main R&D&I players in the domain.
  • steering the agenda
    Partnerships collaborate with the EC on outlining the strategy and the future funding opportunities in their domain, based on input from industry, academia, and other stakeholders.

Testimonial

image of Luciad - Geospatial software for mission-critical operations

Luciad - Geospatial software for mission-critical operations

Founded in 1999, Luciad serves clients in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Though it recently was acquired by Hexagon Geospatial, they kept an agile SME mindset. Thousands of end users work directly with Luciad’s geospatial applications, and major systems integrators (think Airbus Defense and Space, Lufthansa Systems, NATO, Thales…) incorporate its software in their own products.

NCP Flanders went to Leuven to interview Frederic Houbie, the Research Projects Manager at Luciad, about how he sees Horizon 2020. Luciad is a partner in the MARISA project, which is a collaborative RIA project submitted to an ICT call topic