Digital solutions for autonomy for space transportation systems, design and simulation tools – targeting demonstration

Opened

Programme Category

EU Competitive Programmes

Programme Name

Horizon Europe (2021-2027)

Programme Description

Horizon Europe is the European Union (EU) funding programme for the period 2021 – 2027, which targets the sectors of research and innovation. The programme’s budget is around € 95.5 billion, of which € 5.4 billion is from NextGenerationEU to stimulate recovery and strengthen the EU’s resilience in the future, and € 4.5 billion is additional aid.

Programme Details

Identifier Code

HORIZON-CL4-2025-02-SPACE-13

Call

Digital solutions for autonomy for space transportation systems, design and simulation tools – targeting demonstration

Summary

To tackle the above-mentioned expected outcomes, the following R&I should be addressed: R&I on advanced technologies and digital sensors for new space transportation, such as smart avionics with modularity and reusability drivers, health monitoring system and smart sensors, and structural health monitoring addressing thermo-mechanical monitoring and damage detection, ground and flight software for data management even by use of AI-algorithms.

The developments should aim at on-ground or in-orbit demonstration focusing on software and digital tools.

Detailed Call Description

Proposals are expected to promote cooperation between different actors (industry, SMEs and research institutions) and consider opportunities to quickly turn technological innovation into commercial use in space via e.g., on-ground or in orbit demonstration.

Proposals under this topic should explore synergies and be complementary to already funded actions in the context of technology development at component level. In particular, it is expected that projects make use of existing European technologies and/or building blocks at component level contributing to European non-dependence and strengthen competitiveness, and this should be clearly presented in the proposal. Furthermore, proposed activities should be complementary to H2020 and Horizon Europe funded projects, national activities and activities funded by the European Space Agency (ESA).

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on ‘Globally Competitive Space Systems’ (GCSS). As such, projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on results to the European Partnership ‘Globally Competitive Space Systems’ (GCSS) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs.

This topic contributes to the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) and addresses Space technologies falling under the sectors of “digital technologies” and “deep tech innovation”. This topic addresses objectives stated in the STEP Regulation, e.g., the development of critical technologies and safeguarding and strengthening their EU value chain. This topic will help reduce strategic dependencies from outside of the EU for components and equipment for the EU Space Programme, as well as for other European space applications.

In this topic, the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content should be addressed only if relevant in relation to the objectives of the research effort.

Call Total Budget

€7.00 million

Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan

70%

Expected EU contribution per project: between €4.00 and €7.00 million.

Thematic Categories

  • Research, Technological Development and Innovation
  • Space

Eligibility for Participation

  • Businesses
  • Educational Institutions
  • Legal Entities
  • NGOs
  • Other Beneficiaries
  • Private Bodies
  • Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
  • Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

Eligibility For Participation Notes

A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Participation is limited to legal entities established in Member States, Norway, Iceland, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Proposals including entities established in countries outside the scope specified in the call/topic/action will be ineligible.

For the duly justified and exceptional reasons listed in the paragraph above, in order to guarantee the protection of the strategic interests of the Union and its Member States, entities established in an eligible country listed above, but which are directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or by a non-eligible country entity, may not participate in the action unless it can be demonstrated, by means of guarantees positively assessed by their eligible country of establishment, that their participation to the action would not negatively impact the Union’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy, or security. The guarantees shall in particular substantiate that, for the purpose of the action, measures are in place to ensure that: a) control over the applicant legal entity is not exercised in a manner that retrains or restricts its ability to carry out the action and to deliver results, that imposes restrictions concerning its infrastructure, facilities, assets, resources, intellectual property or know-how needed for the purpose of the action, or that undermines its capabilities and standards necessary to carry out the action; b) access by a non-eligible country or by a non-eligible country entity to sensitive information relating to the action is prevented; and the employees or other persons involved in the action have a national security clearance issued by an eligible country, where appropriate; c) ownership of the intellectual property arising from, and the results of, the action remain within the recipient during and after completion of the action, are not subject to control or restrictions by non-eligible countries or non-eligible country entity, and are not exported outside the eligible countries, nor is access to them from outside the eligible countries granted, without the approval of the eligible country in which the legal entity is established.

If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS (other data and services may additionally be used).

Call Opening Date

22/05/2025

Call Closing Date

25/09/2025

National Contact Point(s)

Research and Innovation Foundation
29a Andrea Michalakopoulou, 1075 Nicosia,
P.B. 23422, 1683 Nicosia
Telephone: +357 22205000
Fax: +357 22205001
Email: support@research.org.cy
Websitehttps://www.research.org.cy/en/

Persons to Contact:

Dr Angelos Ntantos
Scientific Officer
Email: antantos@research.org.cy

Mr. George Christou
Scientific Officer
Email: gchristou@research.org.cy