Space Critical EEE Components for EU non-dependence – Advanced Packages and Memories

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-74

Call

Space Critical EEE Components for EU non-dependence – Advanced Packages and Memories

Summary

Unrestricted access to state-of-art space EEE components and related technologies is a pre-requisite for the EU space industry responding to EU space missions. However, especially for some families of components, the available solutions in EU do not meet the current high-performance space requirements. Currently, alternative products sourced from outside EU, are either affected by non-EU export control, that limits its use, or present challenges in terms of trustable supply chains for the implementation of EU space missions with a security dimension.

Within the frame of this topic, it is expected to finance and implement development projects aiming at maturing critical space EEE components with the final goal of lowering the dependency from outside EU. This will be done by establishing a long-term sustainable supply chain for supporting EU strategic autonomy in the space sector. The selection of the supply chains shall reflect this objective. Therefore, the supply chain shall preferably be built fully based in EU and when this can only be achieved partially (i.e. because of lack of current EU capabilities for unrestricted advanced semiconductor processes or advanced materials that cannot be developed within the project), services procured from outside EU shall nevertheless ensure that the overall supply chain will remain trustable and not affected by non-EU export control. The latest scenario is subject to the approval of the granting authority.

Detailed Call Description

Below, the list of space EEE components and related technologies relevant for this Call. It has been identified based on needs related to strategic institutional space programmes, inputs from European stakeholders and the EU Observatory of Critical Technologies:

  • Advanced packages – Organic substrate for very high, fine pitch [Target final TRL 6-7]
  • MRAM Memories [Target final TRL 7]

Additional context information and technical requirements are provided in the Technical Requirements Guidance document published on the Funding & Tenders Portal outlining all relevant information for each of the above-mentioned development lines.

A proposal should address only one technology area and clearly identify the area being addressed.

Space is a low volume market affected by a dynamic industrial landscape compared to the terrestrial market therefore, technological spin in and/or bilateral collaborations should be enhanced between European non-space and space industries. Furthermore, proposed activities should be complementary to relevant national and/or other activities at European level. Complementary activities should be clearly identified, described and the proposal should report how the complementarity is ensured.

To achieve the non-dependence objective, applicants are expected to include a dedicated proposal’s paragraph covering:

  • The description of the technology and/or technology processes and high-level breakdown of the space EEE component supply chain to be used. Applicants should demonstrate that the supply chain and final product are free of any legal export restrictions or limitations, such as those established in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) or equivalent instruments applicable in other non-EU jurisdictions. Applicants shall also report, in a dedicated subsection, if and which part of the supply chain is affected by non-EU export controls such as the Export Administration regulation (EAR) i.e. EAR99.
  • The description of the suitable technology development process that has been identified and set up within the consortium for avoiding export restrictions of non-EU states and assess vulnerabilities of the supply chain.

Proposal covering space EEE components and related technology developments that are targeting a final TRL equal or higher than 5, shall include a list of proposed applicable standards (e.g. EN, ECSS, ESCC, MIL, JEDEC,…) that are considered relevant for implementing a formal space evaluation and/or qualification. Additionally, projects that aim at a formal space qualification shall deliver the full data pack planned to be submitted to the qualification authority. This deliverable shall me marked sensitive and it shall be shared with the granting authority (i.e. DG-DEFIS and HaDEA). Products that will successfully complete the space evaluation/qualification either within the EU-COM activity or, as a consecutive follow up, shall inform DG-DEFIS and engrave on the package (if present) the EU flag.

The proposal must include specific tasks as part of the work plan and related dedicated confidential deliverables to be provided within 6 months from the start of the project to the relevant Commission DG and Executive Agency (i.e. DG-DEFIS and HaDEA), with the objective of:

  • Analysing and describing, in detail, the full supply chain, each entity and its role in the supply chain, level of criticality and, if relevant, identify dependencies from outside EU;
  • Describing the industrial technical roadmap and a business plan for commercialization with accurate understanding of applications needs, space mission insertion, including time to market indication, of the developed product.
  • Reporting the list of relevant non-EU export control with extra territorial applicability for the specific technology/product under development, independently from the supply chain established for the EU-COM project.
  • Undertaking a comprehensive literature review of the relevant technology/product reporting the state-of-the-art and highlighting potential gaps between current EU solutions and competition from outside EU.

Call Total Budget

€6.00 million

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

100%

Expected EU contribution per project: between €2.50 and €3.00 million.

Thematic Categories

  • Information and Communication Technologies
  • Information Technology
  • Research, Technological Development and Innovation
  • Space

Eligibility for Participation

  • Businesses
  • Educational Institutions
  • Large Enterprises
  • Legal Entities
  • NGOs
  • Other Beneficiaries
  • Private Bodies
  • Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
  • Semi-governmental organisations
  • Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
  • State-owned Enterprises

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 and the following associated countries: Norway and Iceland. Proposals including entities established in countries outside the scope specified in the call/topic/action will be ineligible.

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. Entities assessed as high-risk suppliers of mobile network communication equipment within the meaning of ‘restrictions for the protection of European communication networks’ (or entities fully or partially owned or controlled by a high-risk supplier) cannot submit guarantees.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