Funding Flash December 2025
Each month, Space South Central aims to bring together a curated list of the latest and best funding opportunities for businesses working in the space sector across the Southeast.
The list is not exhaustive – for that, see the Satellite Applications Catapult’s Space Enterprise Network.
If you see an opportunity below that could be suitable for your business, reach out to the team at info@spacesouthcentral.com, who will offer advice, expertise, support and connections to help you create successful bids. Since 2016, we have helped regional organisations secure over £37.5M.
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MSI: SME resource and energy efficiency – Feasibility studies and industrial research
Deadline: Wednesday, 10th December 2025
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £15.5 million across the two strands, to develop industrial digital technologies. This is to improve resource or energy efficiencies in SME manufacturers.
Through the Made Smarter Innovation (MSI) programme, Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will invest up to £15.5 million across the two strands. This is subject to enough high-quality applications being received.
Read more here.
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Open Call for Innovation CY2025 - Cycle 4 - Defence Rapid Impact
Deadline: Tuesday, 16th December 2025
The Defence Rapid Impact (DRI) competition is looking to fund innovative ideas that address both current and emerging Defence challenges. It is seeking disruptive innovations - whether technologies, materials, or concepts - that could provide a step change to Defence and give us an advantage over adversaries.
While DRI primarily targets Defence’s ‘blind spots’ (current and future unknowns), it also welcomes novel solutions to known challenges. This competition operates independently from existing MOD equipment, research and development projects or programmes.
Read more here.
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National Materials Innovation Programme: Feasibility Studies
Deadline: Wednesday, 17th December 2025
Up to £100k per project for advanced materials innovations in energy, healthcare, structure, durability, electronics, polymers, and metamaterials/metasurfaces.
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will invest up to £2 million into materials innovation projects. This funding is part of the National Materials Innovation Programme, which was announced as part of the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan in the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy. This is the initial competition under the programme, designed to prime the materials community, support collaboration and accelerate the translation of new material innovations across the seven thematic areas.
Read more here.
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Innovate UK Innovation Loans Round 24
Deadline: Wednesday, 7th January 2026
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation is offering loans to micro, small and medium sized enterprises (SME). Innovate UK innovation loans are for highly innovative late-stage research and development (R&D) projects with the best potential for the future. There must be a clear route to commercialisation and economic impact.
Read more here.
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Eureka GlobalStars Japan 2026
Deadline: Wednesday, 21st January 2026
This competition is for UK businesses that want to apply to the Eureka Globalstars Japan 2026 call. Please visit the Eureka call for proposals web page if you are not a UK applicant.
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest a minimum of £2 million to fund collaborative research and development (CR&D) projects focused on industrial research.
The aim of this competition is to fund business led, collaborative research and development (CR&D) projects focused on industrial research. This competition will be for innovative proposals developed between the UK, Japan and the other Eureka participating countries. Innovate UK will be funding the UK partners only.
Read more here.
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Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP): 2025 – 2026 Round 5
Deadline: Monday, 2nd February 2026
The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme allows a UK registered business or not for profit organisation to partner with a UK higher/further education institution, research and technology organisation (RTO) or Catapult, for a 12–36-month project bringing academic expertise into business.
A project’s total eligible costs are £8,500 per month. Projects must be between 12 and 36 months. A proportion of the knowledge base partners’ costs (up to 67% for most SMEs) will be funded by Innovate UK and the remainder of the eligible costs are paid by the business partner.
Read more here.
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Innovate UK Growth Catalyst December 2025
Deadline: Tuesday, 3rd February 2026
Innovate UK Growth Catalyst is an Innovate UK programme designed to help startups and scaleups with high growth potential to grow faster. This Innovate UK Growth Catalyst competition combines grant funding, aligned private investment and structured support services to help innovators progress through key growth milestones.
This Innovate UK Growth Catalyst competition comprises a £100 million programme to support innovative companies in six of the industry growth sectors identified in the Government’s Industrial Strategy, in addition to a Battery Innovation programme conducted with the Department for Business and Trade.
Read more here.
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Women in Innovation Awards 2025/26
Deadline: Wednesday, 4th February 2026
The Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards support trailblazing women entrepreneurs to maximise the impact of their innovative ideas, accelerate business growth, and contribute to pressing societal, environmental and economic challenges.
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), is offering up to 60 Women in Innovation Awards to women founders and co-founders of micro, small or medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across the UK.
Successful projects will receive a 12-month package of support that includes a grant of up to £75K, bespoke business support, and a suite of training, networking and role-modelling opportunities.
Read more here.
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Horizon Europe: Innovative space-based applications enhancing capabilities for a resilient Europe
Deadline: Tuesday, 24th February 2026
Themes include downstream solutions for security-critical operations, resiliency and functioning of critical infrastructures in EU and crisis management operations.
Proposals should be built on the exploitation of the distinguishing features of Galileo and EGNOS seeking to enhance the way practitioners prepare for and manage crises and security operations.
Read more here.
Space South Central can support and facilitate introductions to interested parties and coordinate a joined-up approach across the four regional universities to avoid competing bids.
If you are interested or would like to explore potential involvement, please reply directly to Elizabeth Clutton (Elizabeth.Clutton@port.ac.uk).
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Horizon Europe: Space Data Economy
Deadline: Tuesday, 24th February 2026
Themes include, Energy, Climate adaptation and Environmental footprint reduction, green financing and insurance, Liveable cities of the future.
This topic aims at supporting activities that are enabling or contributing to overcoming sectorial demand fragmentation and support scale up of the space data use, increasing the wider uptake and mass adoption of the EU space data in selected priority areas that are strategic for Europe.
Read more here.
Space South Central can support and facilitate introductions to interested parties and coordinate a joined-up approach across the four regional universities to avoid competing bids.
If you are interested or would like to explore potential involvement, please reply directly to Elizabeth Clutton (Elizabeth.Clutton@port.ac.uk).
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Measurement for Business (M4B)
Deadline: Open Until Further Notice
NPL has launched Measurement for Business (M4B) to give you access to their specialist measurement science and engineering experts and facilities, at no charge, to help your business grow.
NPL’s expertise can accelerate your product or service getting to market. Their measurement experts can give confidence in your data, opening doors with potential investors.
Read more here.
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British Business Bank Start-up Loans
Deadline: Open Until Further Notice
A Start Up Loan is a government-backed personal loan available to individuals looking to start or grow a business in the UK. These loans are for new businesses or those which have been trading for less than three years.
In addition to finance, successful applicants receive 12 months of free mentoring and exclusive business offers to help them succeed.
The loan is unsecured, so there’s no need to put forward any assets or guarantors to support an application.
All owners or partners in a business can individually apply for up to £25,000 each, with a maximum of £100,000 available per business.
Read more here.
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General Support Technology Programme (GSTP)
Deadline: Open Until Further Notice
The UK Space Agency is looking to provide support to companies and academic institutions across the UK in developing innovative technologies to grow UK capability. They are keen to engage with start-ups and SMEs (from both within and outside the space sector), as well as established companies and organisations. Collaborative proposals are also welcome.
Read more here.
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Navigation Innovation Support Programme (NavISP)
Deadline: Open Until Further Notice
Since 2017, the UK has invested €50 million into NavISP to support the UK space PNT sector to innovate the next generation of space-enabled and space-supported navigation products, services and applications.
The UK investment in the programme is available to support UK organisations to undertake technology research and development focused on commercial innovation
Read more here.
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Cyber security consultancy support, plus assessment and certification
Deadline: Open Until Further Notice
This funding supports UK-based SMEs involved in space sector activity looking to achieve a recognised standard of cyber security to make their company more attractive to new business in a competitive international marketplace.
Successful applicants can receive up to 3 days of consultation from a cyber security professional funded by the UK Space Agency. This can be virtual or at a place of business (UK) depending on requirements.
Read more here
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ESA ITT
Deadline: Various
The latest list of open and intended ESA and non-ESA ITTs is now available and published on ESA STAR. This includes all contracts currently open for bids, as well as those in the intended phase prior to publication. All opportunities listed are accessible to UK companies, though some caveats may apply.
Read more here.
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ESA Proposal Advice Service
Deadline: Open Until Further Notice
The ESA Proposal Advice Service (ESA PAS) is a UK Space Agency-funded pilot programme designed to help UK-based organisations improve the quality of their proposals submitted to the European Space Agency (ESA). The service provides free, non-technical advice to organisations who are preparing ESA bids and want to strengthen their applications before submission.
ESA PAS focuses on improving the clarity, structure, and strategic alignment of proposals by identifying common errors and areas for improvement. The aim is to increase the competitiveness of UK bids without providing engineering or technical solutions. Feedback is tailored to the five evaluation criteria used by ESA: background and expertise, understanding of requirements and objectives, quality of the proposed programme of work, adequacy of management, costing and planning, and compliance with administrative tender conditions.
Find out more here.
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Defence Sourcing Portals
The Defence Sourcing Portal (DSP) hosts all of MOD’s advertised requirements. You can tailor your notifications from DSP by selecting appropriate category codes.
Contracts Finder allows you to search for information about contracts worth over £12,000 (including VAT) with the government and its agencies.
Register for the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender to search and apply for high-value contracts in the UK’s public and utilities sectors. High-value contracts are usually above £139,688 including VAT.
MOD Acquisition Pipeline is a forward look of potential procurement activity and Framework Agreements at MOD.
