EIC Accelerator Challenge: Customer-driven, innovative space technologies and services
Closed
Status as published by the data source.
Scope:The overall goal of this Challenge is to ensure Europe is able to service and protect its own Space infrastructure, avoiding the risk of losing its strategic autonomy, and enhance the competitiveness of its space industry by encouraging the emergence of innovative, interoperable, scalable, and autonomous “customer-driven” innovative space technologies and services.
In terms of technological developments, the specific objectives of this Challenge are:
• To have the means to inspect spacecraft in orbit, to augment satellite capabilities and resilience;
• To develop autonomous and in-space collision avoidance capabilities e.g., use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)/ Machine Learning (ML) for collision avoidance manoeuvres, space debris positioning data and develop in-space mobility propulsion capabilities;
• To further mature assembly and manufacturing in orbit with different applications (e.g., in-orbit, cis-lunar exploration, Earth observation, space debris inspection, space situational awareness, etc.);
• To collect space debris with a view for recycling, recovering and transforming purposes (e.g., microgravity platforms);
• To design and construct a R&I low Earth orbit unmanned platform assembled in orbit and to host in-orbit microgravity experiments or collect/re-use space debris considering and make use of a sustainable, modular concept for the platform and its operation;
• To scale up disruptive innovations for space situational awareness (SSA), in- space logistics, Earth observation, navigation, satellite communications (SATCOM), and others. This Challenge aims at developing:
• an European servicing and re-use/recycling capability for servicing European space infrastructure, while contributing to the management and reduction of space debris;
• timely and cost-effective Space Traffic Management services for on-time collision avoidance manoeuvres;
• the re-use, refurbish or recycling of a spacecraft components or launchers upper stages;
• scientific and technological solutions for in-orbit services and re-use/refurbishing and recycling of old spacecraft (e.g. satellites, rockets upper stages or critical raw materials etc.);
• Innovative propulsion solutions for in-space mobility of spacecraft;
• Innovative technologies for space transportation, Earth observation, navigation, satellite communications, space science, space situational awareness. It is expected that EU companies generate new contracts from new markets, together with significant cost-savings for satellite owners. Affordable and cost-effective on orbit satellite servicing technologies will first benefit the EU space economy, through an increased competitiveness of EU space industry. The boom of an innovative in-space servicing (IISS) industry will result in much broader economic and market spill over effects.
Applications to this EIC Accelerator Challenge may request an investment component of above EUR 15 million in duly justified cases (a request above EUR 15 million investment is allowed in duly justified cases -see Accelerator call text).
In order to protect the strategic interests of the Union and its Member States, the contract may set specific conditions and milestones if this is necessary to ensure that technologies of a strategic nature for open autonomy are not directly or indirectly controlled by third countries not associated to Horizon Europe or by legal entities of non-associated third countries.
Where relevant, companies supported under this Challenge will have the opportunity to benefit from the in-orbit demonstration and validation services supported by Horizon Europe, Cluster 4 Space.
For further information, please see the EIC Work Programme 2023.
- Status
- Closed
- Deadline
- (time not stated)
- Opens
- Published
- Grant range
- €500,000 – €17,500,000
- Country
- European Union (EU-wide)
- Programme
- Horizon Europe (HORIZON)
- Official page
- Open at the source portal
Other calls under Horizon Europe (HORIZON)
- PV based electrification of the economy: Designing & optimising PV systems supporting industrial electrification and promoting participation in electricity markets (EUPI-PV Partnership)
- Advanced TSO control rooms to enhance grid observability, stability and resilience
- Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADSM) for more efficient and flexible distribution grids
- Community of practice - Data-Driven Decision-Making in Energy
- Industrial processes and equipment for innovative, reliable and scalable tandem technologies (EUPI-PV Partnership)
- Integrated Approaches for Retrofitting Infrastructures with Innovative Energy Storage Technologies
- Demonstration of hydropower technologies for efficient and forward-looking refurbishment of existing hydropower plants
- Delivery of industrial CCUS clusters – Societal Readiness pilot
All calls under this programme
Similar opportunities
- Digital solutions for autonomy for space transportation systems, design and simulation tools - Digital enablers and building blocks (Space Partnership)
- Reinforcing EU autonomous access to space through EU-based spaceports
- Space critical Equipment for EU non-dependence – Space Refuelling Interface
- Space critical equipment for EU non-dependence
- Space critical EEE components for EU non-dependence
- EIC Accelerator 2026 - Short proposal
Where this came from
- Source document
- https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/data/topicDetails/horizon-eic-2023-acceleratorchallenges-07.json
- Document fingerprint
e81ac91d15a142b5(SHA-256, first 16 hex characters)- Retrieved
- First recorded here
What has changed
- deadline changed from 2023-11-07 to 2023-11-08 on
- url first recorded as https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-eic-2023-acceleratorchallenges-07 on
- currency first recorded as EUR on
- amount_max first recorded as 17500000.00 on
- amount_min first recorded as 500000.00 on
- deadline first recorded as 2023-11-07 on
- opens_on first recorded as 2022-12-07 on
- published_on first recorded as 2022-12-07 on
- status_basis first recorded as source_status on
- status first recorded as closed on
- title first recorded as EIC Accelerator Challenge: Customer-driven, innovative space technologies and services on
Data source
© European Union, 2026. Source: EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU — CC BY 4.0.
Retrieved from the source on .
The source last updated this document on Thu, 15 May 2025 19:58:54 GMT.
Personal data of natural persons has been dissociated by quiescence.eu.
This service is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by the data publishers.