The BSGN Advanced Materials and In-Orbit Manufacturing Accelerator launches its second call for projects

The ESA BSGN Advanced Materials and In-Orbit Manufacturing Industry Accelerator, led by Satellite Applications Catapult, has opened a new call for projects. This call seeks to attract commercially driven R&D projects from space and non-space industries, with the aim of using a microgravity environment to explore, foster and contribute to new and advanced materials solutions and in-space manufacturing capabilities across Europe . Interested applicants can apply until 31st August 2025 on the OSIP platform.

For many years, the space sector has accelerated innovation in material science, enabling the delivery of broad economic and societal value. Today, the rise of a commercial in-orbit economy, including autonomous research platforms, next-generation space stations, and dedicated microgravity labs, is unlocking entirely new frontiers for materials R&D.

Alongside ESA’s BSGN Advanced Materials Accelerator, selected projects will gain access to technical support, funding opportunities, and a growing ecosystem of commercial and institutional partner companies to develop new discoveries in low Earth orbit and beyond. This is a unique opportunity to be a part of the future of commercial space innovation.

Following the success of its first round, the second call for projects is now open, with a larger budget and a sharper strategic focus!

The Phase 2 Call builds upon the success, learnings and momentum of Phase 1, while reflecting an evolved strategy and vision for the accelerator. This time, there is a major emphasis on the R&D and optimisation of new and advanced materials which can benefit from the use of microgravity. The accelerator refined the evaluation criteria prioritising industrial impact, market potential and cross-sector collaboration, aligning with ESA’s evolving priorities under the Explore 2040 strategy.

The accelerator serves as a foundational mechanism to bridge the commercialisation gap between promising research, technical feasibility and in-orbit deployment. We are looking for projects with the following characteristics:

    • Use of microgravity as an enabler, not just a testing opportunity

    • Differentiated technology with clear market relevance

    • Genuine commercial traction or validated interest

    • Strong delivery capability and technical maturity

    • A clear post-demo scale-up strategy

This call has an emphasis on deploying innovations to solve real-world challenges and bridge the gap between proof-of-concept and market-ready solutions.

“The LEO ecosystem is developing fast and it is giving rise to new opportunities to explore the use of microgravity conditions to advance knowledge and mature R&D activities towards the goal of offering new solutions to terrestrial and space markets. The ESA BSGN Accelerator’s model provides clear incentives – co-funding, technical and commercial support – to take action and invest in this exciting domain, while new commercial solutions appearing in the market are collectively providing signs that the post-ISS era can open the door to new markets.”

– Francesco Liucci, Innovation Management Officer responsible for the ESA BSGN Industry Accelerators initiative

“The demand for next-generation materials is accelerating across sectors — from semiconductors to photonics. Microgravity offers a way to engineer materials with purities, structures and properties not achievable on Earth. This Accelerator is designed to turn that potential into commercially viable, real-world applications.”

– Hamid Soorghali, Lead Strategy Consultant at the Satellite Applications Catapult

ESA BSGN Industry Accelerator has already secured a budget of €800,000 to be allocated to the most impactful advanced materials and in-orbit manufacturing projects. Selected projects will receive co-funding to execute in-orbit experiment or demonstration, and tailored support to de-risk innovation, accelerate technology development and advance towards commercial deployment and investor readiness.

Timelines

Projects submission is open until 31st August 2025.

The evaluation phase will take place during September – October 2025.

By early November 2025 the projects portfolio will be selected.

Contact & Submission

Projects submission via the OSIP platform.

Register to the informative “Ask Me Anything” webinar, which will take place on June 10th 2025, at 14:00-17:00 CEST. Register here.

For questions and more information: bsgnmaterials@sa.catapult.org.uk

About ESA

The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space. ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions.

Learn more about ESA at https://www.esa.int

About BSGN

The BSGN is a European Space Agency initiative designed drive the growth of new economic markets in Low Earth Orbit and on the Moon. It focuses on supporting the development of new commercial markets and innovations through microgravity-enabled applications, fostering collaboration between space and non-space industries, and encouraging high-potential commercial activities. The mission of the BSGN accelerators is to lower barriers for non-space sectors to access in-space R&D, stimulate private investment and co-fund microgravity-enabled innovations and related in-orbit supply chains and infrastructure.

In 2022, the BSGN established the Advanced Materials and In-Orbit Manufacturing Accelerator, led by Satellite Applications Catapult, to drive demand-led innovation, expand commercial use of microgravity platforms, and foster new industrial capabilities in space-enabled sectors across Europe. The accelerator collaborates with a wide range of innovators, including start-ups, SMEs, and large corporates, to leverage space-based R&D for advanced product and technological innovation. It supports projects rooted in terrestrial industrial innovations, offering access to in-space R&D platforms and commercial services through guided support and strategic ecosystem engagement.

Learn more about the BSGN network here.

About the Satellite Applications Catapult

The Satellite Applications Catapult is at the heart of the satellite services revolution, driving adoption of space technology to shape and sustain the world of tomorrow. We’re driven by how our actions help the organisations we work with, both large and small, bring new services to market. By connecting industry and academia we get new research off the ground and into the market more quickly.

Learn more about Catapult at http://www.sa.catapult.org.uk

For questions, reach out to bsgnmaterials@sa.catapult.org.uk