Topics

The Space activities in Horizon 2020 include five major activity lines:

1. Applications in Satellite Navigation – Galileo

The Galileo programme will provide GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) services and increase availability and reliability of other GNSS, while ensuring the European non-dependence from other GNSS systems. Horizon 2020 will accompany the infrastructure deployment by fostering the further uptake of EGNSS in applications and application development.

These Horizon 2020 activities are complementary to the funding of the infrastructure and the operations of the EGNSS.

This call will be managed by the European GNSS Agency (GSA). 

2. Earth Observation

Horizon 2020 will be supporting the operational Copernicus activities by addressing the continuity of pre-operational services, fostering the development of uptake of EO data (and specifically Copernicus) in applications and commercial exploitation. There will be calls regarding Space enabled applications and Tools for access of space data.

3. Protection of European assets in and from space

This call concerns space weather and Near Earth Objects (NEOs) such as asteroids and comets that can cause damages to an extent that it could threaten mankind. Space Weather activities aim at understanding, monitoring and forecasting phenomena as space radiation to mitigate and prevent them and so protect our critical space infrastructure. 

4. Competitiveness of the European Space Sector: Technology and Science

This call comprises the issues of Competitiveness of European Space Technology, Space exploration and science, International cooperation in Space matters as well as Outreach and Communication.

5. SME Instrument

In the Horizon 2020 Space Work Programme, there will be a dedicated SME Instrument with the aim to engage small and medium enterprises in space research and development, especially those not traditionally involved in it and reduce as much as possible the entry barriers to SMEs for Horizon 2020 funding. The specific challenge of the actions envisaged under this call could cover any aspect of the Specific Programme for Space.

Furthermore, there is a Fast track to Innovation topic. Under this FTI pilot, proposals for innovation actions linked to any technology field are invited, on the basis of a continuously open call and a bottom-up driven logic.

In addition to the above mentioned calls, there are several other activities to be funded. Those activities comprise for example public procurement actions related to Galileo Public Regulated Service (PRS), Coordination and support actions (CSA) for bringing the Copernicus Programme into operational service, procurement topics related to GNSS Evolution, Mission and Services, GNSS evolution, infrastructure-related R&D activities managed by ESA or Space surveillance and tracking (SST) topics.