Funding Flash

October 2026

Your monthly Funding Flash is here, bringing together the latest grants, loans and funding programmes from across the UK and Europe, carefully curated by Space South Central to save you time and help you focus on what matters most.

As the space cluster for the South-Central region, we combine sector insight with hands‑on expertise to help you access the support you need to accelerate innovation and growth. Since 2016, we’ve supported organisations in securing over £39M in funding, and we are ready to support you too.

If something catches your eye, get in touch at info@spacesouthcentral.com for guidance on shaping a strong and competitive bid.

National Funding

For more information or help with funding throughout the UK please contact our Strategic Partnerships Manager Elizabeth Clutton at elizabeth.clutton@port.ac.uk.

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Advancing atmospheric and aerial autonomy

Deadline: Wednesday 21^st October 2026

Apply for proof-of-concept funding to develop, integrate, deploy, and demonstrate innovative autonomous solutions for atmospheric science or autonomous aerial systems for environmental applications. Projects must deliver demonstrator capability, high-quality environmental data, and pathways towards wider use and adoption.

Read more here.

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EIC Pathfinder

Deadline: Wednesday, 28^th October

The EIC Pathfinder is a funding programme under Horizon Europe that offers support to research teams by:

funding research to develop the scientific basis to underpin breakthrough technologies
supporting the earliest stages of scientific, technological or deep-tech R&D
aiming to build on new, cutting-edge directions in science and technology to disrupt a field and a market or create new opportunities
realising innovative technological solutions to identify, develop and scale up breakthrough technologies and disruptive innovations in Europe

Read more here.

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Road and Traffic Safety

Deadline: Friday, 27^th November 2027

Road and traffic safety is a critical concern globally. In many regions, rapid urbanisation and the growing number of vehicles have led to increased accidents, amplifying the need for improved traffic management, incident detection, and predictive safety solutions to reduce accidents, injuries, and fatalities on the roads.

Read more here.

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Women’s ICURe Explore - January 2027

Deadline: Monday, 2^nd November 2026

Women’s ICURe Explore is a 13-week, full-time market exploration programme designed to train, fund and support research teams to determine whether there is a market for products or services that utilise their ideas, research, science and technologies. Up to £35,000 of funding is available to ‘get out of the lab’ and validate commercially promising ideas in the marketplace.

Read more here.

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Space for Sustainable Industry and Digital Business Transformation Contest

Deadline: Wednesday, 4^th November 2026

ESA Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) is launching a Contest to connect companies developing space-enabled services with leading industry challenge owners.

The call focuses on specific operational and innovation needs identified by Coca-Cola, P&G, Galp and Tomorrowland/Love Tomorrow across water resilience, security and enterprise risk, renewable energy, sustainable manufacturing, consumer insight, temporary-city operations, mobility, logistics and immersive experiences.

Read more here.

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Norman Lockyer Fellowship

Deadline: Sunday, 15^th November 2026

The Royal Astronomical Society invites applications for the Norman Lockyer fellowship. This enables a researcher to devote most of their time to research on an astronomical topic, including solar system and planetary science.

Read more here.

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MDI Programme Innovation and Scale-up Hub

Deadline: Wednesday, 18th November 2026

UK registered eligible organisations can apply for a share of up to £4 million for a Manufacturing Digitalisation Innovation and Scale-up Hub to improve the targeting, quality and commercial impact of grant funded activity.

Read more here.

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ESA Wildfires

Deadline: Tuesday, 1^st December 2026

This is part of the Wildfire Safety initiative, inviting proposals for innovative services that advance wildfire management using space technology and data.

The first call focused on Wildfire Response, supporting solutions for early detection of wildfires, near-real-time fire evolution monitoring, and fire behaviour simulation and prediction. A subsequent call focusing on Wildfire Preparedness will open on 1 September 2026, and will address wildfire risk assessment, fuel load management, and the application of preventative and adaptation measures.

Read more here.

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EPSRC AI ICURe Engage - January 2027

Deadline: Thursday, 10^th December 2026

EPSRC AI ICURe Engage is a 4-week, part-time programme for those projects directly linked to the Turing Fellowships and / or the AI CDTs, delivered by the SETsquared Partnership, and tailored for researchers and technicians. This programme aims to identify potential beneficiaries and users of academic research, introduce participants to commercialisation tools, and foster entrepreneurship.

Read more here.

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Water Breakthrough Challenge 7

Deadline: Tuesday, 5^th January 2027

The seventh round of the Water Breakthrough Challenge (‘Breakthrough 7’) will make up to £50 million available to highly collaborative water-sector innovations, aiming to deliver benefits for customers, communities and the environment.

The previous round, Water Breakthrough Challenge 6, concluded earlier in 2026, with 19 winners awarded a total of £58 million. Learn about the previous challenge and the winning innovations.

Read more here.

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Unlocking Space for Investment: Growth Hub

Deadline: Open Until Further Notice
The Growth Hub supports UK space businesses to scale and succeed by connecting them with expert advice and resources. It accelerates growth and unlocks investment through practical guidance and specialist knowledge, helping organisations overcome barriers and thrive in the space sector.

Read more here.

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UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund

Deadline: Open Until Further Notice

UKI2S invests in innovations emerging from the UK’s publicly funded science and knowledge base. We specialise in engineering biology, defence & security, fusion energy, and space to facilitate sustainable growth, enhance the health and security of society, improve productivity, and deliver economic gains emerging from UK’s public funding portfolio.

Read more here.

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Solent Freeport and Solent Growth Partnership Apprenticeship Incentive

Deadline: Open Until Further Notice

Solent Freeport, in partnership with the Solent Growth Partnership through the Solent Business Growth Service, has launched a new £50,000 Apprenticeship Incentive Programme designed to help small and medium-sized businesses across the Solent region recruit an apprentice for the first time, while supporting young people who have previously been not in education, employment or training (NEET).

The programme offers financial incentives of up to £2,000 per apprentice to eligible employers, alongside tailored business support, helping to reduce recruitment barriers, strengthen local skills pipelines and support inclusive economic growth across the Solent.

Read more here.

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Cyber security consultancy support, plus assessment and certification

Deadline: Open Until Further Notice

UK-based SMEs involved in space sector activity (less than 250 employee headcount) with a manufacturing or operational presence in the UK (includes NI). Applications from micro/start-up businesses are particularly welcomed.

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. We 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 welcomed.

Read more here.

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National Security Strategic Investment Fund

Deadline: Open Until Further Notice

NSSIF is a partnership between the NS&D community and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) that backs breakthrough technologies that strengthen our collective security and defence. We invest in early-stage companies, align government demand with start-up supply, and help founders scale with capital, contracts, and insight.

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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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.

International Funding

For information regarding international funding opportunities please contact our International Partnership Manager Tobias Marchant at t.marchant@surrey.ac.uk.
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International Bilateral Fund – Call 3

Deadline: Wednesday, 4 November 2026

The UK Space Agency, part of the Department for Business, Innovation, Science & Trade (BIST), invites proposals for projects through the International Bilateral Fund (IBF) that will help strengthen the UK space sector’s international partnerships.

Read more here.

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UK-Singapore CRD 2026

Deadline: Wednesday, 16^th December 2026

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £3 million for the purpose of developing innovative proposals with Singapore. You must collaborate with at least one Singapore business applying under the equivalent Enterprise Singapore programme.

Read more here.

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Two large asteroids found spinning as fast as a fairground ride

Space South Central Funding Flash October 2026