Discovery
The Discovery element is at the beginning of ESA’s innovation pipeline: We use it to peer, together with Academia and industry, beyond the immediate planning horizon.
ESA explores promising new ideas and concepts through its Discovery activities.
Through these activities we encourage risk taking and invest in potentially game-changing technologies and disruptive innovation. We also conceive the first coherent baselines and options for future space missions.
Being part of ESA’s Basic Activities, Discovery’s fully open and competitive approach allows ESA to identify, explore and mature the best ideas, benefitting from the open innovation approach.
The Discovery element funds research, studies and early technology development activities in all areas of space technology and research.
It is driven by novelty, focused on potentially game-changing technologies and disruptive innovation, and organised through ESA’s Open Space Innovation Platform (OSIP). OSIP was initially introduced for t he Discovery element to provide the lowest possible entrance barrier for new ideas to enter ESA’s innovation pipeline.
Discovery activities specifically target companies and academia which are not yet involved in space activities, and are particularly suitable for innovative SMEs.
Discovery types of activities
THREE TYPES OF ACTIVITIES ARE IMPLEMENTED WITHIN THE DISCOVERY ELEMENT OF ESA’s BASIC ACTIVITIES
Discovery types of activities
THREE TYPES OF ACTIVITIES ARE IMPLEMENTED WITHIN THE DISCOVERY ELEMENT OF ESA’s BASIC ACTIVITIES
1
Co-funded research
ESA co-funds research activities which last between six months and three years, with budgets of typically 20–90 k€. Co-funded research activities include the co-funding of PhDs and postdocs, as experience has shown that very innovative ideas are often generated by universities. These activities address fundamental scientific questions related to all types of space activities.
2
Studies
Studies explore the general feasibility of, interest in, and options for entirely new space systems with budgets typically between 20 and 100 k€. These can serve also as a precursor to technology development activities.
3
Early Technology Projects
The emphasis is on novel, potentially game-changing low Technology Readiness Level activities for space applications. These activities typically involve developing an early proof of concept with hardware up to prototype level with potential customer interests. Early technology development activities have budgets between 50 and 175 k€.
Latest funding opportunities
17.07.202420.09.2024100-200 KEURODiscoveryUSE OF FUTURE LEO MEGA-CONSTELLATIONS TO IMPROVE THE SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS (SSA) VIA A GNSS-BASED PASSIVE MULTISTATIC RADAR (G-PMR) SERVICE - EXPRO PLUS
Open Space Innovation Platform
To open the innovation pipeline to new actors and enlarge the space sector to fully benefit from opportunities of new space environment, in 2019 ESA created a platform to fund new ideas: OSIP.
THE NEBULA
LIBRARY
ESA's new knowledge bank for Research and Technology studies - the NEBULA library provides access to results of Discovery, Preparation and Technology Development activities. It serves as a technical repository and open library.