Notice

National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) - International Funding Call FAQs

Published 1 October 2020

Document last updated: 22 September 2020

The information below complements the UK Space Agency’s NSIP call for grant proposals launched on 28 September 2020.

1. Q1: Why is the UK Space Agency (UKSA) establishing another funding programme?

A1: This is in response to the request from the UK space sector for a national programme specifically to support innovation and international collaborations in the space sector. The National Space Innovation Programme complements existing UK Space Agency funding opportunities and will be focused on developing the support for innovation within the UK’s growing space sector.

2. Q2: How does the International element fit within the National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP)?

A2: The NSIP – International is the international component of the UKSA’s National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) and will support bilateral projects with our key international partners in support of UK science, security and trade. The projects within the programme will be established on existing international engagements and new partnerships and proposals.

3. Q3: How will NSIP – International projects be selected?

A3: Projects will be selected based on the proposals invited through the NSIP – International funding call. The call is structured around targeted themes in the form of country/technology pairings, listed below, and where “global” is indicated proposals are welcomed for collaboration with any country. The themes have been chosen based on our engagement with our international partners, agreements we have in place with those partners, alongside engagement with the space industry and academia prior to and following the launch of the NSIP, and detail on themes can be found in Section 3 of the ‘Call for Proposals – NSIP International’ document. When considering applications to take forward, the UK Space Agency will look to progress the highest-ranking proposals from across all themes, and therefore not all themes are guaranteed to be allocated funding through this funding call.

Partner Country	Technology/Discipline
Australia	Earth observation
Japan	Satellite applications
Canada	Robotics
Global	Space safety and sustainability, including space debris
Global	Space science
France	Earth observation and climate
India	Earth observation and climate AND/OR sustainable development
UAE	Disaster relief

3.1 Q3.1: What is meant by space science projects?

A3.1: Space science projects include any which study natural phenomena or objects in outer space, or that make substantial use of space flight or space capabilities to conduct scientific experiments. We are also open to proposals which would enable future such projects, such as scoping studies or required technology development.

4. Q4: Who decides what proposals will be selected for funding?

A4: Proposals will be reviewed, and panels convened to provide the UK Space Agency with a shortlist of projects, with the final decision as to which projects to fund will be made by UKSA.

5. Q5: What are the evaluation criteria for proposals to be assessed against?

A5: Proposals will be assessed against a range of criteria by an independent advisory panel, consisting of independent UK Space Agency approved reviewers drawn from academia, industry, or government. This panel will assess the proposals according to a scoring system on a set number of criteria. The criteria to be assessed will include:

• Management and planning
• Benefit to the UK
• International collaboration

The UK Space Agency will also consider the available budget for the FY 20/21, the value for money of the proposal, and the requested amounts of funding for each project in the subsequent financial years. In addition, the UKSA will take into account the balance of projects across the themes, ensuring that these span across both the space sector and academic community.

Annex B in the ‘Call for Proposals – NSIP International’ document provides detailed guidance for a proposal and sets out the minimum information that all submissions must include. Annex C – Evaluation Criteria provides additional detail on these evaluation criteria and how they are scored and weighted.

6. Q6: Can I submit more than one proposal in response to this call?

A6: Yes, an organisation can submit more than one proposal as the lead (Prime) organisation, and also partner on more than one proposal. As per the instructions in ‘Annex B - Application Guidance’ in the ‘Call for Proposals – NSIP International’ document, each application must be submitted separately.

6.1 Q7: I want to include more detail than a section in the application form allows, is this permitted? Can I also submit additional documents submitted with the application form?

A7: No, only the information contained within the application form and within page limits specified for each section will be evaluated when selecting proposals. This is to ensure all proposals are scored fairly and equally, and also helps assessors to more easily compare proposals.

7. Q8: What is the funding envelope for the projects?

A8: Due to the range of potential projects, there will be a minimum and maximum grant value determined rather than a specific amount. It is expected that the grant amount per project will be between £250,000 and £2,500,000 for project deliverables in FY 20/21.

8. Q9: What is the impact if costs are deemed to be outside what is considered by UKSA to be value-for-money?

A9: Projects that are short-listed for grant funding will undergo due diligence and it is at that stage that any value for money queries would be discussed with the lead organisation.

9. Q10: The funding detailed for this is a total of 5m£, from which a number of projects will be funded to a max value of 2.5k£ within the thematic areas described for FY20/21. Is the expectation that the funding allocated for the projects must be completely spent by March 21? Does this mean that from the start of project (notional Oct 20) the work must be completed within 6 months?

A10: Yes, each project will need to deliver their planned outputs for FY 20/21 which they have outlined in their proposal by 31 March 2021. As part of this funding call, applicants are required to outline milestones and financial profile for their multi-year projects for the subsequent two financial years.

10. Q11: If a phased approach is considered, does a separate application need to be made to get funding beyond March 21? Since this has not yet been secured, what guarantee is there that continued funding will be available?

A11: Yes, a separate application will be required, therefore there is no guarantee of project co-funding after 31 March 2021.

11. Q12: If a maximum grant of 2.5m£ is allocated, for a project, what costs need to be invoiced by the end of FY20/21? Can some labour costs be carried beyond March 21?

A12: All work that has been completed this financial year will need to be invoiced and paid by 31 March 2021 and this includes labour costs. We will not be able to carry FY 20/21 costs into the next financial year.

12. Q13: What will the payment schedule be for the projects?

A13: Following the evaluation process, only the highest-ranking applications that sit within the Agency’s funding and affordability envelope will be funded. Financial checks will be undertaken, and all grant recipients are expected to demonstrate sound financial and programme management procedures. Grant payments will be made following successful completion of the applicable milestones outlined in Section 20 of the ‘Call for Proposals – NSIP International’ document.

13. Q14: Do all projects need to include match-funding?

A14: All projects must include match-funding from the applicant and project partners. The size of match-funding will differ depending on the activity completed and the size or type of organisation involved in the proposal. Further detail on the level of match-funding required and the maximum UKSA contribution can be found in Section 7 of the ‘Call for Proposals – NSIP International’ document and Annex A.

14. Q15: Can the match funding come from the organisation receiving the funding or would it need to come from another corporate, prime or partner?

A15: Yes, the match funding should come from the organisation receiving funding.

15. Q16: What are the match-funding requirements for academic partners?

A16: The match-funding requirements for project partners are set out in Section 7 and Annex A of the ‘NSIP - International Call for Proposals’ document. Academic partners will be funded at 80% of Full Economic Cost with their 20% matching contribution.

16. Q17: What are the overhead costs involved, costs which are incurred in additional to normal functions and gained as a result of the project?

A17: The 20% overhead rate, for both direct and indirect costs, allows UKSA to review and process the grant applications faster without requiring further documentation from applicants. If overheads cannot be accommodated within the 20% rate, applicants can submit a detail breakdown of their proposed and indirect costs using the ‘Overheads breakdown’ tab in the budget template (Annex E) of the ‘Call for Proposals – NSIP International’ document.

17. Q18: Are overhead/indirect costs included in the labour costs in project proposals or are they separated out as a different heading?

A18: The overheads are stated separately from the pay costs in the budget template. Section 12 (Finance Policy) in the ‘NSIP – International Call for Proposals’ document explains how these are to be costed.

18. Q19: Can organisations based outside of the UK apply for funding?

A19: Proposals must be for an activity to be led/conducted by a UK organisation. This may be in collaboration with international partners, and/or form part of a wider project or programme led by an international partner.

19. Q20: Is a “UK Organisation” any type of organisation within industry or academia? Can it be an affiliate or subsidiary of a company outside of the UK?

A20: Yes, the UK organisation leading your project may be from industry, academia or research organisations. The UK organisation may be an affiliate or subsidiary of a company outside the UK if the affiliate or subsidiary is registered at Companies House and can demonstrate its status as a UK organisation.

The proposals for NSIP - International must substantially involve international collaboration. This may include a project led by a UK organisation integrating international partners, a UK organisation supplying a contribution to a project led by an international partner, or a study/scoping exercise by a UK organisation exploring international collaboration.

20. Q21: Can international bank accounts be used for the funding or is a UK account required?

A21: As noted in Section 5 of the ‘NSIP - International Call for Proposals’ document, all grant recipients must have a UK bank account and all grant payments will be made in UK sterling.

21. Q22: Can an academic institution be the lead (prime) for this call?

A22: Yes, a UK academic institution may be the lead organisation in the NSIP - International funding call.

22. Q23: Can you clarify whether a research organisation would qualify as an academic partner under the GBER funding criteria?

A23: A research organisation may qualify as an academic partner under the GBER funding criteria if it is undertaking non-economic activity and is non-profit distributing. Those research organisations which are engaged in economic activity as part of the project will be treated as business enterprises for the purposes of funding.

23. Q24: Do organisations have to complete their project by the end of FY 2021? or does the project requires only the design of the system?

A24: We have not defined this. Your project proposal will need to describe the planned deliverables for FY 20/21.

24. Q25: What does TRL stand for?

A25: Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) is a measurement system developed by NASA as a method of assessing the maturity level of a particular technology. Each technology project is evaluated against the parameters for each technology level and is then assigned a TRL rating based on the projects progress.

25. Q26: Who do I contact for more information?

A27: Please direct enquiries to the dedicated International Policy inbox: [email protected].