The project must be led by a UK organisation who will receive a grant from the UK Space Agency. This can be any type of UK organisation including University-led academic research proposals and Industry-led commercial research proposals.

Project consortia must include at least one formal international project partner: any applications that are submitted without an international partner explicitly listed or as a subcontractor will be rejected.

Owing to high levels of anticipated demand for this funding call, the UK Space Agency has taken the decision to restrict the number of applications to one per lead organisation (for the avoidance of doubt, this measure applies to all types of organisations, including industrial, academic and public sector research bodies).

The UK Space Agency’s grant contribution is topped at £1.5m maximum, total project costs including match contributions can take the total project cost above this amount. Grant funding per project is expected to range from £1m to £1.5m.

This grant can usually cover up to 70% of project costs, depending on business size and project type. Enterprises may receive a 15% uplift to the subsidy ratios where the project involves collaboration between enterprises, where at least one of the enterprises is an SME, or between an enterprise and one or more research and knowledge dissemination organisation, which must have the right to publish its own research results. Academic partners on projects led by enterprises will still be funded in all cases at 80% of full economic cost.

Grant recipients should be prepared to begin by April 1 2027, and projects must conclude by September 30, 2028, at the latest, having submitted final reports and invoice. The start date is dependent on completion of the UK Space Agency’s due diligence checks. These checks may require timely applicant involvement to avoid delays to project kick off.

Applicants must stay within the following funding guidelines:

• A minimum of 20% of the grant funding must be claimed by the lead organisation
• International partner costs should be capped at 20% of the total grant cost
• No more than 20% of the overall funding should be distributed to subcontractors
• No more than 30% of the total grant value can be spent on travel and subsistence and must be clearly justified.

International collaboration for space will prioritise partnerships with our closest allies, while also forging relationships with fast-growing partners, ensuring the UK remains at the forefront of international space cooperation. For IBF Call 3, we encourage applications with international partners in Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan and the USA. The UK Space Agency has identified these countries as strategically important for advancing broader national goals as well as the space sector. Applications to strengthen collaboration with wider international partners are also very welcome where they represent strong opportunities to further UK international goals.

The fund supports UK industry and academia to commercialise technologies through targeted international partnerships, unlocking international opportunities and trade. Proposals must describe how the project will deliver economic impact, with clear and realistic pathways to commercialisation, exports, investment attraction or job creation. Consortia should combine expertise from industry, academia and the wider research community. Applicants are encouraged to consider how organisations of different sizes can work together to build capability across the UK space sector.

Through this call, the UK aims to develop and/or strengthen key space capabilities by supporting international partnerships that accelerate the development of technologies, products and expertise underpinning future space missions and services.

Proposals should demonstrate how the project will strengthen UK strategic capability through international collaboration and address a clearly defined capability gap, technical challenge, market barrier, or strategic opportunity. Activities should deliver meaningful and measurable benefits for the UK such as increased industrial competitiveness or improved supply chain resilience. This may also include areas where the UK is already internationally competitive, as well as emerging sectors with significant strategic advantage and future growth potential.

Building on the success of the previous IBF Call 2, which provided a pipeline of funding for international cooperation across two distinct tracks, IBF Call 3 will offer larger, longer-term grants designed to deliver high-value outcomes for both the UK and partner countries, driving meaningful progress in international partnerships.

Proposals can cover a wide range of activities aligned with the UK’s international goals and the UK Space Agency’s priorities. Proposals should include activities that promote the UK internationally by working with overseas partners to showcase UK capabilities, strengthen the UK’s international profile, and advance bilateral relationships. We also welcome activities that champion the space sector within the UK. This may include dissemination of project results, stakeholder engagement, public outreach, skills development, knowledge exchange and other activities that raise awareness and support the wider adoption and exploitation of project outcomes.

Some examples of previous successful proposals can be found on our website for Call 1 (Phase 1 (2023) and Phase 2 (2024/25)) and Call 2 from the previous iterations of the IBF.

Proposals are welcome on any area of the UK space economy, but the following priority subsectors have been identified as particularly important for the UK’s economic, civil and defence requirements:

• Satellite Communications
• Assured Access to Space
• In-Orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM) and
• Space Domain Awareness (SDA)

Applicants are strongly encouraged to engage with identified government priorities to ensure projects are aligned with cross-government interests.

Information Webinar: 8 September 2026

EOI deadline: 14 September 2026 (optional but encouraged)

Application deadline: 4 November 2026. This call will close at 3:00 pm on Wednesday 4 November 2026 – no extensions are permitted. Late applications will not be accepted.

If you would like help to find a collaboration partner, contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s Space team.