International Bilateral Fund - Call 3
Funding
£1,000,000 – £1,500,000
Deadline
4 November 2026
Location
England
Applications
Deadline: 4 November 2026
Overview
The International Bilateral Fund (IBF) is run by the UK Space Agency. Call 3 backs projects that strengthen the UK space sector's international partnerships. It is open now and closes at 3:00pm on 4 November 2026. Each project can receive up to £1.5m in UK Space Agency grant funding. Projects can run for up to 18 months and must start on 1 April 2027. You must include an international partner and matched contributions, in line with UK subsidy control guidelines. The project must be led by a UK organisation. That can be any type, including university-led research and industry-led commercial proposals. The Agency particularly encourages partnerships with Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan and the USA. Other countries, including emerging space nations, are also welcome. You need to show how the partnership supports both UK and partner country space priorities. A clear contribution to economic growth is a core assessment criterion. Proposals are welcome from any area of the UK space economy. Priority areas are satellite communications, assured access to space, in-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing, and space domain awareness. One caveat to plan for: each lead organisation can submit only one application, whatever type of organisation it is. Successful projects must also pass due diligence checks on company viability and national security. Decisions are expected in February 2027. Official source: https://www.find-government-grants.service.gov.uk/grants/international-bilateral-fund---call-3-1. Last checked by GrantMatch on 15 October 2026.
Requirements to check
Who can apply:
Key requirements:
- Led by a UK organisation
- International partner is mandatory
- Matched contributions are mandatory, in line with UK subsidy control guidelines
- One application per lead organisation
- Projects last up to 18 months and must start on 1 April 2027
- UK bank account needed; payments made in pounds sterling
The project must be led by a UK organisation that will receive the grant. Any type of UK organisation can lead, including universities and industry. Grant recipients need a UK bank account, and payments are made in pounds sterling. You must include an international partner and matched contributions. Each lead organisation can submit only one application. Projects cannot work in areas of active conflict. All project members need anti-bribery, GDPR and conflict of interest processes in place. Projects must pass due diligence checks.
This summary may not include every exclusion. Check the full eligibility rules, including who and what the funder will not support.
UK organisations, including universities and industry, that want to lead a space project with an international partner and can show clear economic benefit to the UK.
Regions
Full details from Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade
The UK Space Agency, invites proposals for projects through the International Bilateral Fund (IBF) that will help strengthen the UK space sector’s international partnerships. Projects can be up to 18 months and must begin on 1 April 2027. Up to £1.5m is available in UK Space Agency grant funding for each project. 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 inclusion of an international partner and matched contributions (as per UK subsidy control guidelines) are mandatory.
Apply through the Government's Flexigrant portal before 3:00pm on 4 November 2026. An optional expression of interest stage closed on 14 September 2026. Anyone who completed it still had to submit a full application on Flexigrant. Guidance and the forms you need are on the funder's GOV.UK website.
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Create free accountLast updated: 15 October 2026