National Space Innovation Programme - Call 3

Funding

£150,000 – £2,000,000

Location

England

Applications

Open until 13 November 2026

Overview

NSIP Call 3 funds space-related research and development projects in England. There are two funding strands. Kick Starter supports early-stage, disruptive space innovations. Major Projects supports ideas closer to commercialisation and market growth. Grants range from £150,000 to £2,000,000. You must co-fund the project alongside the grant. The deadline to apply is 13 November 2026.

Eligibility

Who can apply:

limited companyacademicpublic sector

Key requirements:

  • Co-funding required alongside grant
  • Project must be space-related R&D
  • Must have a clear target market
Who is this for?

This grant is for UK businesses, universities, and research organisations working on space-related technology in England. It suits teams at any stage, from early innovation to near-commercial projects. It is not for projects outside the space sector.

Regions

Funder track record
Last published award 2025Open to first-time applicants

Awards published

30,043

Typical award

£62,476

Most awards

£25,530 to £143,021

Most funded region

London

53 awards in 2025, down from 6,337 the year before.

Recent awards include University of Manchester (£160,000, 2025), University of Sheffield (£160,000, 2025) and University of Wolverhampton (£160,000, 2025).

This funder has made 30,043 awards with a typical award of £62,476. Would you qualify?

See if you'd qualify

Contains data from 360Giving publishers, used under open licence.

Full details from Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

The National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) provides co-funded grant support to derisk high-reward R&D projects with a clear target market. NSIP operates open funding calls for all space-related technologies under two strands: NSIP Kick Starter that supports highly disruptive early-stage innovations, and NSIP Major Projects which emphasizes commercialisation and growth of particularly lucrative ideas from UK businesses, universities and research organisations. NSIP Call 3 will expand the NSIP portfolio of innovative R&D projects that meet the programme’s objectives to: catalyse investment into the UK space sector, capture market growth, raise Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) of priority space capabilities, and position space activities closer to commercialisation and exploitation.

Set up your organisation profile first

Takes about 5 minutes. This is what makes your checks specific to your business.

Set up profile

Get the full toolkit

Premium adds unlimited eligibility checks plus everything you need to apply, for any grant.

  • Unlimited eligibility checks
  • Get a step-by-step application plan
  • Generate a first draft you can work from
  • Review your draft against the criteria
  • Build a budget template
  • Read the grant in plain English

Get notified about grants like this

Create a free account to receive alerts when new charities & non-profit funding opens.

Create free account

Last updated: 4 September 2026