Space4Rail is an ESA initiative to support the railway community by raising awareness of the added value that space-based assets can bring to railway applications.
The initiative identifies ESA funding programmes that can support potential opportunities for the exploitation of space-based assets such as communication, PNT (Position, Navigation and Time) and earth observation satellites to meet today’s challenges and needs in railway operations.
The ESA programmes included in the Space4Rail initiative are:
- Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES), including Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) and Competitiveness & Growth (C&G)
- Technology Research Programme (TRP)
- General Support Technology Programme (GSTP)
- InCubed Programme (InCubed)
- Navigation Innovation and Support Programme (NAVISP)
ESA SUPPORT
- provides financial and technical support
- acts as technical facilitation between space industry, the railway industry and service providers
- provides access to the ESA brand
Opportunities
The Space4Rail initiative offers a variety of opportunities according to the maturity of the activity (refer to Service / Technology Readiness Levels – SRLs/TRLs) and the space-based assets involved. The key opportunities are presented below (SRLs/TRLs are provided as an indication, only).
Open competition opportunities (fully funded, blue boxes in the picture below) – they are ESA initiated, companies and organisations are invited to submit proposals in response to an open Invitation to Tender (ITT).
Direct Negotiation opportunities (co-funded, red boxes in the picture below) – they refer to calls for proposals that are permanently open, companies and organisations are invited to submit proposals at any time (activities are industry initiated).
Please refer to the right menu for the list of key opportunities in Open Competition and Direct Negotiation. The official description of ESA Programs and Opportunities is published on ESA-STAR.
Intented tender
The following list of Intended Invitations to Tender (IITT) include the actions that are funded and approved for initiation on ESA programmes for the Space4Rail Initiative.
For each listed IITT, a summary note of the intended action will be found (short description of the work to be carried out, estimated price range, planned publication (quarter), etc.).
Any company interested in participating in an IITT listed activity can declare its interest in ESA-STAR Publication.
The expression of interest can be made public or shared with ESA and National Delegates only. Entities can indicate whether they would like to act as a Prime, Subcontractor or either of these roles. When made public, all users accessing ESA-STAR Publication will be able to see the expression of interest, the choice of rile, contact details as well as a link to entity’s esa-match profile page. This feature allows a proactive search for industrial partnerships and is a valuable tool for SMEs to make themselves known. In addition, entities are invited to launch an esa-match marketspace ads to look for partners and collaborators, Ads can be linked to specific tender actions. More information about expressions of interest can be found here.
The Global List of IITTs defining the ESA procurement programme for the year is issued by the Agency on ESA-STAR at the beginning of the year and is updated at least once a month. Potential suppliers are invited to regularly consult this list.
No future Call for Opportunities at the moment
Invitation to tender
The standard procedure for placing contracts with ESA is the Open Competition ESA is inviting companies and organisations to submit a tender in response to an open Invitation to Tender (ITT).
The following list of Invitations to Tender (ITT) contains the actions that are funded on ESA Programmes for the Space4Rail Initiative and that are open to all potential bidders and available on ESA-Star. This type of activity is initiated by ESA as direct result of the annual work plan activities. External ideas can be fed through the Call4Idea platform and, if selected, could be part of these invitations to tender.
For each listed ITT a summary note of the action will be found (closing date, short description of the work to be carried out, estimated price range, etc.).
Please note: The documents on ESA-STAR take precedence in case of any discrepancies. The consultation of the official documentation on ESA-STAR related to the Calls for Proposals and ITTs is only possible for duly registered users.
No future Call for Opportunities at the moment
Direct negotiations
Direct Negotiation opportunities (co-funded) refer to calls for proposals that are permanently open, companies and organisations are invited to submit proposals at any time (activities are industry initiated). Please refer to the right menu for a description of Direct Negotiation opportunities.
