Business with ESA
How to do business with ESA
90% of ESA budget is spent on contracts with industry. This amounts to approximately 1000 contracts being placed with European and Canadian companies every year. Equal opportunities and fairness are guaranteed by a common set of rules and procedures to be followed both by companies and the Agency.
'How to do business with ESA' was first published as a brochure in 1994, and aimed at presenting the complete ESA procurement system in a narrative and coherent way that is readily understood by those not directly aware of the system.
Access the Site 
ESA Industry Portal
The Industry Portal is serving industry and R&D entities as the entry point to ESA when looking for industry news, business opportunities or information on how to do business with ESA.
In addition to the Industry Portal home page, the following three sections address specific topics:
- Business Opportunities, if you are looking for business
- How to do Business Specially interesting if you are a newcomer to be informed about how to do business with ESA, but also relevant for established ESA suppliers
- Specific for SMEs dedicated to relevant information for Small and Medium-size Enterprises.
Access the Site
Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
The dynamism, flexibility and innovative capabilities of high technology Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are of high value to Europe’s space industry. ESA actively encourage this industrial group to become involved in its space programmes.
The aim is to enable ESA, and the European space industry, to tap into the potential of innovative SMEs and to open up opportunities for them to work more extensively with ESA and its space contractors.
Access the Site
Technology Transfer
ESA’s Technology Transfer Programme Office (TTPO) has successfully transferred over 200 space technologies to non-space sectors for applications as diverse as cooling suits for a Formula 1 racing team, ground penetrating radar to detect cracks in mine tunnels and several health-care innovations.
The activities of TTPO have also led to the creation of a number of new start-up companies in Europe, many of which have been promoted through ESA’s Business Incubator.
Access the Site
Technology Business Opportunities
The development of technology – making new things to do new things – is central to ESA's existence. The Agency spends around 8% of its budget on direct research and development, an activity mandated in the ESA Convention. It runs a suite of preparatory programmes covering various different technical maturity levels and domains.
- The Basic Technology Research Programme (TRP) is responsible for early development stages across all service and technology domains, taking cutting-edge ideas and testing their suitability for space applications.
- The General Support Technology Programme (GSTP) takes previously proven innovations through to succeeding stages of engineering, finally evolving fully-tested hardware ready for adoption by future missions.
Access the Site
ESA Telecom for professionals
The TIA Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) programme enables European and Canadian industry to explore, through research and development (R&D) activities, innovative concepts to produce leading-edge satcom products and services.
ARTES offers varying degrees of support to projects with different levels of operational and commercial maturity. The scope and plans for its pursuit are incorporated into the Telecommunications Long-Term Plan (TLTP), the blueprint for ESA's actions over a five-year time frame.
Businesses located within ESA member states involved in the satcom industry - whether small or large, new or experienced - can submit proposals via the various elements of the ARTES programme. Every ARTES element includes a funding framework and follows a certain criteria that must be met by satcom companies wishing to participate.
Access the Site
ISS Business
You want to perform an R&D experiment or a technology demonstration on the International Space Station (ISS)? The European Space Agency provides access to the ISS and other low gravity platforms to commercial customers and supports them in implementing their R&D and technology demonstration.
The ISS offers sophisticated research facilities, a crew of trained astronauts, regular access by both manned and unmanned spacecraft and an intellectual property regime tailored to the needs of commercial customers.
Access the Site
EOMD
Integrating Space based Monitoring into Industry Practices
Earth Observation Market Development (EOMD) aims to foster the use of Earth Observation (EO) based geo-information services within new market sectors. EOMD supports and funds the EO service industry to grow their business by attracting new clients and encouraging partnership building.
Access the Site
Last update: 29 July 2010 | 
