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APPLY TO ESA BIC FINLAND AND SPIN YOUR BUSINESS TO NEW HEIGHTS!

WELCOME TO ESA BIC FINLAND

Thank you for your interest to apply to ESA BIC Finland, and welcome! You can apply and incubate your idea with us, at any time, if you use positioning, satellite maps/images or other space assets in your products, or have invented new hardware or software that could be useful for the space industry.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

First, it’s important that you meet both the following criteria to be eligible to apply for ESA BIC Finland:

Your startup is less than 5 years old

Your startup is or will be a registered business in Finland

Are you a non-EU team?
You can apply for a Finnish startup visa.

READ MORE

THREE STEPS TO APPLY TO ESA BIC FINLAND

If you are eligible to apply, please read and follow the below steps (01,02,03), to apply to ESA BIC Finland. If needed, you can contact us for further information.

*** We encourage you to complete step two (02) and step three (03) at the same time if you are sure that you have identified your space connection in step one (01) and your business plan. ***

01 IDENTIFY YOUR SPACE CONNECTION

Please identity your own space connection out of the following three types: 1) An upstream space connection; 2) A downstream space connection; or 3) A technology transfer. For more detailed information about the three types, download and read the document below.

Upstream

Your idea exploits or introduces new technology in the space domain, or you intend to be active as a supplier to the space sector, in one of the following areas (including systems, sub-systems, components, and services):

  • Launchers
  • Satellites
  • Ground systems
  • Human spaceflights

Downstream

Your idea is about utilising space systems or exploiting space technology in a non-space domain (e.g. on Earth) in one of the following areas:

  • Satellite Navigation
  • Earth Observation
  • Satellite Communication

Technology transfer

Visit ESA Space Solutions and ESA IP for commercialization websites and search for technology you can use. Access to EO data here. Examples include:

  • Hardware
  • Software or Firmware
  • Knowledge, processes
  • Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)

Still unsure about your space connection?
Please download the full documentation to learn more.

DOWNLOAD

02 APPLY FOR FUNDING DECISION TO BUSINESS FINLAND

If you’ve confirmed your space connection by checking our criteria in step one (01), you can now move onto step two (02): Apply for funding decision to Business Finland.

Business Finland is our co-funding partner and it is required that you receive a positive funding eligibility decision from Business Finland in order to enter our ESA BIC Finland program. You are asked to fill in the Tempo Funding application to Business Finland and your Business Finland decision should arrive to you in a few weeks.

Want to learn more about applying to Business Finland?
Visit their website below for more information about the Tempo funding application.

VISIT PAGE

03 FILL IN THE APPLICATION WITH ESA BIC FINLAND

Please carefully download and review all ESA BIC Finland application documents below as part of step three (03). We can then provide one personalized coaching session to help you complete the application to ESA BIC Finland.

Mandatory documents to submit the application are:

  • ESA BIC Finland BAP Template – Cover Letter Requirements Executive Summary_2019b
  • Business Plan
  • ESA BIC Finland Incubation Proposal_2019

Submit your application documents to esabicfinland@aalto.fi

If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact us.

Kimmo Isbjörnssund
Head of ESA BIC Finland
kimmo.isbjornssund@staging.esabic.fi
(+358) 50 443 6855

Natalie Gaudet
Administration-Communications ESA BIC Finland
natalie.gaudet@aalto.fi
(+358) 50 599 9442

ESA BIC Finland selections panel takes place approximately one month after each ESA BIC Finland application deadline. In the “Requirements Checklist” of your ESA BIC Finland application document please write “compliant” for the Business Finland funding decision to note that you have already applied for the Business Finland part of the funding. During the selections panel, your entry may be accepted into ESA BIC Finland but don’t worry and please expect a delay if you haven’t received a positive funding decision from Business Finland yet. The timeline shows the journey of the application process:

Ready to fill in the application with ESA BIC Finland?
The application files will be sent directly to your email inbox.

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Business Finland is our co-funding partner. A positive funding eligibility decision from Business Finland will be required to enter ESA BIC Finland program. 

The total ESA BIC Finland funding available to our companies during incubation is 75.000 EUR, consisting of 50.000 EUR from Business Finland and 25.000 EUR from ESA.

The ESA part (25.000 EUR) of the 75.000 EUR incentive can only be used for product development and IPR work and must be outsourced to 3rd parties in Finland. 

It cannot be used to pay for your own salaries, for example. Marketing, market studies etc. are only admissible if they are closely related to the product development or IPR of your incubation proposal (not general company marketing or market development).

The terms of the Business Finland part (25.000+25.000 EUR) are available from Business Finland, but they are more flexible regarding own salaries, marketing and market development costs.

If we notice that your application contains shortcomings, misses some mandatory information or documents we will kindly ask you to correct these before considering your application.

The incubation lasts 12 months.

In our everyday life, the use of space technologies has become so commonplace that we barely notice their presence: satellite TV, cordless tools, smoke detectors and many more. Several national space agencies as well as ESA develop and support the development of many technologies, systems, data sets, methods, patents, etc. Like the examples mentioned before, all these assets contain enormous “reuse” potential, which is accessible to you, as an entrepreneur, researcher, student or company. Space is the starting point for generating your business idea or providing the innovative edge your company is searching for! See the links below for some inspiration:

Check your space connection here.

We have created a downloadable document which explains where all the various satellite data sources can be found and what they are. Where to access EO data

Get in touch with us to further assess your idea and to attend a coaching session how to complete your application. This will improve the quality of your entry.

This refers to the 80 hours of free technical support provided to our startups. Please estimate the expert hours if you can, in each task, if any, and from whom (list of our partners is on our homepage). You can also just mention that you will need 80 hours of technical support, without further details at this stage.

Yes, Business Finland expects the applying startup to have minimum own capital, e.g., 30.000 EUR. More information from Business Finland (contacts above).

Yes, of course!

Finland and particularly metropolitan area perform very well in the global livability indexes for the best cities to live and locate your business in.

Yes, you can send us an application even prior to incorporation. However, Business Finland cannot make a funding decision before you have incorporated your company. 

In such cases, the applications to ESA BIC Finland are conditional and depending on actual incorporation and a positive funding decision from Business Finland. 

*More information in Business Finland website.

No. We do not take any equity in your company. But we will request some reporting from you.