Welcome to SpaceTech Ireland — a fast, Ireland-focused read on the space economy.

This week: Three Horizon Europe space calls worth nearly €42 million open on 10 March - and the government has just launched an action plan to help Irish SMEs land a bigger share. We break down what's on offer and how to start a bid. Plus: Phi-Lab Mullingar reveals its first two tenants, and Constellr's €37 million round shows where European defence money is heading.

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Ireland has now drawn down more than €1 billion from Horizon Europe, the EU's €95.5 billion research and innovation programme - a milestone reached in September 2025 with two years still to run. But the bulk of that money has gone to universities. The government wants Irish SMEs, which account for 90 per cent of the country's businesses, to claim a bigger share.

On 20 February, Minister James Lawless launched a strengthened Horizon Europe Action Plan for 2025–2027 setting out how that should happen: better signposting of funding opportunities, stronger links between SMEs and university research centres, support and mentoring for companies willing to lead consortium bids rather than just join them. The timing is not accidental.

As we reported last week, three Horizon Europe space calls open on 10 March - and the Action Plan is effectively the government building the support infrastructure to help Irish companies get those bids over the line.

The calls are worth recapping.

The first (HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-31) funds digital building blocks for Earth observation and satellite communications - on-board processing, ground-segment tools, data pipelines, security - with a topic budget of roughly €12 million and individual grants of €3–6 million.

The second (HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-32) backs demonstration missions combining EO and satcom to deliver real services in maritime monitoring, agriculture and disaster response, with grants of €5–10 million from a €26 million pot.

The third (HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-61) is smaller but highly accessible: €3.92 million for scientific analysis of existing space data, with projects in the €1.5–2.5 million range - natural territory for university–SME teams and Irish data or AI companies.

All three close on 3 September, giving six months to find partners and draft proposals. Enterprise Ireland's space team and ICHEC can advise on consortium-building and applications.

For companies new to Horizon Europe, the application process can look daunting. We asked experienced bidders and advisors what they'd tell a first-timer.

1. Start with one call, not several. The question seasoned applicants say matters most: "By the end of this project, what would we have built or proven that we could not do today?" If you can't answer that in two sentences, the consensus seems to be that you probably don't have a Horizon project yet.

2. Talk to the National Contact Point early. Before sinking time into drafting, bidders we spoke to recommended contacting the NCP for Cluster 4/Digital, Industry & Space at Enterprise Ireland. Their role is to give a straight answer on whether an idea fits the call and TRL (Technology Readiness Level) range, suggest tweaks, and sometimes point companies at potential partners or proposal clinics.

3. Build or join a consortium. Most Horizon projects need at least three organisations from three countries. Bidders told us the good consortia have a clear split: someone leads the tech, someone owns the use case, someone handles integration and dissemination. The Funding & Tenders portal partner search, LinkedIn and existing ESA/Horizon contacts are the usual starting points.

4. Write to the template, not around it. The advice we heard consistently: treat the headings like exam questions, answer each one plainly, and make sure the proposal doesn't just explain what gets built but who will use it, why they care and what happens after the funding stops.

The single step that came up most often in our conversations: a 30-minute call with the NCP before doing anything else.For companies new to Horizon Europe, the application process can look daunting. We asked around and pulled together the basics.

With the Phi-Lab now open at IMR in Mullingar, the identities of its first two projects are worth a closer look — they give a good indication of what ESA and Enterprise Ireland want this facility to do.

Galway-based Mbryonics builds photonic hardware for high-throughput optical communications. Its Phi-Lab project applies additive manufacturing techniques to that hardware, essentially moving from hand-building each unit to something closer to a production line. Industry observers say demand for optical comms kit is growing.

Dublin's Ubotica Technologies already has its CogniSAT AI processor flying. The Phi-Lab project pushes further, partnering with IMR to build a simulation framework for qualifying higher-power commercial AI processors for low Earth orbit. CTO and co-founder Aubrey Dunne said the company simply did not have the thermal and mechanical modelling expertise in-house. IMR does. Ubotica plans to emerge with a flight-ready, Irish-developed processor.

The common thread in both projects: Irish firms with proven technology using the Phi-Lab to solve a manufacturing or qualification problem they could not tackle alone. That appears to be the model ESA and IMR want to see more of.

A second open call is expected in the first half of 2026. Funding runs to roughly €400,000 per project, with access to IMR and AMBER Centre facilities, lab time and mentoring. Eligibility requires an Irish base, a clear space use case and a fit with advanced materials and manufacturing.

Applications are expected to open within weeks. Companies interested in the coming round should register with IMR or AMBER for advance notice of the call launch. Details will appear at esaphilab.ie.

Constellr (Germany) - €37m - Series A round led by Alpine Space Ventures with co-lead Lakestar, bringing total funding to around €75m. The round was overwhelmingly private-led but included continued backing from the EIC Fund and participation from Bayern Kapital. The company is building a thermal-infrared Earth-observation constellation and analytics platform and says the new capital will let it scale its satellites and deliver "defence-grade" thermal intelligence for governments, security agencies and infrastructure operators, explicitly positioning its data as a sovereign European capability alongside optical and radar imagery.

CASSINI Business Accelerator — Batch 7 (European Commission/EUSPA) — applications close 6 March 2026

The seventh batch of the CASSINI Business Accelerator is open for applications until 6 March, with the six-month programme running from May to October 2026. The accelerator selects 20 European space startups per batch for coaching, investor matchmaking and a €75,000 seed voucher on completion. Celtonn was the sole Irish company in Batch 5. Details at cassini.eu/accelerator.

ESA Wildfire Safety Initiative — Call for Proposals (Non-Competitive) — proof-of-concept and pilot projects — opens 2 March, closes 2 June 2026

ESA is inviting proposals for space-enabled wildfire response services, covering early detection, near-real-time fire monitoring and fire behaviour simulation. Funding is zero-equity at 50–80% depending on SME status and national delegation approval, and Ireland is among the eligible countries. Satellite EO, positioning and communications must play a critical role in proposed solutions. Ubotica, whose CogniSAT-6 satellite already detects wildfires within minutes using onboard AI, Skytek and other Irish companies working with Copernicus data or drone-based monitoring, are well placed here. A second call focusing on wildfire preparedness - risk assessment, fuel load management and preventative measures - is expected later this year. A webinar was held on 25 February; check business.esa.int/funding for details and application guidance.

PPPA-2026-LAUNCHERS-GAMECHANGING (European Parliament/European Commission, DG DEFIS via HaDEA) — €20m grant (forthcoming) + €5m prize (awarded)

A €20 million grant scheme for disruptive European launch technologies is set to open in 2026, targeting mid-maturity propulsion innovations with an eye toward operational capability by 2035. Commissioner Kubilius announced the scheme in January at the same ceremony that awarded €5 million to five winners of the Prize for Game-Changing Innovation for European Launch Solutions, among them Toulouse-based Alpha Impulsion, which took home €950,000 for its debris-free autophagic propulsion technology.

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"The space sector is often framed in terms of ambition and scale, but its impact is deeply practical. Satellite infrastructure underpins disaster response, climate monitoring, navigation and access to healthcare and education, particularly in remote regions” — Aoife Kelly, co-founder, Celtonn, one of only a handful of companies worldwide working in high-frequency millimetre-wave technology for 6G satellite communications.

“We’re really delighted to be pioneering through this first call in Phi-Labs to bring additive manufacturing to what we’re doing. Bringing that space sector manufacturing is a key enabler, we think, for the next generation of jobs in Ireland" - Ruth Mackey, CSO and co-founder, Mbryonics.

“Spaceflight is an incredible privilege, and sometimes it reminds us just how human we are” - Mike Fincke, the 58-year-old NASA astronaut who identified himself as the crew member whose medical event on January 7 triggered the first medical evacuation from the ISS, cutting the Crew-11 mission short.

PICTURE: Smile Sets Sail for Kourou as ESA gears up for the April 8 launch window opening for its Vega-C flight, a joint mission with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to study how the solar wind interacts with the Earth’s magnetosphere.

Next week: more funding, contracts, and careers in Ireland's €24M+ space economy - delivered weekly.

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