ESA tenders for Latvia

The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia coordinates Latvia’s industrial and research participation in the programs of the European Space Agency (ESA). 

The Ministry of Education and Science role in relation to ESA is to assist Latvian companies and research organizations in successful bidding for ESA contracts and is a point of reference for the international space industry players to identify relevant space-related expertise in Latvia.

Latvia’s associate membership in ESA allows Latvia-based companies and research teams to bid for ESA contracts in a range of programs including: 

• ESA Mandatory Programme and ESA General Budget (excluding the Science Programme)
  • STANDARD CALL FOR PROPOSAL CO-SPONSORED RESEARCH ACTIVITIES ​(Deadline: 30/12/2025 13:00 CET)
  • DISCOVERY CHANNEL ACTIVITIES: (Deadline: 30/12/2025 13:00 CET)​
    • co-sponsored research (e.g. at PhD or advanced research (e.g. post-doc level), funding max. 50% and up to 90k€ from ESA)
    • Small system study (max 100k€)
    • Early technology development activity (max 175k€ from ESA)
• Requesting Party Activities (RPA)​
  • FIFTH FIXED CALL FOR PROPOSALS UNDER THE REQUESTING PARTY ACTIVITY (RPA) IN LATVIA (Project proposal submissions are now closed)
  • CO-SPONSORED RESEARCH ACTIVITIES (Ph.D. THESES) UNDER THE REQUESTING PARTY ACTIVITY (RPA) IN LATVIA (Project proposal submissions are now closed)
  • 2024 SPACE RELATED COURSES FOR LATVIAN INDUSTRY (Project proposal submissions are now closed)
• ESA Optional programmes in which Latvia participates, including:

1. FutureEO Segment 1

• FUTURE EO-1 SEGMENT 2 OPEN CALL FOR PROPOSAL FOR EO INNOVATION  (Deadline: 17/12/2025 13:00 CET)

2. GSTP Element 1: Develop

• GSTP ELEMENT 1: DEVELOP: PREPARATION OF ENABLING SPACE TECHNOLOGIES AND BUILDING (Deadline: 17/12/2024 13:00 CET)

3. ScaleUp Element 1: Innovate

4. Space Safety program, Cornerstone Mission 2: HERA project​

5. E3P Period 2 program: ESPRIT project

Am I eligible?

All companies and research organizations in Latvia are eligible to respond to ESA tender opportunities pertaining to the ESA programs in which Latvia participates. This information is included in the relevant ESA tender documentation or can be requested by contacting the Ministry of Science and Education: Kaspars Karolis, Head of the Latvian delegation to ESA via Kaspars.Karolis@izm.gov.lv or by phone +371 67047996.

What funding is available?

This depends on the scope of the procurement underway and is limited by Latvia’s financial contribution to the ESA programme in question, as outlined in the Space Strategy for Latvia 2021-2027.

How do I apply?

Potential ESA tenderers need to register on the ESA-STAR website - ESA’s registration and management facility for external users.

Specific procurements/announcements of opportunities will be published on the ESA's electronic tendering website ESA-STAR.

For certain procurements, prior authorisation of the national ESA Delegation is required and can be obtained by contacting the Ministry of Education and Science - Kaspars Karolis, Kaspars.Karolis@izm.gov.lv, +371 67047996.

May I request support for tender proposal preparation?

You can request support in the ESA bidding process by contacting the representative of the Latvian Space Office and the ESA Industrial Coordinator in Latvia, Davids Stebelis, Davids.Stebelis@msc-space.eu. One of his roles is the provision of advice to Latvian entities on the ESA procurement process, training courses and ECSS standards (free of charge).