Background

With this campaign, ESA aims to support the industrialisation and serialisation efforts of the European space industry, essential to meet growing demands for efficiency, scalability, and global competitiveness. Central to this shift is the transition from bespoke, mission-specific systems to modular, mass-produced systems, and related processes improvements.

European manufacturing facilities and robust supply chains are critical for Europe’s strategic autonomy. These assets enable the production of essential space infrastructure, including satellites, launchers, and ground systems in accordance with European standards, ensuring reliability, security, and technological sovereignty in a rapidly evolving global space economy.

Enabling Commercialisation and Strategic Investment

To strengthen Europe's space sector, it is essential to enhance the framework conditions that attract private investment in new manufacturing facilities, production lines, and strategic infrastructure. This includes the serialisation of satellite components such as payload items (e.g., antennas, user terminals), platform equipment, launch systems, and ground technologies.

Accelerating Innovation and Securing Autonomy

The commercial space sector is a driver of innovation and economic growth. It plays a critical role in reinforcing sovereign and secure capabilities that meet both market demands and strategic objectives. The commercial space sector benefits from anchor tenancy agreements by institutional customers which ensure sustained demand and support emerging space solutions. 

The strategic goal of this campaign is to achieve up to a 90% reduction in spacecraft development time, tenfold increases in cost efficiency, and ensure Europe contributes zero space debris by 2030.

Purpose of this campaign

To achieve these goals, ESA is launching a coordinated set of initiatives under the umbrella of the INDustrialisation/ Serialisation Support Campaign, starting with SMART‑IND! and M‑IND. ESA will steer specific topics toward the appropriate programmes, including NAVISP, ARTES, and additional calls planned throughout 2026.

 To provide clarity, the next part of this document is organised in two sections:

• Description of the SMART-IND! campaign and the associated idea‑submission procedure, and
• an overview of the M-IND RFI accompanied by guidance on how to submit a response via the idea-submission.

SMART-IND! - Serialisation of Manufacturing for spAcecraft, Reusable space systems, ground systems and resilienT supply chain economies

SMART-IND! is an initiative of ESA’s Industrialisation Centre of Competence

to supports the European space sector in its transition towards serialised space production. Its goals are to:

• Identify industrial bottlenecks in collaboration with industry stakeholders.
• Support the critical production ramp-up needed for space segment systems (incl. large-scale satellite constellations, launcher systems) and ground support systems. Together with all products along the supply chains to sustain these systems.
• Facilitating best practices cross Member States.
• Establish structured relationships between integrators, manufacturers and domain experts to support the implementation of industrialisation steps and process improvements
• Ensure reliability and procurement flexibility across the European space ecosystem by enabling fast-track product qualifications and prioritizing process-based over product-based qualification, while fostering supply chain handshakes and interchangeable supply-demand relationships among space segment entities.

SMART-IND! is meant to engage on fundamental challenges regarding the manufacturing, assembly, integration and testing (MAIT) of space segment hardware and ground-/ user segment components at scaled production in the European Space sector, including but not limited to:

• Scaling-up production capacities
• Serialisation of Manufacturing, Integration, Assembly and Testing (e.g. Verticalization)
• Drive the adoption of advanced production-, automation-, and quality control techniques
• European supply chain independence and resilience
• Fostering of private investment and co-funding schemes

System integrators, Suppliers and Auxiliary service providers are encouraged to submit their ideas to this SMART-IND! campaign on the following five key technological/business areas considered to be of vital importance:

• Addressing Operational and Business Needs, and Overcoming Technological Bottlenecks for Scalable Space Hardware Production
• Map European production capabilities and capacities (Space manufacturing stakeholders and testing facilities)
• Transversal Subjects for manufacturing scalability
• Resilient serial Production and Supply Chain
• Joint Procurement for Enhanced Competitiveness and Supply Chain Efficiency

These objectives are detailed below. 

1.) Addressing Operational and Business Needs, and Overcoming Technological Bottlenecks for Scalable Space Hardware Production:

• Automated Assembly, Integration, and Testing (AIT): To achieve industrial-scale production of space segment hardware, it is essential to implement highly automated AIT processes. This includes leveraging robotics, digital twins, and model-based systems engineering to streamline workflows, reduce manual intervention, and ensure consistent quality across large production volumes. Automation not only accelerates development cycles but also mitigates workforce shortages and enhances reliability.
• Just-in-Time Manufacturing: Adopting just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing principles enables responsive, demand-driven production. This approach minimizes inventory costs, shortens lead times, and increases flexibility to adapt to evolving mission requirements. In the context of space, JIT is supported by advanced supply chain digitalization, real-time data analytics, and federated data spaces, ensuring components and subsystems are delivered precisely when needed for integration.
• Key Bottlenecks: Scaling up production faces several challenges, including fragmented supply chains, high capital investment in specialized facilities, and the integration of diverse subsystems from multiple suppliers. Addressing these requires standardization, modular design, and robust digital infrastructure to enable seamless collaboration and traceability across the value chain

2.) Mapping European Production Capabilities and Capacities (Space manufacturing stakeholders and testing facilities):

To strengthen Europe’s space manufacturing ecosystem, a comprehensive, web-based catalogue of production capabilities is proposed, covering Manufacturing, Assembly, Integration, and Testing (MAIT) across large system integrators, SMEs, suppliers, and testing facilities. This secure digital platform will serve as a central resource for:

• Capability Mapping: Providing real-time visibility into critical manufacturing and testing assets across Europe.
• Strategic Matchmaking: Enabling efficient partner identification, dual-sourcing, and gap analysis to support robust supply chains.
• Procurement and Collaboration: Enhancing competitiveness and flexibility by streamlining access to qualified suppliers and facilities.

The catalogue is envisioned as a core enabler for industrial collaboration and production scaling, with its web-based interface ensuring both accessibility and data security. Special emphasis is placed on transparent access to testing and qualification capacities, as well as manufacturing, assembly, and integration resources for all space segment hardware.

3.) Transversal Subjects for manufacturing scalability:

• Process Standardization and Acceleration: Harmonize and streamline manufacturing and approval processes to enable faster adaptation, continuous improvement, and higher rates of innovation.
• Modular Design Principles: Promote modularity in system architecture, allowing for ad-hoc customization and efficient scaling of production to meet diverse mission requirements.
• Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE): Integrate MBSE methodologies to ensure consistent system design, facilitate domain-specific knowledge sharing, and enable rapid identification and resolution of bottlenecks throughout the development lifecycle.

4.) Resilient Production and Supply Chain:

• Prototype to Product: In large-scale hardware production, this phase refers to the transition from a prototype or first-version product (TRL 7-9) to a product that is suitable for reliable and efficient mass production. Strategies aimed at reducing the time required to reach this stage, minimizing development costs, and ensuring scalable production are encompassed within this topic (e.g. Design for Manufacturing principles). The Call does not cover the design and manufacturing of new products.
• Product to Serial Production is the shift from a ready-for-market product to the systematic, efficient, and quality-controlled production of that product in batches or series, leveraging standardization, automation, and economies of scale to deliver consistent, cost-effective result. All means to reduce this access time, reduce development costs and ensure scalable production implementation belong under this topic.
• Supply Chain Resilience: In the context of hardware production, from prototype through product development to serial manufacturing, refers to the ability of a supply chain to anticipate, absorb, adapt to, and quickly recover from disruptions such as natural disasters, pandemics, geopolitical events, supply shortages, or sudden changes in demand. A resilient supply chain ensures that, even as production scales from prototype to serial manufacturing, operations can continue with minimal delays or quality issues, safeguarding both customer satisfaction and business continuity. This resilience is not just about reacting to disruptions but also about building systems that can adapt and evolve, turning risks into opportunities for improvement and competitive advantage 

5) Joint Procurement for Enhanced Competitiveness and Supply Chain Efficiency

• Centralising demand and supplier data from all partners to streamline procurement, enable efficient clustering, and facilitate economies of scale.
• Conducting joint Requests for Proposal (RFPs) with EU-preferred suppliers, improving bargaining power and fostering savings-sharing mechanisms that benefit all stakeholders.
• Implementing harmonised procurement processes and standards, including technical documentation, supplier management, and quality assurance, to unlock synergies and accelerate process improvements.
• Evaluating and qualifying European suppliers for critical components, reducing dependence on non-European sources and enhancing supply chain resilience.
• Deploying a shared procurement tool for all partners, enabling transparent monitoring of supplier performance, risk management, and the development of a catalogue of standardised, preferred parts.

What do we offer ?

• ESA co-funding of an activity, within program specific co-funding limits
• Connection with the investment ecosystem (including ESA Investor Network)
• Personalised support from the ESA Industrialisation Centre of Competence
• Access to our network of partners
• Technical and commercial guidance 

Procedure for submitting a response to the SMART-IND! call

The campaign process comprises the intended following steps:

• Call for ideas through OSIP (this call) 
• Pitch event where ideas will be presented to stakeholders (ESA experts, Program Directorate Representative and Investors)
• Standard Call for Proposal

An indicative timeline for the process is provided below:

The Call for Ideas Process for System Integrators, Component Suppliers, and Enabling Technology Partners:

If you are a potential technology provider from the space sector or non-space sectors who meets the Conditions of Participation (see Special Conditions below), and you have innovative ideas to scale-up the production of available space products in the areas outlined above, we invite you to submit ideas for pilot implementations!

Idea Submission:

The first stage consists in the submission of an idea from January 16th 2026 until March 31th 2026.

• Enter your Idea Proposal (simply called "idea" here in OSIP) via the idea submission form
• Each idea will be initially assessed by ESA for eligibility to the campaign pitch event (see evaluation criteria at the end of this call)
• If considered eligible, you will then be invited to a public pitch day event where you'll have the possibility to present your proposal to experts from ESA program directorates and potential investors
• The pitch day concludes the submission phase and ESA experts will give feedback to your idea in detail (see evaluation criteria at the end of this call)

Please take note of the Special Conditions applying to the submission as listed below. 

Idea Submission Part 2:

Based on the idea pitch ESA experts reserve the right to request complementary information via the ideas.esa.int portal:

• You will be invited to submit additional information via ideas.esa.int platform
• ESA will give further feedback on your idea
• ESA reserves the right to request a Letter of Support from the national delegations.

Standard Call for Proposal

After the pitch event, you will be directed to:

• Write and submit to the SMART-IND! call through esa-star;
• ESA will evaluate your proposal against evaluation criteria stated in the data pack from the Standard Call For Proposals published esa-star publication and specific to each program;
• Successful proposals will be invited to a negotiation meeting.

Note:   It is important to note that an invitation to the pitch does not ensure an invitation to submit a full proposal. Entities who have not submitted an idea via OSIP, or who have submitted an idea via OSIP but who have not been invited to pitch, will not be able to submit to the call for proposals in esa-star.

The Call for Ideas Process for Investors

The first stage for potential Investors consists in the submission of Interest expression using the idea submission form, which can be done via this INDustrialisation/ Serialisation support campaign form, by selecting the Investor tab.

In this submission form, you are kindly requested to present your interest in the field of serialisation of spacecraft production and resilient supply chains. In particular, it is important for SMART-IND! to understand your intentions and your needs regarding investment in companies that are developing these key technologies.   

Each Interest expression will be assessed by ESA experts, and you could then be invited to a public pitch day event where you'll have the possibility to see proposals and interact with Technology Providers.

Confidentiality Notice:
All information submitted to OSIP will remain strictly confidential, accessible only to a select group of relevant ESA personnel. Your ideas will not be disclosed to other participants or the public.

Idea providers are kindly asked to participate the following survey 

Complete a brief 10-15 min survey aligned with the interests of ESA’s Industrialisation and Commercialisation Centres of Competence User link (for answering).