PRODEX call for ideas 2025 - Consolidation into project proposals - Read first the clarification #3 in section 7.
1- Objectives
This Call for Ideas inscribes in the PRODEX objective to enhance the development and exploitation of scientific instrumentation capabilities across the PRODEX Participating States. Economic operators registered and operating in the PRODEX Participating States are invited to submit innovative proposals for projects going beyond incremental improvements (without discarding them), meeting fully or partly the following parallel objectives:
- Promote innovation and progress on new scientific instrument concepts for space applications, aiming at technical and scientific excellence.
- Attract new actors for the development of scientific instrumentation for space applications, from industry or research institutes.
- Foster and expand Industry and Institute partnerships. Encouraging such partnerships can lead to innovative solutions and increased commercial opportunities.
- Foster partnerships between Participating States’ entities: join efforts, resources and expertise to raise ambitions and achieve technical excellence.
The sections hereafter summarise the main elements of the call. The detailed call objectives, timeline, and proposal requirements are addressed in the attachment "Call for ideas PRODEX 2025"
A MsWord(r) version of the annexes is avaible (see also tab 'Submission Form') to facilitate copying the proposal template and using the cost tables.
2- What type of Ideas we are looking for
The objective of this call is to solicit for proposals from organisations registered and operating into the Participating States subscribing to the ESA PRODEX Programme. Proposals shall address ideas or projects aimed at defining and structuring the enhancement of capabilities in the development and exploitation of scientific instrumentation across the PRODEX Participating States.
3- Call timeline summary - All times in ESTEC (Amsterdam) time
- Call opening: 09 of May 2025.
- Briefing to registered participants: 21 May 2025 at 11:00 - Registration: See section 4.
- Call closure: 04 July 2025 at 23:59.
- ESA evaluation completion of submitted ideas: 05 September 2025
- Workshop with Participating States delegations : September / October 2025 (consolidation of Call findings)
- Notification to proposers: Q4 2025.
- Workshop ESA-Proposers for recommended most promising proposals: 1st quarter of 2026.
ESA reserves the right to tune the timeline and course of actions following the proposal submission deadline depending on the number and quality of received proposals.
4- Registration to the PRODEX 2025 call for ideas briefing session
Proposers that wish to participate in the call (virtual) briefing that will be organised on 21 May 11:00-13:00 shall register to the followign link.
Registration link: Registration to the PRODEX call for ideas 2025
Registration will be closed on 19 May 2025 at 18:00.
An invitation link will be sent on 20 May 2025 to the registered participants.
5- Disclaimer
This call does bind neither ESA nor the PRODEX Participating States to undertake procurement actions, nor does it create rights for respondents in relation to this call to any present or future ESA or PRODEX Participating States procurements.
ESA will treat commercially sensitive or proprietary information accordingly.
6- Point of contact, questions related to the present call
Questions related to the present call shall be addressed only via the dedicated e-mail address here after: prodex-management@esa.int
7- Clarifications to the present call for ideas
See newly published clarifications #5 and #6 (02-09-2026)
- Clarification #1 (19-05-2025): Updated PRODEX Points of Contact for Greece - Fixed a Heading numbering issue (#6, #7 and #8 headings of "Call for Ideas PRODEX 2025")
- Updated documents (links updated):
- Call for Ideas PRODEX 2025_Fn_V2-2.pdf
- ANNEXES_WD_Call for Ideas PRODEX 2025_Fn_V2-1.docx
- Clarification #2 (19-05-2025): PRODEX 2025 call for ideas briefing session viewgraphs - and Q&A summary. Documents available throught the links here above (gold highlight underlined) and in the 'Attachments area'
- Clarification #3 (20-04-2026): Consolidation into project proposal. Following the Proposals consolidation workshop held at ESA HQ (Paris) on the 25 and 26 March, the lead proposers of the proposals selected for Consolidation into a project proposal are invited to submit the consolidated proposal using the templates that can be downloaded form the download area hereafter, filename: 'PDX-CalliD25-Cns-Prop-docs.zip'. The project proposals shall be submitted not later than 7 September 2026 at 23:59 ESTEC time.
- Proposers shall transfer the template proposal on their letterhead documents. Excel tables can be used 'as is'
- It is mandatory that proposers submit a signed pdf version of the proposal and a native version (proposal e.g. in MS Word ® and cost tables in MS Excel®).
- For the purposes of clarification #3, the Proposers shall only consider the black typed text and included links in the Call Web pages, and the attachment (from the downloads area) named PDX-CalliD25-Cns-Prop-docs.zip; the text in grey font refers to the first phase of the PRODEX Call for Ideas 2025 campaign.
- Instructions for uploading the consolidated proposal - see clarification #5:
- Select the tab 'Submission form'
- Click the button 'edit idea' that should be at the bottom left corner of the window (location may vary depending on the browser)
- Locate the fields ''Consolidated proposal - signed pdf' and 'Consolidated proposal - Native files'. Depending on your browser version and settings these new fields may be at the top of the fields list or at the bottom. Add the new information as follows:
- Upload the signed pdf proposal (one file only) in the field 'Consolidated proposal - signed pdf'
- Upload the native files of the proposal in the field 'Consolidated proposal - Native files'. Submit one proposal file per proposal, one cost table file per partner. A zip archive containing all the files is acceptable.
- Verifying that the files are uploaded: to verify that the files are uploaded, we advise that you log off, then log-on again and verify that the files are displayed in the designated fields. You can then log-off.
- Clarification #4 (18-05-2026):
- Proposal template updated (discrepancy section 7): The length of section 7 is limited to 5 pages maximum. The teamplate headinng has been updated, see file "x25-05-18-2-2_PDX-CalliD25-Cns-Prop-WdTmpl_2-2.docx"
- Clarification #5 (02-09-2026):
- Instructions for uploading the consolidated proposal - updated.
- Select the 'Active Idea' that should be the next to last item on the left pane of the page - white font on grey/blue background.
- Once on that page, click the button 'Edit idea' that should be at the bottom left corner of the window (location may vary depending on the browser)
- Locate the fields ''Consolidated proposal - signed pdf' and 'Consolidated proposal - Native files'.
Depending on your configuration, you may have to select the tab 'Submission form' first, to see those fields.
Depending on your browser version and settings these fields may be at the top of the fields list or at the bottom. Add the new files as follows:
- Upload the signed pdf proposal (one file only) in the field 'Consolidated proposal - signed pdf'
- Upload the native files of the proposal in the field 'Consolidated proposal - Native files'. Submit one proposal file per proposal, one cost table file per partner. A zip archive containing all the files is acceptable.
- Verifying that the files are uploaded: to verify that the files are uploaded, we advise that you log off, then log-on again and verify that the files are displayed in the designated fields. You can then log-off.
- Clarification #6 (02-09-2026) - Detailed financial template:
- An issue has been reported with the detailed financial template, referred to in Annex 3 of the proposal template, filename " PDX-CalliDd25-Cns-cst-Dtls_2.xlsx ", part of the zip archive named PDX-CalliD25-Cns-Prop-docs.zip: travel costs not updating in summary worksheet. The issue is fixed, please download the file named "PDX-CalliDd25-3-Cns-cst-Dtls_3.xlsx" that you will find in the download area hereafter (file added on 2 September 2026).
