Funding Radar: European space calls live in June 2026

European space funding in early June 2026 runs against a stable reference: the Horizon Europe EU Space Research 2026 call, published on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal under callIdentifier HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03. HaDEA announced the call on 12 March 2026 with a total budget of €90.97 million; HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03 remained the live F&T Portal reference during the EU Space Days 2026 window (26 to 27 May), with topic-level deadlines, budgets and eligibility to be verified topic-by-topic on the F&T Portal. The Commission's separate IRIS² user-terminal industrialisation grant call (DG DEFIS, 28 May 2026; estimated €20m, up to three projects, focused on Ka-band terminals) is live alongside. The structural budget signal for the post-2027 period — the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) space part inside the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028 to 2034 — was briefed by the Cyprus Presidency at the 29 May Compet Council but remains in active negotiation.

This Funding Radar covers what is open or upcoming through June 2026, organised by source. Specific deadlines and budget envelopes should be verified against the official call page on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal or the relevant agency call page on the day of application; programme-level dates can shift inside the application window.

EU Programmes

ESA Programmes

National reference points (Nordic), not verified open calls

These are national-agency reference points for Nordic readers, not call listings. Specific open calls vary by country and should be checked through the relevant national space agency, the ESA-star portal or the F&T Portal.

Spotlight calls

Horizon Europe EU Space Research 2026 (HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03) — the live portfolio reference. Cluster 4 is the Horizon Europe Pillar 2 cluster combining Digital, Industry and Space. The 2026 EU Space Research topics inside Cluster 4 sit on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal under callIdentifier HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03, managed by HaDEA (European Health and Digital Executive Agency, which executes the space topics on behalf of the Commission). HaDEA announced the call on 12 March 2026 with a total budget of €90.97 million; HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03 remained the live F&T Portal reference during the EU Space Days 2026 window (26 to 27 May), with the EU Space Research call part of the broader EU space-funding context presented to industry. For European primes and SMEs writing 2026 proposals into the space cluster, the F&T Portal page is the single authoritative reference for per-topic deadlines, budgets, expected outcomes, eligibility and consortium requirements.

IRIS² user terminal industrialisation grants — secure-connectivity enabling-technology call. DG DEFIS announced the IRIS² user-terminal industrialisation call on 28 May 2026, with an estimated budget of €20m and up to three projects. The call focuses on Ka-band user terminals, manufacturability, production readiness and supply-chain resilience. Per the DG DEFIS notice, the topic is not intended to develop a specific end-to-end terminal product, but to improve availability of more affordable and deployable user terminals across the IRIS² secure-connectivity programme (12-year concession signed 16 December 2024, first launch 2029, services from 2030). The call sits on the secure-connectivity side of the EU space architecture and may be relevant to dual-use / governmental connectivity contexts, but applicants should read its scope through the published call text. Secondary coverage reports a deadline of 26 August 2026, 17:00 CET; applicants should verify the deadline, budget and eligibility on the live F&T Portal call page before submission. For SMEs in the user-terminal supply chain (hardware, ground-segment integration, antenna systems, modems and secure software), this is the call to track for the next funding window into the IRIS² programme.

EUSPA Make-it-with-Space (EUSPA-OP-07-25) — closed mid-May, awards pending. EUSPA's Make-it-with-Space procurement (reference EUSPA-OP-07-25, deadline 19 May 2026, status Closed; maximum framework ceiling €16.5m, duration 48 months per the February 2026 EUSPA announcement) is now closed; award outcomes would normally surface through EUSPA's contract-award reporting over the following months. The procurement is referenced here because Make-it-with-Space is one of the EUSPA channels for early-stage commercial space innovation projects. Future EUSPA procurement opportunities should be monitored through the EUSPA procurement page.

Closing note: the post-2027 budget shape

The structural budget signal for the post-2027 period is the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) space part inside the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028 to 2034. The Cyprus Presidency briefed Compet Council ministers on the ECF space part negotiations at the 29 May 2026 session, with several delegations emphasising the need for coordinated governance between the ECF and Horizon Europe. The ECF space part envelope itself is subject to the MFF 2028 to 2034 negotiations and is not yet a confirmed figure. For 2026 funding actions, the Horizon Europe EU Space Research call (HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03) remains the live reference. The post-2027 budget context is in process; the live 2026 calls are the operative funding surface in the near term.

For European space-sector planners writing applications now, the practical anchor is the EU Funding and Tenders Portal page for HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03 and the DG DEFIS call notice for IRIS² user terminal industrialisation. Both are the structural references for the live 2026 space-funding window.