InCubed launches annual calls for Portuguese Earth Observation projects until 2028
The Portuguese Space Agency has set new assessment dates for proposals from Portuguese companies to InCubed, ESA's industrial innovation programme for Earth observation. The first of three annual rounds closes on 2 October 2026.
A power grid operator can tell from space that a tree is growing too close to a high-voltage line and have it cut back before a branch causes a power cut. The same vegetation can creep onto a railway line and block the driver’s view. Different scenarios, one cause, one solution, made possible by VESTA, a system from the Portuguese company Spotlite that combines satellite imagery with artificial intelligence to measure vegetation along power lines, railways and roads and flag the risk before it turns into an accident.
VESTA is one of 13 Portuguese projects already co-funded under InCubed, the European Space Agency (ESA) industrial innovation programme for Earth observation, which Portugal first subscribed to in 2019. Through this programme, open to Portuguese companies since 2020, the Portuguese Space Agency has announced new assessment dates, with an indicative budget of 1.25 million euros for the 2026-2028 period. The first of three annual rounds closes on 2 October 2026.
InCubed co-funds commercially viable products and services based on Earth observation data, at any point in the value chain, from satellite design to end-user applications. Applications are open on a rolling basis, and interested companies can submit their ideas at any time through ESA’s ORBIT portal. After the 2 October round, further assessments follow on 30 April 2027 and, budget permitting, on 28 January 2028.
The assessment criteria the Portuguese Space Agency weighs before issuing the letter of support that ESA requires to award funding give the greatest weight to national impact for Portugal (30%), measured by alignment with the National Space Strategy and return on investment for the country, among others. Next come the level of innovation and technical feasibility (20%), the business case (20%), the team’s competence and capacity (15%), and the suitability of management, planning and co-funding (15%).
“InCubed gives Portuguese companies a predictable funding path to turn ideas into Earth observation products that can stand on their own in the market. We are looking for projects that bring innovation and create economic value for the country, and it is that growth across the sector that we want to support on an ongoing basis,” says Carolina Sá, head of Earth observation programmes at the Portuguese Space Agency.
Interested companies can submit their applications through ESA’s ORBIT portal by 2 October to be considered in the first round.
The full rules are available here.
