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The ARTES 3-4 Programme offers funding to industry for the design and
development of satellite communication (satcom) products and to run pilots for
satcom applications/services. If you are awarded an ARTES 3-4 contract, you will
benefit from the expertise of the ESA Telecom engineers as well as have access to
ESA Technical Assets.
Details of the most important aspects of ARTES 3-4 are provided here:
• History
• Eligibility
• Timing
• Funding
• Options for Submitting a Proposal
• Tender Documents
• Outline Proposal
• Study Proposal
• Full Proposal
o Preparation of a Full Proposal
o Study Activities
o In Kind Contribution
o Prior Work
• Templates
• ESA Technical Assets
• How to submit a proposal
• Confidentiality
• Evaluation Criteria
History
The ARTES 3-4 Programme is a merger of the former ARTES 3 and ARTES 4
programme elements. The new way of working within ARTES 3-4 is described
below:
Eligibility
The ARTES 3-4 Programme
To submit an ARTES 3-4 proposal, you must meet the following eligibility
requirements:
1. Your proposal must feature satellite communication. This can be the
development of a satellite Ground Segment product, such as user terminals or
gateway equipment. For the Space Segment, you may wish to improve or
develop a satellite platform or payload system or equipment. Or you may
intend to set up a Satcom Applications service that uses satellite as a means of
communication.
2. ESA will only submit proposals for evaluation that come from companies or
organisations – whether as Prime or Subcontractor – residing in one of the
following countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany,

Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
3. It is mandatory that companies (both Prime Contractor and Subcontractor(s))
obtain formal authorisation from their National Delegation to carry out the
proposed activity (contact information can be provided by the ARTES 3-4
Programme Office on request). For Study Proposals the authorisation by the
National Delegation shall include a declaration of its intention to support the
full development as well.
Timing
ARTES 3-4 works under an Open Call for Proposals structure, so you can submit a
proposal at any time.
Funding
ESA will fund up to 50% of the total cost of the proposed activity.
Options for Submitting a Proposal
There are different ways in which a proposal can be submitted:
1. The first option is to submit an Outline Proposal, to be followed by a Full
Proposal.
2. The second option is to submit an Outline Proposal, leading to a Study
Proposal, which in turn is followed by a Full Proposal.
3. The third option is to skip the Outline Proposal completely and submit a Full
or Study Proposal.
Idea for
Product or
Service
Outline
Proposal
Study Proposal
Study
Contract
Full Proposal
Development
Contract
Product or
Service ready
for market

Tender Documents
The tender documents relating to the Open Call for Proposals can be accessed on
EMITS Tender number: AO/1-5891/08/NL/AD
The tender documents consist of:
• A Letter of Invitation
• Special Tender Conditions, including the following documents:
o Content of the Outline Proposal
o Content of the Study Proposal
o Content of the Full Proposal for Space Segment
o Content of the Full Proposal for Ground Segment
o Content of the Full Proposal for Satcom Applications
• A Draft Contract, including the following applicable documents:
o Management Requirements for Study Activities
o Management Requirements for Space Segment Activities
o Management Requirements for Ground Segment Activities
o Management Requirements for Satcom Applications
Outline Proposal
An Outline Proposal is a means to initiate a dialogue with the ARTES 3-4 Programme
Office. The office recognises that preparing a Full Proposal requires a lot of time and
effort and therefore it is advisable to first submit an Outline Proposal. This approach
allows for early feedback on the eligibility of your idea as well as on the content of
the technical and business part of the proposal.
An Outline Proposal should be no more than 15 pages. The Outline Proposal is to
submitted be via e-mail to the ARTES 3-4 Programme Office to jose.maria.casas@esa.int
Study Proposal
If you need to perform preparatory tasks before being able to submit a Full Proposal,
there is the possibility to submit a Study Proposal. However, you must have firm
plans to develop the product in an ARTES 3-4 activity following the work offered in
the Study Proposal. The follow-on activity shall develop the product to the level at
which it is ready for commercial exploitation. The product can be equipment, a
subsystem or a full satellite system (including the Space and Ground Segment). This
option is not available for Satcom Applications.
The Study is a means to consolidate the technical specifications and the technical
baseline and to identify technical risks before entering into the development of a
product. The output of a Study Contract will be the key documents needed for the
development of the product.
The ESA funding is limited to 50% of the cost of the study with an absolute
maximum of 250k€.

Full Proposal
Preparation of a Full Proposal
Armed with feedback provided by ESA on your Outline Proposal and in the
knowledge that your idea is eligible, you can now prepare a Full Proposal. However,
if you feel confident your product or service fits the objectives of the ARTES 3-4
Programme, you may submit a Full Proposal without first having submitted an
Outline Proposal.
The content of a Full Proposal depends on whether the product is for the Space
Segment or Ground Segment, or whether it is a Satcom Application. Before preparing
the Full Proposal,check into which area your activity falls.
Here are some examples of activities covered by the three different areas:
Space Segment
Ground Segment
Satcom
Applications
Payload and platform elements such as antennas, receivers,
transmitters, filters, rotary joints, frequency converters,
modulators, demodulators, signal processors, antenna track
receivers, pointing mechanisms, batteries, solar arrays,
propulsion elements, TT&C, attitude control, thermal hardware
User terminals, gateway equipment, end to end networks,
performance enhancing protocols, VSAT installation tools
e-health and telemedicine (including medical education),
satcom networks systems and services, business to business and
business to consumer, infomobility, disaster relief/emergency
management, community information services/capacity
building, distance learning, e-government
Study Activities
A Full Proposal may include Study Activities for an amount up to 25% of the total
cost of the proposal if not preceded by a separate Study Contract. The Study
Activities shall be limited to the study of the overall system, or parts of the system in
which the product to be developed will be an element. It is a means to consolidate the
technical specifications, the technical baseline and the verification plan. The Full
Proposal shall include the first issue of these documents.
In Kind Contribution
In Kind Contribution (IKC) made available for an activity in a Full Proposal is
acceptable as a cost element. IKC is defined as hardware including any software,
assembly, integration and test needed to make a functional unit. IKC must comply
with all of the six conditions below:

1) the expenditure has actually been incurred and separately recorded as
being company funded research and development or procurement on a
commercial project;
2) confirmation that the IKC has not been capitalised and depreciation has
not been recovered through overhead or other cost elements;
3) the IKC has not been paid by any public funds;
4) payments related to IKC will only take place upon use of the IKC and
otherwise be forfeited;
5) the IKC cost quoted for the proposed activity is for at least 2/3 directly
attributable to hardware elements. The remainder, at the maximum 1/3,
may be for the software, assembly, integration and test to make the
hardware a functional unit;
6) the IKC cost quoted for the proposed activity amounts to 20% of the total
cost at the maximum;
Ownership and possession of the IKC:
Prior Work
o Option 1:
The IKC cost quoted for the proposed activity is the IKC value at the start of
the usage of the IKC. In this case the IKC is a deliverable to ESA at the end of
the activity and delivery will not be waived.
o Option 2:
The IKC cost quoted for the proposed activity is the difference between the
value of the IKC at the start of the usage of the IKC and the residual value at
the end of the usage of the IKC; and the residual value at the end of the usage
of the IKC is at least 20% of the value at the start of the usage. In this case the
IKC is not deliverable to ESA at the end of the activity.
You may already have carried out some work on the product or service in question
before submitting a Full Proposal. The expenses incurred can be claimed as part of the
Full Proposal, provided all of the eight conditions below are met:
1) they were incurred for work of direct relevance for the implementation of
the contract;
2) they were incurred within a maximum of 12 months prior to submission
of an acceptable proposal;
3) they amount to a maximum of 10% of the cost of the activity;
4) they have not been covered by any public funding;
5) the proposal includes mature Technical Specifications of the product to be
developed;
6) the proposal includes a mature Test Plan for the product to be developed;
7) the proposal includes a mature Development Plan;

8) the “Prior Work” is presented separately in the proposal with its own work
packages, cost sheets, description of the work performed and of the
complete outputs.
Please note that prior work cannot be claimed if the Full Proposal was preceded by a
Study Contract or includes Study Activities.
ESA Technical Assets
During the execution of an ARTES contract, ESA Telecom can provide, on a best
effort basis and free of charge, access to a pool of Technical Assets. This pool
consists of satellite capacity, uplink stations (to be used independently or in
combination with ESA capacity) and application platforms. For more information,
please go to http://telecom.esa.int/uso/technicalassets.
How to Submit a Proposal
An Outline Proposal is to be submitted via e-mail to the ARTES 3-4 Programme
Office to jose.maria.casas@esa.int
Study and Full Proposals shall be submitted as follows:
1. Study Proposal (which must not exceed 250,000 Euro funding): 4 hardcopies
and 2 CD-ROMs or DVDs).
2. Full Proposals requesting less than 500,000 Euro ESA funding: 4 hardcopies
and 2 CD-ROMs or DVDs.
3. Full Proposals requesting 500,000 Euro or more ESA funding: 6 hardcopies
and 2 CD-ROMs or DVDs.
to the Head of the Telecommunication Contracts Service at the following address:
Mr. Ulrich Sterzl
European Space Research and Technology Centre
Keplerlaan 1
2201 AZ Noordwijk
The Netherlands
Confidentiality
All proposals (Outline Proposal, Study Proposal and Full Proposal) received by ESA
will be treated in confidence.
Evaluation Criteria
In evaluating the Study and Full Proposals ESA will use the following criteria:
1. Assessment of the market potential (incl. competitiveness),
Soundness of the strategic position, credibility of business planning and

commercial strategy (incl. pricing strategy, sales opportunities, commercial
risks, etc.).
2. Quality and completeness of technical proposal,
Suitability of the proposed technical solution vs. project objectives,
Evaluation of the technical risks and credibility of the risk mitigation actions
3. Technical and commercial experience and competence of company/ies in all
areas required for the proposed work and completeness of the team with respect
to the value chain of the proposed opportunity,
Relevant experience and caliber of nominated personnel,
Adequacy of facilities
4. Adequacy of management structure, planning and schedule,
Adequacy and completeness of Work Package Descriptions
5. Adequacy of cost proposal including proportionality between cost elements,
value for money, assessment of financial risk versus company resources
6. Compliance with Contract Conditions and other Tender Conditions