UK Space Agency: Training Programmes Fund

Overview

The Space Agency Training Programmes Fund has been created to fund new training programmes, courses, and learning opportunities that directly address short to medium term skills needs in the space sector that are not currently being met.

The scheme will encourage people already in employment in other sectors to access training that will enable them to convert into a UK space sector career. It will also catalyse new training interventions to address the acute mid-careers skills issues the sector faces.

This will be a competitive process in which the UK Space Agency expects to award grants in the region of £250,000 to £500,000.

Aims

• fund new training programmes, courses, and learning opportunities that directly address short to medium term skills needs in the space sector that are not currently being met
• encourage people already in employment in other sectors to access training that will enable them to convert into a UK space sector career
• catalyse new training interventions to address the acute mid-careers skills issues the sector faces

The funding available can cover all associated costs related to training interventions, including course design, delivery costs, any software or hardware kit associated with course delivery, and course attendance fees. Through the grant funding provided, they expect course attendance to be free for all learners.

Who can apply

There are a series of requirements for eligibility to receive grant funding:

• Grant Recipients must demonstrate the ability to effectively manage a project
• Grant Recipients must have a UK bank account and all grant payments will be made in UK sterling (as per grant funding agreement)
• all project members must have in place and provide evidence of appropriate anti-bribery and anti-corruption policies
• all project members must provide evidence of a process for declaring and managing conflicts of interest
• all project members must be able to provide evidence that they are General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant
• projects cannot work in areas that are in active conflict and any travel to overseas must comply with Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) recommendations
• projects must pass due diligence checks on company viability (financial standing assessment, governance, conflicts of interest, technical expertise)
• formal teaming, or equivalent agreements between project partners must be in place within 60 days of grant signature and made available to the UK Space Agency to ensure transparency
• projects must comply with the rules stated in this guidance document

Eligible organisations include academic or research institutions (including universities, research councils and UK Space Agency partners), charities, trusts and companies (including not-for-profit).

Subject to further guidelines below, grants may cover all types of expenses, including:

• contributions to salaries
• costs of materials
• travel and subsistence