14 Jul ESA Announces Institutional Cooperation Tender Under the Africa-EU Space Partnership Programme

The European Space Agency (ESA) has published an Intent Notice (1-12924 — Activity Number: 1000043593). This tender seeks to implement the activities associated with the Institutional Cooperation component of the EU-Africa Space Partnership Programme, funded by DG INTPA under the Global Gateway initiative. These activities will be carried out at the continental level throughout the first phase of the programme (2025–2028). The primary objective of this tender is to strengthen the institutional capacity of African stakeholders in anticipation of the operationalisation of the African Space Agency (AfSA), with a focus on programme design and planning, knowledge transfer, and stakeholder outreach.

Key Objectives of the Tender

The project, titled “Institutional Cooperation,” will focus on the Institutional Cooperation component of the broader Africa-EU Space Partnership. Additionally, the main activities to be carried out under this tender include;

1. Joint Task Groups Technical Support: This will include providing technical assistance in support of the Earth Observation Joint Task Force (JTF) Group, including dedicated studies for each of the four supported sectors, which include: Earth Observation, Satellite Navigation, Satellite Communication and Astronomy. 
2. Facility Design and Technical Support: This will include carrying out scoping and design studies to define key facilities to be established within AfSA. This includes specifying infrastructure such as a Concurrent Design Facility and a CubeSat Support Facility, and delivering the results directly to the AfSA inception team.
3. Knowledge Transfer Activities: This will be aimed at supporting the delivery of high-quality, sector-specific training to African experts to build their technical skills and leadership abilities in space-related fields.
4. Development of Innovative Communication Tools: This initiative will allow for the design, development, and implementation of an interactive, multimedia-rich African Space Newsroom.

Further information on the tender details can be found here.

Key Dates

The following are key dates related to the application process:

• Closing Date: 14th August 2025, 13:00 Central European Time(CET).
• Closing Date Extension Request Deadline: 31st July 2025, 13:00 Central European Time(CET).

How To Apply

Interested applicants wishing to access the tender documents or express interest (if assigned a Bid Manager role) must first log in here.