National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP)

The National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) is a flagship funding initiative run by the UK Space Agency to support the development of disruptive space technologies. It provides co-funding grants to British organisations, industry teams, and academic institutions pursuing high-risk, high-reward projects with a clear route to market, helping to accelerate the growth of the UK's space sector.

NSIP began as a pilot in the 2020/21 financial year, when 27 grants were awarded to industry- and academic-led project teams across the UK. Since then it has evolved through successive funding calls, including NSIP Call 1 in FY23/24, which offered multi-year grants of up to £5 million, and NSIP Call 2, launched in March 2025 with grants of up to £2 million for projects running from November 2025 to March 2027.

The programme focuses on five strategic themes considered critical to the UK's space ambitions: space domain awareness, in-orbit servicing and manufacturing, Earth observation, satellite communications, and position, navigation and timing. Beyond direct funding, NSIP fosters cross-sector collaboration between industry, academia, and research organisations, and supports regional economic growth by helping deliver new space missions and capabilities.

As a government programme, NSIP does not sell products directly. Its role is to catalyse private investment and de-risk early-stage space technology development, with the UK Space Agency reporting that its grants have helped create jobs and attract further private funding across the UK space industry.