ESA BIC Germany: 11 October 2026 deadline for Bavaria, Northern Germany and NRW
Three German ESA incubators give space startups EUR 60,000 in equity free cash plus support. Applications close 11 October 2026.
The ESA Business Incubation Centres in Bavaria, Northern Germany and North Rhine-Westphalia share one application deadline this autumn: 11 October 2026. All three are managed with AZO and belong to the European Space Agency network.
Selected startups get EUR 60,000 in cash with zero equity taken. They also get feedback from technical experts, business and marketing support, office space, mentoring and use of the ESA BIC brand. The NRW centre says its support runs for up to two years.
You can apply if your company is not yet founded or is under 5 years old. In Bavaria the limit is under 3 years. Your product or service needs a space connection, and you need a legal work permit in Germany. The NRW centre also asks for company headquarters in North Rhine-Westphalia. Locations include Oberpfaffenhofen, Nuremberg, Bremen, Lübeck, Aachen and Herten.
Each centre has its own apply page with the open call templates and an online submission link. Applications that miss the deadline move to the next evaluation round.
After a formal check, applicants pitch to a Tender Evaluation Board. The next boards meet on 27 and 28 October 2026 in Bavaria, 3 and 4 November 2026 in Northern Germany, and 24 and 25 November 2026 in NRW. The organizers suggest booking a first talk before you apply.