This listing highlights the KijaniSpace Space-IoT Innovation Programme, a Horizon Europe-supported initiative for SMEs and start-ups developing climate-smart agriculture solutions. The programme targets businesses in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania with existing agriculture-related products, services, or applications that can be improved using Copernicus Earth Observation data, Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, and Space-IoT Box resources.
Programme Overview
• Programme name: KijaniSpace Space-IoT Innovation Programme
• Support mechanism: Horizon Europe-supported innovation and funding programme
• Target applicants: SMEs and start-ups in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania
• Geographic focus: Lake Victoria Basin
• Core objective: Improve climate-smart agriculture solutions using Earth Observation and IoT technologies
• Programme approach: Support businesses with existing agriculture-related products, services, or applications to enhance their solutions using Copernicus Earth Observation data, IoT technologies, datasets, platforms, and other Space-IoT Box resources
• Number of teams to be selected: Up to 5
Funding and Benefits
• Funding amount: Up to €5,000 per selected team
• Funding scope: Eligible actual costs directly linked to the approved innovation experiment
• Payment structure: 20% pre-financing, with the remaining eligible amount paid after approval of the final report and deliverables
• Eligible activities include:
• Testing and improving an existing product, service, or application
• Developing new features or services using Copernicus and IoT technologies
• Collecting data, user feedback, and stakeholder validation
• Preparing technical documentation, validation evidence, and impact summaries
• Participating in relevant KijaniSpace programme activities
• Additional participant benefits:
• Access to Space-IoT Box resources, tools, datasets, and documentation
• Technical training
• Business development support
• Mentoring
• Product and market validation
• Pitch and investment-readiness support
• Participation in the final showcase in Kenya
Who Can Apply
• Legally established and operating SMEs and start-ups in Kenya, Uganda, or Tanzania
• Businesses with an existing agriculture-related product, service, or application
• Applicants proposing an innovation experiment that improves an existing solution using Copernicus, Earth Observation, IoT, or other Space-IoT Box-supported resources
• Applications must be submitted by a single legal entity
• Only one proposal per applicant or team member can be funded
• Consortium applications are not eligible
Focus Areas
Example application areas include:
• Weather and climate monitoring using IoT sensors and remote sensing
• Water-quality monitoring for fish farming
• Fish-farming decision-support services
• Crop monitoring and crop phenology
• Farm input planning
• Irrigation support
• Farm management
• Crop disease risk monitoring and alerts
• Seasonal planning and agroclimatic zoning
• Precision agriculture using satellite imagery and IoT data
• Hydrological flow assessment
• Other relevant climate-smart agriculture solutions using Space-IoT Box resources
Eligible Countries
• Kenya
• Uganda
• Tanzania
• Applicants must be legally established and operating in one of these countries
Application Timeline
• Call for applications: From 15 September 2026
• Application Deadline: 16 November 2026, 14:00 GMT+1
• Training and Business Development Support: 11 January–26 February 2027
• Innovation Experiment Planning and Implementation: 11 January–19 May 2027
• Final Showcase in Kenya and Programme Closure: By 4 June 2027
The KijaniSpace Space-IoT Innovation Programme provides selected SMEs and start-ups in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania with up to €5,000 in financial support alongside technical training, mentoring, business development, product and market validation, and access to Earth Observation and IoT resources. The programme is designed for businesses that already have an agriculture-related solution and want to test and improve it through a defined innovation experiment.