CEOI is an important feature of the UK EO sector, funding innovative projects which lead to technological progression and promising mission concepts. The programme is well liked by grant recipients, with many calling for the budget to be expanded and for its funding to span more than one financial year. The programme is well run, though delivery partners have struggled to administer funding within one FY when additional calls are added.

Evaluation of the Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation

Final report

Theodora Ogden, Billy Bryan, Chris Carter-Gordon, James Besse, Mélusine Lebret, Oliver Swainston, Marissa Martin, Alyssa Frayling, Eloise Trimingham, Greg Sadlier, et al.

ResearchPublished Sep 22, 2025

The CEOI programme is an important feature of the overall UK Earth Observation landscape, funding innovative projects which lead to enhanced technological progression and promising mission concepts. The programme is well liked by grant recipients, with many calling for CEOI's budget to be expanded and for its funding to span over more than one financial year. The programme is largely well run, though delivery partners have struggled to administer the funding within one financial year when additional calls are added, leading to difficulties in collecting monitoring data. Programme impacts include:

  • CEOI has been important in advancing TRLs of UK-developed EO emerging capabilities by an average of 2.2 points.
  • Approximately 46.2% of survey respondents reported enhancements in their skills through participation in CEOI events, while 73.1% gained valuable technical insights from technology showcases facilitated by the programme.
  • Some 69.2% of respondents indicated that CEOI funding has increased their ability to commercialise their research, and 96.2% reported gaining reputational benefits because of their involvement with CEOI.
  • CEOI-supported technologies have featured on four successful satellite launches between 2015 and 2023, with seven additional launches currently in progress, five projects selected for further study, and eleven more planned for future launches.
  • Most respondents stated that CEOI has strengthened their capacity to partake in international missions, while two thirds acknowledged that the programme has enhanced their export capabilities.
  • CEOI is appreciated by project stakeholders for fostering collaboration and establishing pioneering partnerships, particularly between universities and private sector entities.

Key Findings

CEOI fills an important gap in funding low-TRL UK EO projects and supporting their development to higher levels.

  • With an average project TRL progression rate of 2.2 points, CEOI is delivering value in supporting project teams to progress their EO technologies. Due to their focus on low-TRL projects, CEOI is also enabling wider access to the EO market among smaller organisations, diversifying the UK EO sector and promoting innovation.

The current CEOI model has advantages due to the level of stakeholder buy-in, programme transparency and support for international funding down the line.

  • CEOI's match-funding model and collaborative approach delivers on ensuring ownership among stakeholders, while the team's technological expertise and successful working relationship with ESA is key to promoting access to future funding and involvement in international missions. However, there are drawbacks of the current CEOI model, which merits the exploration of alternative delivery models. This report presents three examples of alternative delivery models.

It is too soon to determine whether CEOI will deliver good value for taxpayers' money, though there are early signs of potential for substantial future benefits.

  • The real discounted (Present Value (PV), 2024/25) and attribution-adjusted UK benefit of the CEOI (Calls 11-16) is at least £30.2m to date. If we include expectations, the PV benefit of the CEOI (Calls 11-16) rises to at least £57.6m. Furthermore, many benefits of the CEOI are intrinsically very challenging to monetise, so any quantified estimates will underestimate the full benefit of the programme.

Recommendations

  • CEOI's funding support of low-TRL EO technology is highly important for UK EO — and support at these development stages should be maintained.
  • The CEOI model can build on its strength in connecting partners, sharing knowledge and enabling collaboration.
  • Sustaining or increasing funding for CEOI is likely to deliver further value to UK EO.

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Ogden, Theodora, Billy Bryan, Chris Carter-Gordon, James Besse, Mélusine Lebret, Oliver Swainston, Marissa Martin, Alyssa Frayling, Eloise Trimingham, Greg Sadlier, and Deepika Ravishankar, Evaluation of the Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation: Final report. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2025. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2831-3.html.
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The research described in this report was commissioned by the UK Space Agency and conducted by RAND Europe.

This publication is part of the RAND research report series. Research reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND research reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.

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