{"opportunitySpacesMenu":{"title":"Scoping Our Planet","subTitle":"Opportunity space","exploreText":"Explore this space","image":{"src":"/media/42xansl5/scoping-our-planet.png?rmode=pad&format=webp&quality=100","alt":"Scoping Our Planet"},"imageMobile":{"src":"/media/mk0d5lnh/aria_scopingourplanet_image.png?rmode=pad&format=webp&quality=100","alt":"ARIA Scopingourplanet Image"},"backLink":{"isActive":false,"text":"Back to Opportunity spaces","href":"/opportunity-spaces","title":"Back to Opportunity spaces"},"signUpLink":{"isActive":false,"text":"Sign up for updates","href":"/sign-up-for-updates-qa","title":""},"items":[{"title":"Opportunity space overview","link":{"isActive":false,"text":"Scoping Our Planet","href":"/opportunity-spaces/scoping-our-planet","title":"Scoping Our Planet"}},{"title":"Opportunity seeds","link":{"isActive":false,"text":"Opportunity seeds","href":"/opportunity-spaces/scoping-our-planet/opportunity-seeds","title":"Opportunity seeds"},"children":[]},{"title":"Programme: Forecasting Tipping Points","link":{"isActive":false,"text":"Programme: Forecasting Tipping Points","href":"/opportunity-spaces/scoping-our-planet/forecasting-tipping-points","title":"Programme: Forecasting Tipping Points"},"children":[{"title":"Meet the Creators","link":{"isActive":false,"text":"Meet the Creators","href":"/opportunity-spaces/scoping-our-planet/forecasting-tipping-points/meet-the-creators","title":"Meet the Creators"}},{"title":"Funding","link":{"isActive":false,"text":"Funding","href":"/opportunity-spaces/scoping-our-planet/forecasting-tipping-points/funding","title":"Funding"}}]},{"title":"Programme: Enduring Atmospheric Platforms","link":{"isActive":false,"text":"Programme: Enduring Atmospheric Platforms","href":"/opportunity-spaces/scoping-our-planet/enduring-atmospheric-platforms","title":"Programme: Enduring Atmospheric Platforms"},"children":[{"title":"Funding","link":{"isActive":true,"text":"Funding","href":"/opportunity-spaces/scoping-our-planet/enduring-atmospheric-platforms/funding","title":"Funding"}},{"title":"Testing and Validation Partners","link":{"isActive":false,"text":"Testing and Validation Partners","href":"/opportunity-spaces/scoping-our-planet/enduring-atmospheric-platforms/testing-and-validation-partners","title":"Testing and Validation Partners"}}]}],"activeBackgroundColor":"#c7e9fb"},"modules":[{"type":"header","title":"Enduring Atmospheric Platforms","text":"Backed by £50m, this programme sits within the Scoping Our Planet opportunity space and aims to develop low-cost, persistent, and autonomous atmospheric platforms.","colour1":"Blue","colour2":"Purple","breadcrumb":[{"isActive":false,"text":"Home","href":"/home","title":""},{"isActive":false,"text":"Opportunity spaces","href":"/opportunity-spaces","title":""},{"isActive":false,"text":"Scoping Our Planet","href":"/opportunity-spaces/scoping-our-planet","title":""},{"isActive":false,"text":"Enduring Atmospheric Platforms","href":"/opportunity-spaces/scoping-our-planet/enduring-atmospheric-platforms","title":""},{"isActive":true,"text":"Funding","href":"/opportunity-spaces/scoping-our-planet/enduring-atmospheric-platforms/funding","title":""}],"noBottomMargin":false,"hideGradient":false},{"type":"standout-copy","title":"Request for proposals live until 22 May 2026","text":"<p>This programme is a 3.5-year effort focused on technical de-risking for low-cost, long-endurance aircraft that enable scalable high-altitude communications. To support the researchers and organisations funded to bring these breakthrough ideas to life, we are seeking proposals for segregated testing space, platform guidance, and validation.</p>","link":null,"color":"ccbbed","isWhiteText":false,"fullWidth":false},{"type":"rich-text-content","text":"<p><span class=\"h4\">Funding</span></p>\n<p><span class=\"h7\">This funding call is now closed.</span></p>\n<p>We are funding the development of atmospheric platforms capable of a specific, galvanising demonstration: keeping a payload aloft and powered for seven days while maintaining precise station-keeping.</p>\n<p>We are solution-agnostic – accepting proposals for fixed-wing, lighter-than-air, hybrid, or novel architectures – provided they can meet the programme's primary technical metrics.</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Power: Continuous delivery of 300 W to the payload (50.4 kWh total over one week).</li>\n<li>Payload: Capacity to support a 20 kg payload.</li>\n<li>Station Keeping: Ability to maintain line-of-sight contact with a fixed ground point throughout operation.</li>\n<li>Cost: A credible techno-economic path to a gross operating cost of &lt;£500/hour by the end of the programme.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>By overcoming these key aerodynamic and energetic challenges, we hope to unlock a resilient, and regionally scalable alternative to orbital satellites, and enable the delivery of ubiquitous, high-performance connectivity required to unlock the massive economic potential of AI.<br><br></p>\n<p><span class=\"h5\">Technical areas</span></p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The programme’s Technical Areas (TA) efforts run in parallel. Applicants can apply for a single or several TAs.</p>\n<p><strong>TA1 | Enabling Technologies: </strong>Focused on game-changing enabling technologies – such as power beaming, high-density energy storage, or novel materials – that make the development of a full system comparatively low risk.</p>\n<p><strong>TA2 | System Integration + Testing:</strong> Focused on developing and testing the platforms to achieve the primary metric: continuous delivery of power to a payload while keeping station.</p>\n<p><strong>TA3 | Deployment + Communications Architecture:</strong> Focused on technical, regulatory and commercial viability.</p>\n<p>Please read the <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Programme Solicitation Enduring Atmospheric Platforms\">call for proposals</a> to find out what is in and out of scope for each area.</p>","mediumLayout":false,"fullWidth":false},{"type":"download","title":"Resources","columns":[{"header":"","links":[{"type":"file","text":"Call for proposals [PDF - 869.64Kb]","href":"/media/3nhijno4/aria-safeguarded-ai-programme-thesis-v1.pdf","fileExtension":"PDF","fileSize":"869.64Kb","target":"_blank"},{"type":"file","text":"Call for proposals (accessible) [PDF - 869.64Kb]","href":"/media/3nhijno4/aria-safeguarded-ai-programme-thesis-v1.pdf","fileExtension":"PDF","fileSize":"869.64Kb","target":"_blank"},{"isActive":false,"text":"Accessibility support","href":"/funding-opportunities/accessibility-support","title":""}]}]},{"type":"rich-text-content","text":"<p><span class=\"h5\">Clarification questions</span></p>\n<p>If you have any questions, please use the chat function on this page for the quickest response – you'll find the icon in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. It can guide you to the right information or connect you with the ARIA team if needed. We’ll update this page regularly with questions and answers.</p>\n<p><em>Nb: clarification questions that need to be reviewed by the ARIA team should be submitted via the chat function no later than 4 days prior to the relevant deadline date. Clarification questions received after this date will not be reviewed.</em></p>","mediumLayout":false,"fullWidth":false},{"type":"accordion","title":"<span class=\"h4\">Questions + answers</span>","intro":"<p></p>","items":[{"title":"What are the submission formatting guidelines for a full proposal? i.e. page count restrictions","text":"<ul>\n<li>Page count: 15 pages, (including diagrams, excluding references)</li>\n<li>Diagrams and reader-friendly formatting are strongly encouraged; please aim to limit narrative text to approximately two-thirds of the total page area. The maximum 15 page limit is provided to allow for the inclusion of these essential visuals, however succinctness is a core virtue, and we encourage clear and concise articulation.</li>\n<li>Single line spacing, standard character spacing (neither expanded nor condensed)</li>\n<li>Font: Arial. Colour: black. Size: 11-point font or larger</li>\n<li>Margins: At least 0.5” margins all around</li>\n<li>File Type: PDF</li>\n<li>In Section 0, we require an executive summary of your proposal in 1-2 pages max.</li>\n</ul>","links":[]}],"link":null}],"scriptsAtTop":"<!-- Start cookieyes banner --> <script id=\"cookieyes\" type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"https://cdn-cookieyes.com/client_data/eae9957b4a0acd8b0ca247e2/script.js\"></script> <!-- End cookieyes banner -->\n\n<!-- Google tag (gtag.js) -->\n<script async src=\"https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-QB5LXNMKJN\"></script>\n<script>\n  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];\n  function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}\n  gtag('js', new Date());\n\n  gtag('config', 'G-QB5LXNMKJN');\n</script>\n\n<style>\n.biography-swiper,\n.team-cards {\n    margin-bottom: 60px;\n}\n.quick-link__label {\ndisplay: none;\n}\n.site-footer__logo img {\n filter: invert(1);\n}\n\n.rte-image-text {\n  display: flex;\n  align-items: flex-start;\n  gap: 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