The Agency (ESA) is responsible for the evaluation and selection of the scientific instruments or experiments according to the rules and procedures in force. The Participating States shall inform the Agency of their agreement to finance within PRODEX the proposals selected by the Agency.

Once an instrument or experiment has been selected and its financing secured, the Agency concludes an arrangement with the institute or university concerned, which defines the modalities, needed to develop the respective instrument or experiment. It will, in particular, fix the total projected cost of the instrument or experiment which shall be spent in principle within the territory of the Participating State and will assure that no less than 50% of these projected costs will be spent through industrial contracts within the territory of the Participating State.

The Agency will conclude and manage industrial contracts in cooperation with the respective institutes and universities. Upon request, the Agency will give scientific advice. The contracts for the development of the selected instruments or experiments are awarded in accordance with the rules and procedures in force, but call for tenders are restricted to the industries of the Participating State that has decided to finance the PRODEX Programme and approves the corresponding instrument or experiment.

Each Participating State shall provide the Agency, over a period of 5 years, with financial envelope broken down into annual slices. Any surplus on each individual slice shall automatically be carried forward to the following year. Ten percent of each annual slice is reserved for covering the costs of the Agency, i.e. the running of the PRODEX office. The updating of the annual slices will take into account the changes in economic conditions. Each Participating State may notify the Agency of increased financial envelopes and annual slices during the course of each year. The Agency, acting on behalf of the Participating State, shall be the owner of the assets produced under PRODEX for a period of 5 years after delivery. During that time, however, and by request of the Participating State, the assets funded by the Participating State will be put at the disposal, free of charge, to the selected institute or university After a period of 5 years, this institute or university shall, become the owner of the said instrument or experiment.

The PRODEX Programme is an open programme. ESA Member States can become Participating States subscribing to the declaration and to the present rules in force provided that all other Participating States agree. Non-Member States may apply to take part in PRODEX. In such cases the Director General shall submit the application to the Council, whose approval of it must be unanimous and arrived at in agreement with the Participating States, which shall unanimously determine the terms for participation by the acceding State.

The rules may be revised by unanimous decision of the Participating States. Any amendment shall be referred to the Council for approval.

Institute Agreements