There are free Sentinel Hub accounts and commercial data packages available for pre-commercial exploitation, research and educational purposes, sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA). Check out the Network of Resources (NoR) Portal and this webpage for additional information, sponsorship procedure and evaluation criteria. To apply for sponsorship, follow these steps:
Note that ESA sponsorship is limited to 5000 EUR. The subscription type, amount (units) and duration all influence the cost. You can see the cost of the chosen subscription on the right, as is highlighted in red on the image above.
Next, toggle on commercial data and additional processing units, if you need them. In commercial data, you will select the constellation and the amount of km2 for your project. Note, that constellations are priced differently, and the area size will impact the cost as well. Note that selecting a Sentinel Hub subscription is required, if you want to ask for commercial data.
Make sure to combine your requested subscriptions and data so it doesn't surpass the 5000 EUR limit. You can see the final cost on the bottom of your Sponsored Resource List. If you surpass the limit, the application will warn you and you won't be able to complete the request. In that case you can either revisit the selected or choose to co-fund it.
When your are finished with your selection among the other offerings, confirm it by clicking on the "Ask ESA for Sponsorship" button.
That's it! ESA will evaluate your request and let you know if it's granted.