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PARTICIPATION

The Summer School is open to 60 selected science and/or engineering students and graduates from among the member, associate and cooperating states of the European Space Agency (ESA)*). The working language of the Summer School will be English. It is aimed at any such students taking their first steps into a space career.

To be eligible for participation, you need to be

  • a citizen from an ESA member state or from one of the European associate and cooperating countries
  • enrolled as a student (Bacherlor, Master or PhD) in a university

The number of participants will be limited to 60 students. A selection is necessary and the admission process is competitive.

The Summer School Alpbach is a joint effort of FFG, ESA and its member states. FFG as the main organiser works with national contact points in the ESA member countries. The selection of participants will be done by the national points of contact.

Selection criteria are:

  • qualification, academic grade
  • experience and background
  • expertise in the specific topic of the Summer School
  • science and/or engineering expertise
  • skills valuable for a space summer school
  • diversity as regards gender, nationality & member states, age, across universities

Confirmation of acceptance or non acceptance will be given by FFG based on the recommendations from the national points of contact.

To participate in the Summer School Alpbach a registration fee of 950 € will be charged per student. Out of this amount, the European Space Agency provides support of each student, covering 500 € of this fee. Therefore, students are only responsible for covering the remaining amount of 450 €. This fee includes expenses for infrastructure, daily dinners, various social events, and other associated costs.

*) ESA has 22 Member States: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Associate Members are: Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia and Lithuania
Five other states have Cooperation Agreements with ESA: Canada, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta

Financial support

In some of the ESA member, associate and cooperating states financial support is given by national agencies or other other institutions, which will grant a scholarship for participation of selected students.

These agencies/Institutions are the following:

  • Austria: FFG
  • France: Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES)
  • Germany: Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)
  • Greece: Hellenic Space Center
  • Italy: Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI)
  • Luxembourg: National Research Fund of Luxembourg / GLAE
  • Malta Council for Science and Technology
  • Norway: Norwegian Space Agency
  • Slovakia: Slovak Space Office
  • Switzerland: Swiss Academy of Sciences
  • Sweden: Swedish National Space Agency
  • The Netherlands: Space Research Organisation of the Netherlands (SRON)

Concerning Portugal: Please get in contact with your National point of contact to directly discuss the support and funding that is available for this year.

In other countries - if selected - students need to seek financial support from university or other sources individually. Getting a ticket for the Summer School Albach requires the selection by the national point of contact (with or without national funding).

National points of contact:

  • Austria FFG, Aeronautics and Space Agency, Sensengasse 1, A-1090 Vienna,
    Attn: Konstanze Fila, tel: +43(0)57755 3312, e-mail: 
  • Belgium Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO), Space Department, Simon Bolivarlaan 30, Boulevard Simon Bolivar, B-1000 Brussels,
    Attn: Carys Dunn, tel: +32 2 238 36 43, e-mail: 
  • Czech Republic Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences
    Boční II 1401, Praha 4
    141 31
    Attn: Jaroslav Urbar, Tel. +420 272 764 336, e-mail: 
  • Denmark Ministry of Higher Education and Science
    Attn: Cecilie Tornøe, Special Adviser, tel: +45 72 31 82 84, e-mail: 
  • Estonia Tartu University, Tartu Observatory, Observatooriumi 1, Tõravere
    Nõo parish, 61602 Tartu county, Estonia
    Attn: Aire Olesk tel: +372 522 0939, e-mail: 
  • Finland Aalto University, School of Electrical Engineering, 2153, Maarintie 8, Finland, 02150 Espoo
    Attn: Jaan Praks, tel: +358 50 420 5847, e-mail: 
  • France Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales – Direction Innovation Applications Sciences, 2 place Maurice Quentin, 75 039 Paris Cedex 01
    Attn: Catherine Brieu, e-mail: 
  • Germany Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)
    Raumfahrtagentur | Erforschung des Weltraums | Königswinterer Str. 522-524 | 53227 Bonn
    Attn: Christian Gritzner e-mail: 
  • Greece Hellenic Space Center (HSC), 178 Kifissias Avenue, 15231, Athens, Greece
    Attn: Dr. Anezina Solomonidou tel.: +30-2144066051, e-mail: 
  • Hungary Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Space, Department of Space Activity,
    H-1027 Budapest, Bem rakpart 47.
    Attn: Ferenc Horvai, tel: +36 1 458 3629, e-mail: OR
  • Italy ASI, Via del Politecnico, I-00133 Rome
    Attn: Marta Colletti, e-mail:
  • Ireland Irish Delegation to the European Space Agency, ENTERPRISE IRELAND, The Plaza, Eastpoint Business Park, Dublin 3, Ireland
    Attn: Padraig Doolan, e-mail: 
  • Latvia Ministry of Education and Science, Department of Higher Education, Science and Innovations Valnu iela 2, Riga, LV-1050, Latvija
    Attn: Kaspars Karolis, tel: +371 67047996, E-mail: 
  • Lithuania Lithuanian Aerospace Association, Gedimino pr. 3, 01103 VILNIUS, LITHUANIA
    Attn: Linas Smigelskas, tel: +370 5 210 1250, e-mail: 
  • Luxembourg Luxembourg Space Agency
    19-21, boulevard Royal | L-2449 Luxembourg
    Attn: Maud Marocki, 
  • Malta Malta Council for Science and Technology
    Villa Bighi Dawret Fra Giovanni Bichi Il-Kalkara,
    KKR 1320, Malta
    Attn: Xuereb Matthew Anthony, Tel. +356 2360 2184, e-mail: 
  • Norway Norwegian Space Agency, Drammensveien 165, P.O. Box 113 Skoyen, N-0212 Oslo,
    Attn: Paal Brekke, tel: +47 908 71 961, email: 
  • Romania Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy (AIRA), 5 Cuțitul de Argint, RO-040557, Bucharest
    Attn: Dan Alin Nedelcu tel: +40 21 3356892, e-mail: 
  • Netherlands SRON Space Research Organisation Netherlands, Landleven 12, NL-9747 AD Groningen,
    Attn: Willem Jellema, email: 
  • Poland Polish Space Agency, Trzy Lipy 3 Street (Building C), 80-172 Gdansk
    Attn: Jeremiasz Merkel, tel: +48 786 803 654, e-mail:
  • Portugal Portuguese Space Agency, Palácio das Laranjeiras, Estrada das Laranjeiras, 205, RC, - 1649-018 Lisboa
    Attn: Pedro Coimbra, e-mail: 
  • Slovakia Slovensk vesmrna kancelria, Mlynsk nivy 44/b, 821 09, Bratislava, Slovakia
    Attn: Lenka Tkcov, tel.:+421 918 919  659, e-mail: 
  • Sweden Swedish National Space Agency, Hemvärnsgatan 9, Box 4006, SE-17154 Solna, Sweden
    Attn: Perina Stjernlöf, Telephone: +46 (0)8-409 077 97 / +46 (0)703 83 77 97, E-mail: 
  • Switzerland Swiss Committee on Space Research, Chemin d'Ecogia 16, CH-1290 Versoix, Switzerland
    Attn: Stephane Paltani, Tel: +41.22.379.21.49, e-mail: