ESA Training Programme Application procedure

Eligibility

Students who would like to participate in an ESA Academy training session must comply with the following criteria

• be aged minimum 18;
• be a citizen of a current ESA Member State or a State that has established an agreement with ESA;
• be enrolled as a student in a university or institute (not graduating before the training course);

ESA Academy will only appraise applications from students who have no or limited professional experience in relevant topics.

Note that for each training session, the profile of the eligible students is specified in the call.

How to apply?

If you are eligible and interested in applying, please follow the subsequent steps:

• Fill in the application form linked in the call for applications of the training session you are applying to;
• Upload a motivation letter (PDF, maximum 1 page, no images);
• Upload a CV (PDF, Europass format, maximum 2 pages, no images);
• Upload a formal recommendation letter (PDF, maximum 1 page, including signature) from a university professor or academic supervisor of current university/institute (if it is not possible to receive the recommendation letter from your referee, please ask them to send a recommendation email to academy.training@esa.int before the application deadline);
• Upload a copy of your Transcript of Grades from the two previous semesters, or, if not available, the previous academic year (PDF).

Note that all documents should be provided in English (unless Transcript of Grades if not available).

Selection criteria

In order to assess the application, a review board will:

• Check the eligibility of the student against the criteria specified above;
• Check the validity of the application: online form fully completed, and all additional documents provided;
• Consider various criteria, such as: student’s profile and its correlation with the specific course, how the student will benefit from this specific course, the motivation of the student, the academic records, and the recommendation from the professor.

ESA Academy will give priority to students who have not yet been sponsored for an ESA Academy opportunity.

ESA is committed to achieving diversity and creating an inclusive professional environment. To this end, we welcome proposals and applications from all eligible candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics. The ESA Academy strongly encourages inclusiveness within its programmes and within participating teams, which contributes to the enrichment of our programme.

Whenever possible, we seek to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support, either digitally or at the location of the training. In case of any questions or specific needs, please reach out to academy.training@esa.int to get assistance or advice during the application process.

Note that due to the large number of applications, ESA's Education Office will not provide feedback to non-selected students.

Sponsorship conditions

Selected students should arrange their travel from a departure point in a current ESA Member State or a State that has established an agreement with ESA, and back to their original departure point. Travel expenses will be covered up to a maximum of 300 € per student. These expenses will be reimbursed to the student’s bank account after the training session, on production of valid, original receipts.

For the duration of the training session, accommodation, catering, and local transportation will be organised, booked, and paid by the ESA Education Office. Students of similar gender will be sharing hotel rooms. If you require additional information regarding rooming, do not hesitate to contact us at academy.training@esa.int.

Students are responsible for their own arrangements for passports, visas, and any additional insurance required. 

*Canadian students enrolled in a Canadian post-secondary institution may apply for additional support from the Canadian Space Agency through this Announcement of Opportunity (grant applications should be submitted at least 7 weeks before the course delivery and account creation 3 weeks before the submission deadline – create an account soon!). This additional support is to cover costs that are not already covered by ESA for selected Canadian post-secondary students.