Funding is available for students’ travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses related to the REXUS/BEXUS programme. A maximum of four students from each participating SNSB/ESA team can be sponsored by ESA’s Education Office per event.

Sponsored events may include: two formal experiment reviews, the launch campaign and a results symposium.

Eligibility criteria

In order to be eligible for sponsorship, the following criteria must be fulfilled at the time of application:

• aged 18 to 28;
• a citizen of an ESA Member or Cooperating State*;
• a full-time undergraduate, Masters or PhD student in a University in an ESA Member State or Cooperating State studying or researching a subject which is related to the programme.

Students who do not meet the sponsorship criteria may still be able to attend the events under their own funding.

Endorsing professor

Each SNSB/ESA team applying must be supported by one of their professors or academic supervisors, whose role will be to supervise the work of the students. This person must belong to the same institution as at least one of the students and will be expected to support the team in their efforts to develop and deliver the experiment. After the selection of the team, he will have to complete and sign, along with the team leader, an acceptance letter.

Mentor

Technical experts from ESA, SSC and DLR will provide training, carry out design reviews and offer technical support and guidance to student teams throughout the project.

In addition to this, the support of an experienced engineer or scientist from a suitable field will be offered to each SNSB/ESA team following the PDR. The mentor will follow the integration and testing phase, offering advice on the functional aspects of the experiment in order to assist the team in meeting their scientific or technical objectives.