ESA sponsorship for the European Space Conference 2026
In the frame of ESA Academy’s Engagement initiative, ESA is offering a limited number of sponsorships to tertiary education students from ESA Member State, Associate Member, or Canada, to attend the 18th edition of the European Space Conference (ESC) in Brussels on 27-28 January 2026.
The European Space Conference provides a platform for high-level dialogue on the priorities and challenges facing Europe’s space ecosystem, bringing together institutional stakeholders, national perspectives and industry voices.
By sponsoring tertiary students to attend, ESA aims to support the next generation of space professionals by offering exposure to a major European space policy forum and a chance to build networks across the sector.
Outline of sponsorship
The sponsorship will cover the conference registration fees (provided courtesy of the European Space Conference organisers) and provide a maximum reimbursement of EUR 350 towards travel and EUR 200 for accommodation expenses (2 nights max), which will be reimbursed via a single bank transfer after the event and will only be paid upon submission of receipts.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for the ESA student sponsorship, students must fulfil the following criteria at the time of application:
- be at least 18 years old at the time of conference;
- be a citizen of an ESA Member State, Associate Member, or Canada;
- be enrolled as a student in a Master’s or Doctoral degree programme at a tertiary education institution (and not graduating before the conference);
- not benefit from an overlapping financial support to attend this conference, unless duly justified;
- agree with the Terms and Conditions and the ESA Academy Privacy Policy.
Priority will be given to students who have less than 2 years of professional experience and have never taken part in an activity sponsored by the ESA Education Office. Priority will also be given to students with backgrounds in law, political sciences, and business.
ESA is committed to achieving diversity and creating an inclusive professional environment. Applications are welcome from all eligible students irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics. ESA Academy strongly encourages inclusiveness within its programmes.
How to apply
To be considered for this sponsorship, you are requested to:
- Ensure you meet the eligibility criteria (see above);
- Submit your application by completing the online application form. The deadline for applications has been extended to 5 January 2026, 23:59 CET. As part of the application, you will be asked to:
- upload a CV (maximum 2 pages) in Europass format; and
- provide a pre-recorded video response to two questions (submitted within the application form).
In return, the selected students will be asked to submit a 2-page report upon the end of the Conference.
Should you have issues with the application system, please contact academy.engagement@esa.int before the application deadline.