Deadline: 31-Jul-2025
The European University Institute is inviting applications for the European Space Agency Post-Graduate Research Grant Programme. This initiative encourages original research on any aspect of the history of the European Space Agency (ESA) and its predecessor organisations.
The goal of the grant is to expand understanding of ESA’s origins, the progression of European space research, and the overall development of Europe’s activities in space. Research should lead to an academic publication such as a thesis, dissertation, book, or scholarly article. Projects from postgraduate or postdoctoral researchers should ideally be connected to their master’s or doctoral field.
Most ESA archival materials are in English, though some are also in French, German, Italian, and other European languages. Successful applicants will receive a €5,000 grant paid in two instalments. The first instalment of €2,000 will be awarded at the start of the research, confirmed by the Director of the Historical Archives of the European Union (HAEU). The remaining €3,000 will be paid after the results have been published and reported to the Director. Publication must occur within 30 months, and no later than 36 months from when the grant was awarded.
The grant is open to postgraduate students and early-career researchers in history, social sciences, and humanities. Applicants must be nationals of or affiliated with academic institutions in ESA Member, Associate, or Cooperating States. Eligible candidates include current master’s and doctoral students, postdocs, and university teachers who earned their degrees within the last ten years.
Applications will be judged by ESA and HAEU based on the quality of the proposal, the research’s relevance to ESA history, its originality, the feasibility of the project, the necessity of using ESA archives, and the applicant’s ability to complete the work. Selection will follow principles of equal opportunity and non-discrimination.
All application materials must be submitted in English or French. Candidates need to prepare a CV with recent publications (max 2 pages), a detailed research proposal (max 5 pages), a bibliography (max 5 pages), justification for using ESA archives at HAEU (max 2 pages), and a letter of recommendation from a recognized academic institution assessing the proposal’s value and the applicant’s research abilities.
For more information, visit EUI.