SGAC – ESA Scholarship 5th E-SGW in Madrid, Spain

SGAC has partnered with the European Space Agency (ESA) to bring 2 Students or Young Professionals to attend the 5th European Space Generation Workshop  (October 30-31) in Madrid, Spain.

Application deadline: 25th of August 2020, 23:59 GMT

Update: Due to the COVID-19 Situation, the 5th ESGW has been postponed until 2021. This scholarship has been closed as a result. We expect to relaunch once a new date for the ESGW in 2021 is confirmed.

Scholarship Description

The 5th ESGW

Following London, Budapest, Paris, and Bucharest, the 5th edition of the European Space Generation Workshop, gathering young professionals and students working in the space sector, will take place in Madrid, Spain on October 30th-31st 2020.

The two-day regional event will bring together Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degree candidates, young professionals, experts, academia, space agencies and industry representatives to network, exchange know-how, share best practices and nurture the next generation’s perspective on space matters. During the time spent in Madrid, delegates will get the opportunity to share ideas on sustainable space applications, a topic in which interest has substantially increased over the past few years. There will be talks and panels by experts and professionals from the leading European companies and agencies, and working groups where the participants will discuss diverse space topics moderated by industry experts.

Learn more: https://spacegeneration.org/esgw2020

Essay Topic

How does Space benefit Earth and Humanity?

Whether it’s through space applications, technological spin-offs, or inspiration, how does space benefit Earth and Humanity?

Answer this question by:

• Introducing the essay with a a general overview
• Elaborating on a specific, innovative example
• Being original!

Award

The total value of the award is EUR 500, which can be put towards any of the following expenses:

• 5th European Space Generation Workshop (30th-31st October 2020) Registration fee
• Travel, lodging and visa costs associated with the above event

Impact of COVID-19

Unfortunately, COVID-19 has severely impacted international travel and events earlier this year. Travel and event restrictions within Europe have mostly eased and the ESGW is slated to go ahead at the end of October. However there is the possibility that travel and event restrictions could return. In the event that the ESGW cannot be run at the end of October, the event may be moved online, in which case the winner can use the award to support attendance at ESGW next year.

The event team is monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely and September 1 has been set as the date for a final decision as to whether or not the event can still go ahead, right around the time the winner of the scholarship will be announced.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit your complete application using the Scholarship Submission Form.

To apply, you will need to prepare the following documents:

• A CV (2 pages max)
• Motivation letter (one page max) writing why you should be selected for this scholarship 
• An essay of no more than 750 words on the topic “How does Space benefit Earth and Humanity?”

Please submit your documents as unlocked PDF files. Your name should be included at the top of all pages. Your submission should follow the competition guidelines below.

Please note: you need to apply to be a delegate at the 5th E-SGW as well. More info here.

Guidelines

Eligibility

1. 1. The language of all submissions must be in English.
   2. The competition is open to all students and young professionals from ESA Member States + Canada & Slovenia (see details Appendix A)
   3. All individuals or team members shall be SGAC members between the ages of 18 to 35 inclusive (up to the day of their 36th birthday) on the 31st of October 2020.

• Applicants must have applied to be a delegate for the 5th E-SGW.

1. Competition organisers and judges are not eligible for this award.
2. The winner shall not receive support from any other source to attend the E-SGW. Should the winner receive such support midway through the program, SGAC shall be informed and a solution will be sought.

Submission

1. The language of all submissions must be English.
2. All submissions must be made by the 25th of August 2020, 23:59 GMT. Any submissions after the deadline will not be considered.
3. In case of lack of quality of submissions, SGAC and the Scholarship partner have the right to extend and or cancel the competition.

Responsibilities of the Winners

The winning author shall:

• Attend the entire 5th E-SGW
• Support the running of the 5th E-SGW. These tasks offer great opportunities such as being the rapporteur of a 5th E-SGW working group and helping with writing a group report.
• Submit a short report (1 page excluding pictures) and a short video (1 minute) describing his or her experience at the 5th E-SGW for inclusion on the SGAC website, newsletter or social media and that of our partners. The report and video shall describe the experience of the winner at the 5th E-SGW. For example, speakers that were particularly interesting, group discussions that stood out or other event highlights.
• All responsibilities shall be fulfilled and reports etc. submitted not later than 1st of December 2020. In case the scholarship awardee(s) do(es) not complete the scholarship requirements on time, the scholarship funds will be transferred to SGAC general budget to continue supporting the mission and work of SGAC.

Reimbursement

1. The award will be paid out after the 5th E-SGW, no later than 30 days after fulfilment of all responsibilities listed above.
2. The scholarship award reimbursement is conditioned on the awardee fulfilling the scholarship requirements not later than 1st of December 2020.
3. In case applicants or the winning author receive funding for the 5th E-SGW by any other organisation, the Scholarships Coordinators shall be informed. If the applicants don’t inform the Scholarships Coordinators, SGAC holds the right to not reimburse the winning author. SGAC aims to reduce the number of double scholarships and will work with the winners to develop a solution in these cases.
4. Applicants are advised to not engage any expenses until they have formal confirmation that the competition has been awarded. The SGAC is not liable for any expenses incurred by applicants in any case where a competition is not awarded, or in excess of the value of the awarded grant.
5. Reimbursements will follow the SGAC Scholarships Travel Policy & Reimbursement Guidelines. Please make sure to consult the Guidelines before incurring expenses.

Copyright and Intellectual Property

1. By submitting an entry, applicants agree to permit SGAC and all affiliated organisers to mention their names, affiliations and headshot picture in connection with the competition.
2. Copyright of the submitted entry shall remain with the contestants. However, by submitting an entry all contestants agree that SGAC and all affiliated organisers are granted non-exclusive reproduction rights regarding all submitted papers. SGAC and all affiliated organisers may also present ideas and findings generated by this competition at relevant conferences.

Liability

1. Organisers shall not be responsible in the event that 5th E-SGW is cancelled. SGAC will not reimburse the winning author, even if he/she has already incurred expenses.
2. Organisers shall not be responsible in the event that the award winner fails to attend the 5th E-SGW or is unable to under extenuating circumstances; in that case the award offer shall become void.
3. Organisers shall not be responsible in the event that the award winner cannot obtain any necessary travel documents; if they are required but not obtained, the award offer shall become void.

Evaluation

Evaluators will include members of the SGAC scholarship team and representatives of the scholarship supporter.

The overall evaluation will consider:

• Applicant background – CV (15%)
• Applicant motivation – Motivation Letter (15%)
• Essay (60%)

The essay evaluation will be made based on a point system taking following criteria and their weights into consideration:

• Scientific Content and Detail (40%)
• Originality (40%)
• Description of Concept (20%)

Schedule

Contact

For any questions, please refer to SGAC Scholarships Coordinators: 

[email protected]

Appendix A

ESA 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.

Further to the 22 Member States, also Canada, Latvia, Slovenia, based on their agreements with ESA, qualify to fully participate in the programmes of the ESA Education Office.