The CALL FOR APPLICATIONS for the 32nd Edition is now open!

The 32nd ECSL Summer Course on Space Law and Policy will be hosted by the ECSL National Point of Contact for Greece, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and will follow the overarching topic of “Space and sustainability“. The Course will take place from 26 August to 6 September 2024.

Information about the 2024 edition:

• Dates: Mon 26 August – Fri 6 September
• Host: National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (ECSL National Point of Contact for Greece).
• Theme: Space and sustainability.
• Opening of applications: 27 May 2024
• Deadline for applications: 23 June 2024, 23:59 CEST.

Places are limited: The 2024 Course is open to 45 students and 5 young professionals from ESA Member States, Associate Members and Cooperating States. However, as there are 22 ESA Member States, the principle of equal geographical distribution applies. Therefore, the places available for the NPOC are also limited.

Eligibility criteria (who can apply)

All the following requirements must be met:

1. Students enrolled in:

• An undergraduate course;
• A graduate course (e.g., Masters, LLM). In this case, there are additional requirements: the student must be under the age of 35; must not be a fully worker; must not be pursuing a PhD.

Note: The course is generally NOT open to working professionals over the age of 35 (since there are other ESA and ECSL dedicated courses).

2. Students studying law, political science (e.g., international law & organisations), economics (space sector focus) or other disciplines related to space law and policy.

Note: Applications from students with a technical background who can demonstrate an interest in space law and policy are also welcome, and a few are selected each year.

Generally, however, ESA has a dedicated “introduction to space law” course for students with a scientific, technical and engineering background. Click here for more info.

Application procedure for students

Students can only apply through their National Point of Contact (NPOC) in the country where they study or where they are citizens (they can contact ecsl@esa.int to confirm their NPOC or directly apply to the ECSL if their country has no NPOC).

Students must:

• Fill in an electronic application form;
• Save a copy of their responses;
• Provide such responses and a copy of their CV to their respecting NPOC.

All the previous steps are mandatory. Applications will not be considered complete by only submitting the electronic form.

• Students should also confirm the reception of their application with the NPOC.

Supporting reference:

In order to apply, the ECSL requests the student to provide a “supporting reference” to verify the application.

Supporting references can be professors or employers (current or former). You may also ask your respective NPOC to act as supporting reference.

The supporting reference does not need to write a letter of recommendation.

Electronic application form:

3 sections:

1. Personal information (name, date of birth, address, country of residence, phone, email).
2. Supporting reference (name, email, affiliation, professional connection between the referee and the applicant).
3. Experiences and interest:
   1. Summarise your previous experiences and/or interest in public international law/space law and policy.
   2. State your motivation for applying to this year’s edition of the summer course.
   3. Please identify one current issue related to space law or space policy that is of particular interest to you and illustrate why you consider it of importance.

Timeline for the 2024 ESA/ECSL Summer Course on Space Law and Policy

Useful links:

Summer Course general information: https://www.esa.int/About_Us/ECSL_-_European_Centre_for_Space_Law/ECSL_Summer_Course_on_Space_Law_and_Policy 

Selection Criteria & How to Apply: https://www.esa.int/About_Us/ECSL_-_European_Centre_for_Space_Law/Selection_Criteria_How_to_Apply