Overview

ESPI’s Space Policy Summer School is an annual space policy training programme, for which the main objectives are to:

• Provide detailed, impactful training on space policy and strategy.
• Nurture an interest in the space sector for young and established professionals.
• Raise awareness of the importance of space in addressing wider societal issues.
• Facilitate a connection/networking point between space and non-space sector professionals.

Summer School 2025

The ESPI Space Policy Summer School 2025 convened under the theme: “Closing the Competitiveness and Resilience Gap: The Role of Space” and took place in the beautiful and historic city of Florence from 25-27 August 2025. The school was organised as an Executive Summer School in collaboration with the Florence School of Regulation’s Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies of the European University Institute (EUI). The centre is a cutting-edge research centre focusing on major challenges facing Europe and the world, specialising in connecting academia with the public and private sector.

Objectives

The objectives of the 2025 Summer School were:

• To provide a detailed overview of the current picture of space policy and strategy, including the foundations, assets and policy impact of space, space economy, and an overview of European and global space policy.
• To raise awareness of the importance of space in addressing wider strategic issues.
• To nurture an understanding, through case studies, and interactive seminars, of how space can facilitate competitiveness and innovation within other policy domains.
• To facilitate a connection point between space and non-space sector professionals.
• To provide an open space for experts to connect with other like-minded professionals, share perspectives, and learn from the experiences of other domains.

Click here to view the Key Takeaways.

Format

The format was highly interactive, consisting of seminars, use-cases, interactive content exchanges, and group exercises, chaired by lecturers from ESPI and EUI, including ESPI Director Hermann Ludwig Moeller, and EUI Professor, Leonardo Meeus. The course also welcomed several guest lecturers, from the space, policy, and space policy spheres. The summer school took place from 9:00 – 17:00 on the first two days, and concluded at 15:30 on the final day.

Click here to view the detailed programme.

Eligibility & Selection Criteria

The School was intended for the following profiles:

• Parliamentarians and civil servants.
• Professionals working in industry.
• Staff of international organisations and diplomats.
• Researchers and members of think tanks.
• Consultants.

Five spots were also made available for graduate and post-graduate students.

Preference was  given to applicants with one of two backgrounds:

• A STEM space background, hoping to gain knowledge of the policy dimension.
• A non-space background in policy, international relations, or a related field, hoping to gain knowledge of the space dimension.

In the case of graduate students, preference was  given to candidates who have demonstrated potential for future excellence in the policy sphere, and who have communicated clearly how they will benefit from participation in the Summer School.

Find the full recap of the 2025 Summer School here.

Summer School 2024

ESPI’s Inaugural Space Policy Summer School took place from 19 – 23 August 2024 in Alpbach, one of the most beautiful locations in the Austrian Alps. The summer school was organised in collaboration with the European Forum Alpbach (EFA), an annual platform that welcomes several thousand participants from around 100 nations, with a purpose to facilitate a space and place for the emergence of reflection and action.  

ESPI’s seminar welcomed 45 participants from over 10 different nationalities, with many different backgrounds. In fact, less than 30% of participants were currently working in the space sector, with others coming from fields such as international relations, politics, and engineering, to name a few. 

The programme consisted of five days of morning seminars which addressed four themes aligning with EFA’s overall theme, “Moment of Truth”: Security, Economy, Climate, and Policy. ESPI Director H. Ludwig Moeller was joined by four rotating co-chairs representing each theme including Gen. (Ret.) Michel Friedling, Sinéad O’Sullivan, Völker Liebig, and Angelina Bekasova, respectively. 

Find the full recap of the 2024 Summer School here.

Contact & More Information

For more information about the Summer School, please contact:

• ESPI Research Fellow seconded by CNES Elizaveta Shashkova at <Elizaveta.Shashkova@espi.or.at>

Past Speakers & Course Directors

Find below our Hall of Fame of previous speakers and course directors from our summer schools.