AbGradE’25 Symposium in Lisbon (20th October): Registration deadline coming up!

Our signature event right before EANA 2025 (20^th of October in Lisbon, Portugal) is just over 1 month away! That means that the deadline for registration is very soon, specifically this coming Sunday, 21^st of September!

If you plan to attend, please remember to complete the registration form and pay the registration fee (20€) by midnight on Sunday (details are sent upon completion of the form).

We’ll soon be releasing the programme, which includes a special talk by ESA, so keep an eye on our event page.

We look forward to seeing you in beautiful Lisbon!

Space Factor at EANA in Lisbon, Portugal in October!

We are calling all early-career scientists to participate in the renowned Space Factor contest at The 25^th European Astrobiology Network Association (EANA) conference, taking place in Lisbon, Portugal, from 21–24 October 2025, right after our AbGradE symposium.

Showcase your astrobiology research in a dynamic and creative oral presentation among your peers.

Late Master students and early PhD candidates, present your work at Space Factor in a 15-minute pitch including a creative SciComm video.

> More info about Space Factor here. <

Take the challenge and the opportunity to win prizes and be seen in a big audience of astrobiology experts!

Symposium ahead of EANA in Lisbon, Portugal in October!

Registration Open!
AbGradE will organise an adjacent event to the 25^th European Astrobiology Network Association (EANA) conference. Both events will take place in person at Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, Portugal, from 21–24 October 2025.

The topic is “Astrobiology: from the Field to the Labs and into Space“, the symposium will therefore encompass every field that is part of astrobiology.

If you do not want to miss this exciting opportunity to share your work, you can find the registration and more information here.

Hope to see you there!

Conference EANA in Lisbon, Portugal in October!

Registration Open!
The 25^th European Astrobiology Network Association (EANA) conference will take place in person at Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, Portugal, from 21–24 October 2025.

Join researchers from across Europe for keynote and contributed talks, the Space Factor contest, and poster sessions. This year’s theme is “Astrobiology: From the Field to the Labs and into Space,” but abstracts from all areas of astrobiology are welcome!

Questions? Contact: eana-conference (at) eana-net.eu

> More info here <

FALCON: Registration deadline soon!!!

Our co-organised FALCON event (26th to 29th of June on Iceland) is only 1 month away! That means that the deadline for registration is very soon, specifically 31st of May (next week)!

If you are planning to come, do not hesitate! Registration to our event can be done by the following link: FALCON registration form

The same deadline (31st of May) applies to the travel grant applications which are still OPEN. Grants are expected to be approximately €200 – 400 (final amount may vary). Our grants are not tied to EAI membership, so you are eligible to apply even if your University is not a member of the EAI. Please send your grant application of no more than 250 words as an attachment (PDF or Word document) to abgrade@eana-net.eu. Please title the email ‘FALCON Travel Grant’ and the attachment ‘Surname_Firstname_FALCON’.

Please include the following:
1. Funds available to you via your lab group/University
2. Your nationality/background
3. Distance you will travel to Iceland
4. Confirm whether you want to do a talk or poster (or neither, i.e. simply attending)

For more information please visit our event page https://abgrade.eu/falcon2025/ or send us a message via email at abgrade@eana-net.eu

We are looking forward to meeting you on Iceland!!!

Conference: EANA 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal (October 21-24)

📧 Questions? Contact: eana-conference (at) eana-net.eu

> More info here <

Applications open: SPACE INDUSTRY WORKSHOP in Riga (Latvia)

Are you a student or academic interested in space science and industry collaboration? Join the Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) hosted by Riga Technical University, in partnership with Aalto University and Stockholm University.

📅 In-person workshop: August 18–22, 2025 (Riga, Latvia)
💻 Virtual follow-up: 3 days post-workshop
🎯 Collaborate with space scientists, startups, and industry leaders on real mission design proposals
🎓 Earn 3 ECTS · No participation fees · Erasmus+ mobility funding available

📝 Deadline to apply: May 31, 2025
👉 Apply here

Harding Essay Competition 2025

Are you a UK university student passionate about writing, science, and questioning humanity? The UK Centre for Astrobiology (UKCA) is now accepting entries for its 2025 Harding Essay Competition! This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your perspective, get featured on the UKCA website, and win prizes.

🎓 Open to both undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled in UK universities.

📅 Submission deadline: 31st July 2025

📩 Submit your essay to: UKCA-info@ed.ac.uk. Topics can span culture, science, society, engineering, and more — whatever sparks your voice. Visit: www.astrobiology.ac.uk/opportunities/competitions

“Impacts and their role in the origin and evolution of life” Conference (1-4 September 2025, Nördlingen, Germany)

We are pleased to share an exciting invitation to the conference, “Impacts and their role in the origin and evolution of life” which will be held from 1 to 4 September 2025 in the picturesque medieval city of Nördlingen, located within the world-famous Ries crater in southern Germany.

The conference will focus on the role of meteorite and comet impacts in the formation of Earth, its atmosphere, and the evolution of life. The event will feature lectures, discussions, and excursions, allowing participants to present their research during poster sessions.

Conference topics include:

Impacts and the early history of the Solar System
Impact structures as indicators of target properties
Role of impacts in the delivery and formation of the building blocks for life
Impact-generated habitats for life
Environmental effects of impacts
Impacts as threats to life and humankind
Geoconservation, education, and outreach related to impacts

There will be two exciting excursions:

A one-day excursion around the Ries crater on 4 September
A half-day excursion to the Steinheim crater on 2 September, including its famous central uplift feature

Additionally, the conference will offer time for contributed talks, with a special focus on young scientists.

Important Dates:

Abstract Submission Deadline: 31 May 2025
Registration Deadline: 30 June 2025

For full details and to register, please visit the official website

Update on FALCON: Frontiers in Astrobiology & Origins of Life Conference

Our co-organised FALCON event (26th to 29th of June on Iceland) is only 3 months away!

Registration to our event can be done by the following link until May 31st: FALCON registration form

We want to remind you that the abstract submission deadline of March 31st is approaching soon. For more information, refer to this link: FALCON website

Travel grant applications are now open. Grants are expected to be approximately €200 – 400 (final amount may vary). Our grants are not tied to EAI membership, so you are eligible to apply even if your University is not a member of the EAI. Please send your grant application of no more than 250 words as an attachment (PDF or Word document) to abgrade@eana-net.eu. Please title the email ‘FALCON Travel Grant’ and the attachment ‘Surname_Firstname_FALCON’.

The deadline for travel grants is May 31st, the same day as our registration deadline. However, we will award grants on a rolling basis from next week.

Furthermore, event organised accommodation booking deadline has been extended to April 15th, and managed through the BEACON registration platform at the following link, which is also used for the processing of all associated payments of our event: Accomodation registration (through BEACON)

We want to remind you that on those premises, accommodation will likely still be possible for the same dates but at different rates.