To increase the scientific return from its space science missions, ESA welcomes applications from scientists interested in pursuing research based on publicly available data in the ESA Space Science Archives. The Archives host data from all current and past ESA space science missions in astronomy, planetary science, and heliophysics.
The ESA Archival Research Visitor Programme is open to scientists at all career levels who are affiliated with institutes in ESA Member States and Cooperating States (note that all visits must comply with the ESA Security Directives, which may necessitate additional checks). Early-career scientists are particularly encouraged to apply, including PhD students (see below). We encourage applications from women and minorities. The peer-review evaluation process is anonymised to ensure equal opportunities for all applicants.
Residence lasts typically between one and three months, also distributed over multiple visits, depending on the complexity of the research project. The research projects can be carried out at ESAC (Madrid, Spain) and at ESTEC (Noordwijk, Netherlands). To offset the expenses incurred by visitors, ESA covers travel costs from and to the home institution and provides support for lodging expenses and meals.
During their stay, visiting scientists have the opportunity to interact with archive and mission specialists for questions on the retrieval, calibration, and analysis of archival data. In principle, all areas of space research covered by ESA science missions can be supported (the data must be publicly available in the archives). To ensure that technical expertise in the specific area of interest is available at ESAC or ESTEC, applicants should consult the table of expertise and contact the relevant scientists in their field of interest (this is very important). In case of doubts, write to the programme coordinators for assistance at arvp@cosmos.esa.int.
The next deadline for applications is Wednesday 30 April 2026, 23:59 UTC
Call for applications
Applications can be submitted at any time by sending email to arvp@cosmos.esa.int. The email should contain a single PDF document of at most three pages detailing:
- description of the goals of the research project
- public archival data on which help is sought
- which type of expertise you expect to gain
- proposed time and duration of the visit
- expected publications
- contact information
Please keep it short (max 2 pages for the text of the proposal, max 1 page for figures, references, and contact information) and follow the simple template provided here. Note that this is just a template, you can use the font type and size that you prefer (not smaller than 10), but please do not exceed two pages for the text and one page for figures, references, and contact information. You must indicate in which year you obtained (or will obtain) your PhD.
To prevent unconscious biases, your name, email address, and other contact information (on the third page) will not be visible to reviewers. To help in the process, you must write your application in an “anonymous” way, i.e. do not identify yourself in the text. For instance, do not mention the name of your institute or collaborators in the scientific description of the project (page 1 and 2) and when you are referring to one of your papers, do not write “I have shown that … (Author Name, 2023, Journal, 954, 125)”, but rather write “It has been shown that … (Author Name, 2023, Journal, 954, 125)”. If you identify yourself, the application will not be considered.
We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions about the data that could support your research project. You will find the names of our experts in the various science areas in the table of expertise below. Or write to the programme coordinators for assistance at arvp@cosmos.esa.int.
Students
We welcome proposals by graduate students. The proposals can be submitted by the students themselves or in collaboration with their supervisors. If you are a student and would like to visit ESA to learn more about doing science with archival data, make sure that you coordinate and agree your research project with your supervisor. Mention this in the application, but omit the name of the supervisor, otherwise the application is not anonymous.
Deadlines
Applications can be submitted at any time and are reviewed twice a year, with deadlines usually on 30 April and 31 October. The results of the review will be communicated to applicants within about two months of the deadlines. Applicants are encouraged to contact the ESA scientists or the programme coordinators well ahead of the deadlines in order to discuss their research plans.
Applications received by 30 April 2026 (23:59 UTC) will be considered for visits in autumn and winter 2026/2027.
Please find here full details.