European Collaborating Astronomer ProjectS: Espana-Czechia-Slovakia Erasmus Project

Project Title

European Collaborating Astronomer ProjectS: Espana-Czechia-Slovakia

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Natural sciences; Research and innovation

Project Summary

Our novel project principally comprises mobilities which form the backbone of a programme for educating new leaders in astronomical research through international collaboration across old and new EU member states. This new project will make use of our previous successful partnership “Per Aspera Ad Astra Simul” which initiated these collaborations. We are a partnership of research institutes in astronomy and universities from Czech Republic, Slovakia and Spain. We include a new partner Charles University widening the expected impact of the project and bringing new possibilities for participating early career researchers. Other partners are Astronomical Institute of Czech Academy of Sciences (coordinator), Masaryk University in the Czech Republic, Astronomical Institute of Slovak Academy of Sciences and Comenius University on Slovak side and Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias in Spain. All partners have established track records in astronomical research.

We aim at educating and fomenting the development of new leaders in astronomical research as achieved by international mobilities. Furthermore, we intend to educate our early career researchers in topics of astronomy which are active areas of research at partner institutes. In addition, we will disseminate our know-how to external audiences by organizing scientific seminars streamed live, by publishing scientific papers on hot topics in astronomy and by organizing international summer schools for early career researchers. We would like to include also an educational component by including pupils project work on selected astronomical topics which will implant a positive image of natural sciences and strengthen ties between scientific researchers and schools. Finally, the last component of our project will be a series of public lectures aimed at a broad audience, which will provide a valuable and rewarding connection between researchers and the general public.

We expect a broad international impact from our project which will be mirrored by interest from the international astronomical community. Such impact can be measured by publication count and later by citation counts. The impact of seminars can be measured by online and in-person audience numbers. We also expect local impact from our educational activities of pupils and via public talks. Therefore, we will have impact from the top (not only) EU-wide level through to regional and local levels.

Longer term benefits from the project will be lasting partnerships among research groups at partner institutes, new leaders which take up their appointments in next years and who will be directing new research groups and develop their own new research fields. Furthermore, we will also seed interest in pupils who hopefully acquire positive views on the natural sciences. The planned lecture series for the general public will have a long lasting effect of positive perception of astronomy on a non-academic audience.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 318085 Eur

Project Coordinator

ASTRONOMICKY USTAV AV CR & Country: CZ

Project Partners

• Masarykova univerzita
• INSTITUTO DE ASTROFISICA DE CANARIAS
• UNIVERZITA KOMENSKEHO V BRATISLAVE
• ASTRONOMICAL INSTITUTE OF THE SLOVAK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
• UNIVERZITA KARLOVA