United Nations/Russian Federation Workshop on Human Capacity-Building in Space Science and Technology for Sustainable Social and Economic Development

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) has the mandate to promote international space cooperation and to assist Members States with capacity-building in the use of space science, technology and its applications. For this purpose, the Programme on Space Applications, implemented by UNOOSA, was established in 1971. Since its inception, the Programme has made substantial progress in furthering knowledge and experience of space applications around the world, through the organization of dedicated workshops and establishments of fellowships.

Online registration: The application deadline is 23 July 2017 for applicants seeking funding support and 10 August 2017 for self-funded applicants.) Please ensure that your application is complete and correct before submitting. Once you have submitted your application, you will not be able to make further changes.

In 2016, the General Assembly of the United Nations in its resolution A/RES/71/90, para.17 further emphasized the central role of UNOOSA in fostering capacity-building in the use of space science, technology and its applications and in providing assistance to developing countries, at their request, in the development of national space policy and legislation in conformity with international space law, as well as in the strengthening of institutional capacity in space activities.

In this context, the United Nations and the Government of the Russian Federation are organizing the United Nations/Russian Federation Workshop on Human Capacity-Building in Space Science and Technology for Sustainable Social and Economic Development, under the framework of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications. The Workshop is co-sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA) and will be held in Samara, Russian Federation, from 30 October to 2 November 2017. It will bring together experts from the space sector, as well as decision makers, educators and researchers to discuss the most recent strategies for capacity-building in space science and technology. The Workshop is part of the preparatory activities and plan of work of the UNISPACE+50 event to be held in 2018.

The hosting organization, Samara National Research University (SNRU) (former Samara State Aerospace University (SSAU)), is one of the largest Russian academic institutions offering educational programmes in aerospace engineering and related fields. Hosting support will also be provided by the JSC Rocket Space Center “Progress” with participation of the Government of the Samara region.

The Workshop will address the role of human capacity-building in the domains of space science, technology and its applications in support of sustainable development, with a particular focus on developing and emerging countries.

The objectives of this Workshop are to:

1. Examine the opportunities for development of human potential in relation to UNISPACE+50 Thematic Priority 7 (TP7) “Capacity-building for the 21st Century” and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4) on “Quality Education”.
2. Review the status of global, regional and national capacity-building efforts in space science, technology and its applications.
3. Promote the implementation and coordination of international cooperation programmes in space-related fields that promote sustainable development, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
4. Exchange views on capacity-building in areas such as micro- and nanosatellites, remote sensing of the Earth, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technologies, basic space science, health care and disaster mitigation-related applications of space technologies.
5. Examine the role of academic institutions and space industry in supporting capacity building efforts.
6. Define strategies to provide cost-effective capacity-building that meet social and economic needs, with a particular focus on developing and emerging countries.