European Southern Observatory’s Post

Ghana, like many African countries, is experiencing rapid economic growth and technological advancement. However, the country's space science and technology sector is virtually non-existent or underdeveloped, hindering its potential to participate fully in the global space economy, which is projected to reach $1 trillion by 2040 (Morgan Stanley). Currently, Ghana's tertiary education system offers limited opportunities for specialized training in space science and related fields. Existing programs are often fragmented, lacking the comprehensive curriculum and state-of-the-art facilities required to produce highly skilled graduates who can meet the demands of the burgeoning space industry. This talent gap is exacerbated by the brain drain phenomenon, as many promising Ghanaian scientists and engineers seek opportunities abroad due to the lack of local career prospects. The absence of a dedicated space university college in Ghana also impedes the country's ability to conduct cutting-edge research and development in critical areas such as satellite technology, space exploration, and Earth observation. These technologies have the potential to revolutionize various sectors, including agriculture, telecommunications, disaster management, and climate monitoring, all of which are vital for Ghana's sustainable development. Galaxy Space University College,Apam - Ghana

#EMBRCBlog | 👉 Diving into the critical role of research infrastructures Research infrastructures are the backbone of science, says the European Commission. ➡ But why are they so critical in advancing scientific knowledge and what role do they play? 💡Research infrastructures (RIs) are industry-like organisations that: 👉 Provide stable operational support for research being funded. 👉 Facilitate long-term success for public scientific research. 👉 Inform evidence-based decision-making: for example, in the creation of Marine Protected Areas. 👉 Empower policymakers to create effective strategies for conserving marine biological resources in a sustainable way. ▶ In our latest article, Anne Emmanuelle KERVELLA - International Cooperation Officer at Centre national de la recherche scientifique - explains in details the importance of RIs providing the facilities, equipment and services researchers need to produce scientific knowledge, and supporting evidence-based decision-making. 🔗 Read the full interview: https://lnkd.in/eG9dB2xM #ResearchInfrastructures #ScientificExcellence #MarineResearch #MarineBiodiversity #ScientificKnowledge

🐟 🤝 Get to know AQUARIUS and our people! 📈 Today, we're highlighting our Funding Calls for Transnational Access to European Research Infrastructures. 🚀Exciting news: AQUARIUS will launch two Funding Calls to support researchers to travel to and use state-of-the-art Research Infrastructures across Europe, providing a unique opportunity to contribute to the EU Mission Ocean 2030. Mark your calendars for the call openings: 📞 Call 1 – Open: November 11, 2024 – January 20, 2025 📞 Call 2 – Open: September 2, 2025 – October 28, 2025 📌 Who is involved? This work is led by the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), supported by task leads from Finnish Environment Institute (Syke) - Suomen ympäristökeskus (Syke), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, INTERACT INPA and INKODE soc. coop. With contributions from other project partners including Marine Institute, FMI, EMBRC ERIC, EMSO ERIC , GeoEcoMar, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, and RBINS. 📌 What are we doing? Leading the design, development, and management of Calls for Transnational Access to the AQUARIUS research infrastructures. Our focus? To define the research focus area (contributing to the goals of EU Mission Ocean); to develop and manage a customised and user-friendly call platform, making it easy for researchers to apply; and to evaluate the proposals received, both in terms of research excellence and logistics. 📌 Why are we doing it? To support marine and freshwater researchers across Europe by providing free access to an incredible array of research infrastructures, creating an environment for excellent research and innovation projects that are fully equipped to address the challenges we face in marine and freshwater ecosystems. Ultimately, these efforts aim to catalyse scientific progress, foster collaboration, and drive innovation within the marine and freshwater research landscape, benefiting researchers, institutions, and society as a whole and driving us closer to achieving the objectives of the #EUGreenDeal and #MissionOcean. Horizon Europe Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research Anneli Strobel, Dr. #Apply #Funding #Research #EarlyCareerScience #FundingCalls #Ocean #Water

I am pleased to announce the publication of my latest book, "Utilitarianism in Outer Space: Space Policy, Socioeconomic Development and Security Strategies in Nigeria and South Africa" by Springer Nature Group. This book showcases #Nigerian and #SouthAfrican experiences on space politics, policy and strategy vis-à-vis their #development and #security aspirations, while contributing to the broader #African and the #GlobalSouth perspectives on the subject. Space policy in developing countries such as #Nigeria and #SouthAfrica is motivated by utilitarian promises that space and the attendant technologies have the potential to advance development and security interests of the affected nations. However, several decades into the orbital journey of these countries, little is known of their #space #politics, policies, strategies, capacities and capabilities, and realisation of desired objectives. Beyond pure and applied sciences reductionism, this book offers social science perspectives on space studies in #Africa, as it examines the intricate relationships of historical, geographical, social, demographic, economic, political, administrative, and strategic factors, nationally, regionally and globally that have shaped research and development of space #science and #technologies, and their benefits, in Nigeria and South Africa. cc: National Space Research & Development Agency (NASRDA) South African National Space Agency Government of Nigeria The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa Space Generation Advisory Council African Space Leadership Institute Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Africa in Science Space in Africa SpaceNews NIGERIAN COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE LIMITED (NIGCOMSAT) NITDA Nigeria #spacepolicy #spacestrategy #spacepolitics #spaceeconomy #spacelaw #scienceandtechnology #researchanddevelopment https://lnkd.in/dbShykWq

Access decisions on project applications for the INTERACT Transnational and Remote Access in 2024 have been successfully delivered. We are pleased to announce that INTERACT will support 43 research projects this year, providing access to 30 of the INTERACT stations for a total amount of 1358 user-days. All INTERACT activities, including Transnational Access, have the overarching goal to respond to six major societal challenges of local and global relevance: https://lnkd.in/dBq6NJpi This was the last INTERACT III Call for TA/RA, which aimed to provide 6500 person-days of Transnational Access (both physical and remote) in 2020-2023. New opportunites of funding for research projects of scientific excellence, directed to Arctic research priorities, will be launched in the coming months. But meanwhile, we look forward to a productive INTERACT field season! 📸 Tommi Nyman

Ghana, like many African countries, is experiencing rapid economic growth and technological advancement. However, the country's space science and technology sector is virtually non-existent or underdeveloped, hindering its potential to participate fully in the global space economy, which is projected to reach $1 trillion by 2040 (Morgan Stanley). Currently, Ghana's tertiary education system offers limited opportunities for specialized training in space science and related fields. Existing programs are often fragmented, lacking the comprehensive curriculum and state-of-the-art facilities required to produce highly skilled graduates who can meet the demands of the burgeoning space industry. This talent gap is exacerbated by the brain drain phenomenon, as many promising Ghanaian scientists and engineers seek opportunities abroad due to the lack of local career prospects. The absence of a dedicated space university college in Ghana also impedes the country's ability to conduct cutting-edge research and development in critical areas such as satellite technology, space exploration, and Earth observation. These technologies have the potential to revolutionize various sectors, including agriculture, telecommunications, disaster management, and climate monitoring, all of which are vital for Ghana's sustainable development. Galaxy Space University College,Apam - Ghana

Ghana, like many African countries, is experiencing rapid economic growth and technological advancement. However, the country's space science and technology sector is virtually non-existent or underdeveloped, hindering its potential to participate fully in the global space economy, which is projected to reach $1 trillion by 2040 (Morgan Stanley). Currently, Ghana's tertiary education system offers limited opportunities for specialized training in space science and related fields. Existing programs are often fragmented, lacking the comprehensive curriculum and state-of-the-art facilities required to produce highly skilled graduates who can meet the demands of the burgeoning space industry. This talent gap is exacerbated by the brain drain phenomenon, as many promising Ghanaian scientists and engineers seek opportunities abroad due to the lack of local career prospects. The absence of a dedicated space university college in Ghana also impedes the country's ability to conduct cutting-edge research and development in critical areas such as satellite technology, space exploration, and Earth observation. These technologies have the potential to revolutionize various sectors, including agriculture, telecommunications, disaster management, and climate monitoring, all of which are vital for Ghana's sustainable development. Galaxy Space University College,Apam - Ghana

If you're planning on being at ICARP IV - #ASSW 2025, in Boulder, Colorado in-person or virtually, consider submitting or coming to our session Brooks Kaiser (Deadline: extended until 9 October 2024 at 23:59 MDT!): https://lnkd.in/e5qw33gD 3. Understanding the dynamics and resilience of Arctic social-ecological systems to foster sustainable futures  # 3.1. Arctic Marine Research Agendas: Who writes the Saga? Arctic Scenario analysis frequently categorizes outcomes into four quadrants – along two axes: governance, and resources and trade. Of the four categories, Arctic Saga, Arctic Race, Polar Preserve, and Polar Lows, the first three reflect outcomes that favor different Arctic scales of interests, while Polar Lows is considered undesirable by most if not all stakeholders and rightsholders as providing neither local stability and quality of life nor global extractive benefits. Who’s “in” and who’s “out” in Arctic planning is a longstanding issue affecting within the marine realm, for example, Svalbard’s identity, the Arctic Council structure and its Working Groups (ie CAFF, PAME), the Polar Silk Road, and the Central Arctic Ocean fisheries policy. The challenge also impacts research agendas. In this multidisciplinary session, we discuss how agenda-setting in Arctic research priorities and funding strategies can affect these outcomes, with a particular focus on the role of academic research driven by actors not directly living or working in Arctic states. We anticipate differences in impact from the natural sciences and social sciences that stem from (1) scale of engagement in Arctic communities and environmental changes from local to global; (2) experience and expectations for transdisciplinary research and/or Indigenous engagement and inclusion needs, including longer research timelines and more diverse research outlets and forms; and (3) funding structures that limit such diversity as well as cross-scale research, amongst other distinctions along disciplinary lines. We illustrate with some background analysis of research communities in non-Arctic states, e.g. France, S. Korea, Japan and the UK.

Human Development Atlas is out! I am thrilled and proud of my contribution to the Center of Spatial Analysis's magnificent project - Atlas of Human Development. A one-of-a-kind work in the world of spatial science: 4 years of work, almost 1200 pages in Russian and English, 37 authors (including myself), assistants, and consultants, and 3 copyright certificates of Rospatent. I created nearly 100 cartograms, utilizing 6 advanced spatial analysis tools and methods, and was responsible for the two chapters of this masterpiece: one on Mobility and the other on Ecology and Environmental Sustainability. We constructed two 193x193 matrices reflecting the position of all UN countries on the political map of the world and in the system of international relations and analysed the role of geographical factors in the distribution of one hundred parameters of human development (demography, economy, politics, health, education, science, culture, mobility ecology, etc.) in these political spaces. The book was released in Russian and English and is now on display at the Russian State Library and on sale in the bookstores of Moscow. Highly recommend it to my fellow political geographers and spatial analysts. #politicalgeography #gisanalysis #lisa #spatialautocorellation #spatialscientist #humandevelopment #humangeography #socialgeography #spatialanalysis #gis

More great Short-Term Scientific Missions available, this time with MARGISTAR. Perfect for those looking to explore the revitalisation & sustainability of marginalised mountain areas 👇 #COSTactions #MountainsMatter #LandUse #RuralPolicies #ScienceWithoutBorders