Funded Research Fellowship in Space Research from the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs in Germany

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in cooperation with the Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), fellowship program offers a selected research team the opportunity to conduct its own microgravity experiments at the Bremen Drop Tower in Germany.

• The selected research team will be offered financial support exclusively for travel purposes. This may include the provision of the most economical economy class round-trip air tickets between the participants’ international airport of departure and Bremen. En-route expenses or any changes made to the air tickets must be the responsibility of the participants.
• In this context, it has to be noted that UNOOSA will not bear the expenses for the preparation, transport, and shipping as well as insurance of the experiment. Funding to cover these costs must be obtained separately, through private means, or through national or international institutions. Applicants and their respective entities are therefore strongly encouraged to find additional sources of sponsorship.
• For the stay of the student team in Bremen, ZARM will provide free of charge its on-site apartment at the drop tower facility, which has two separate rooms with two beds in each room, a bathroom, and a common kitchen. The ZARM apartment can accommodate up to four people.
• The academic supervisor (team leader) of the students will be accommodated in a nearby hotel, which shall be basically located within walking distance of the Bremen Drop Tower. Accommodation expenses for the stay of the academic supervisor will be covered by UNOOSA.

• The DropTES Fellowship Programme is open to research teams from research institutes, universities, and other public organizations that are located in the Member States of the United Nations. Each team should consist of up to four Bachelor, Master, and/or Ph.D. students who must be endorsed by their academic supervisor (team leader). The teams may be larger, however, the financial support listed in section 16 is applicable to the above only. The teams could consist of several entities, with one leading entity that takes responsibility.
• It is further required that the proposed experiment be an integral part of the students’ syllabuses, that is, part of a Bachelor thesis, a Master thesis, a Ph.D. thesis, or another form of research project associated with the applicants’ studies at their respective universities.
• The final number of team members who will participate in the experiment series on-site at the Bremen Drop Tower depends strictly on the requirements of the experiment and is subject to approval by the Selection Board of the DropTES Fellowship Programme. The Board reserves the right to change or limit the team size if considered necessary.
• Changes to the composition of the team are NOT allowed once the application has been submitted. If for exceptional reasons changes are absolutely necessary, they will be subject to the approval of the Selection Board.
• Priority will be given to teams that have not previously participated in an experiment series at the Bremen Drop Tower and/or research projects that have never been conducted at the Bremen Drop Tower.
• Each team applying must be supported by one of its academic supervisors (team leader - Prof./PhD), whose role will be to supervise the work of the students. This person must belong to the same entity as at least one of the students and will be expected to endorse the entire application and development process of the team and bear responsibility for the execution of the experiment.
• Applicants must be able to show that they have their respective entities’ support through a Letter of Endorsement from their entities’ directors.
• The balanced participation of women and men in teams as well as supervising positions is encouraged.

Selection Criteria:

• the scientific and/or technological value of the proposed experiment.
• the relevance of microgravity in the proposed experiment.
• the relevance of the drop tower utilization in the proposed experiment.
• the general feasibility of the proposed experimental set-up and procedure.
• the involvement of the proposed experiment in the students' syllabuses.
• the organization realizing the planned research project.
• the overall presentation of the experiment proposal.
• the communication and dissemination plan.
• inclusiveness (e.g. in the case of proposals with the same score, the shares of men and women in the teams will be compared. The proposal with higher participation of women will rank higher),
• the link between the project in the Sustainable Development Goals.

About the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA):

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) works to promote international cooperation in the peaceful use and exploration of space, and in the utilization of space science and technology for sustainable economic and social development. The Office assists any United Nations Member States to establish legal and regulatory frameworks to govern space activities and strengthens the capacity of developing countries to use space science technology and applications for development by helping to integrate space capabilities into national development programs.

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