International Summer School in Astrobiology

The Josep Comas i Solà International Summer School in Astrobiology is co-directed by the NASA Astrobiology Program and the Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), INTA-CSIC, at the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo (UIMP), sponsored by the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) and European Space Agency (ESA) Academy. Held annually at the Palacio de la Magdalena in Santander, Spain, it is a well- established school for the astrobiology community. A week-long program for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows provides lectures from international experts, round- table discussions, student projects and presentations, a whole-day field excursion to a nearby site of astrobiological interest, and cultural activities provided by the hosting university. This program forges new relationships and helps build international collaboration in astrobiology.

Origins to Organisms: Understanding Life’s Beginnings
Summer School: July 7-11, 2025
US Applications are due April 28, 2025, at 9PM PDT

Applications are now being accepted for the 21st Josep Comas i Solà International Astrobiology Summer School, which is co-organized by the NASA Astrobiology Program and the Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), INTA-CSIC.

Essential questions in Astrobiology include: What is life? How and why did life emerge? Does life exist or has it existed in places beyond the Earth? Is life a necessary consequence of the physical and chemical evolution of planets? What are the conditions for life to emerge and adapt to environmental changes? Just over a century ago, “The Origin of Life” (1925), by A.I. Oparin, revolutionized the approach to the study of life´s origins. Thus, the XXI International Summer School in Astrobiology “Josep Comas I Sola” in 2025 is devoted to understanding life’s beginnings and the planetary context for life’s origin and evolution.

For one week, four outstanding experts in the field—two American and two European—will lecture and guide discussion with 40 graduate students on key aspects of early Earth geochemistry, prebiotic environments, the formation of energy gradients, molecular complexity, the formation of polymers and the gain of functions, origin of metabolisms, and emergence of
supramolecular complexes and protocells.

The Josep Comas i Sola Astrobiology School is a unique forum to foster and consolidate
transatlantic relationships through science and culture. We hope you will join us!

Click here for Application for US candidates.due April 28, 2025
Click here for the Letter of Recommendation Form.

We invite interested Doctoral (PhD) students and early career Postdocs whose research is related to the topics of the school to apply below. Candidates from US-based institutions may apply through the links above.

ESA sponsored grants: Students who are citizens from ESA Member States, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia, enrolled as an undergraduate, graduate or PhD student in an university, studying or researching a subject which is related to one or more of the summer school topics, please contact José A. Caballero at caballero@cab.inta-csic.es
ESA applications are due April 18, 2025
School website at CAB

UIMP sponsored grants: Students from European Union countries and non-EU nationals with legal residence in Spain are eligible for the scholarships through the UIMP–INTA sponsored program. Instructions for applications (in Spanish only)
Further information and contact: Carmen Suárez (csuarez@uimp.es) [cc. José A. Caballero (caballero@cab.inta-csic.es)]
UIMP applications are due April 25, 2025
School website at CAB

Program contacts:
US candidates: Melissa Kirven-Brooks
ESA and UIMP candidates: José A. Caballero