Eligibility and Selection Criteria

This Summer Research Programme is an opportunity for university students from STEM fields who have not yet started a PhD programme and have completed at least two years of their Bachelor's degree.

Even though the programme is open to students of any nationality, the final selection for the programme will give priority to students who are from developing countries. Students must be proficient in both spoken and written English (the working language of the programme). Students must be able to attend the full six week duration of the research programme.

We will consider applications from students taking any astronomy, physical science, computer science or maths degree subjects. However, we expect the students to have some knowledge of physics, programming, and data analysis techniques. Students will be selected for the programme based on their academic achievements, research potential and likelihood to significantly benefit from the experience.

Students that need a visa to travel/work in Germany are responsible for obtaining the visa. Successful applicants are warmly encouraged to start the procedure as soon as they receive the offer to attend the programme (i.e., ~three months before the start of the programme). The ESO Human Resources department will be able to provide them with any specific required documents for the visa request to the consulate/embassy.

For any enquiries related to eligibility please contact us on: grubersummerprogramme@eso.org.

Important Dates

Applications open: 01 February 2024
Application deadline: 29 February 2024 at 23:59 CET
Announcement of results, request for interview: mid-late March
Deadline for accepting offers: late March/early April
Gruber-Funded Summer Research Programme at ESO 2024: 21 July - 31 August 2024