This issue 193 focuses on the potential synergies between ESO and SKAO facilities and what science would be possible with well-planned coordinated surveys. The specific cases of exploring with such surveys the Galaxy, galaxy formation and evolution, cosmology, and the epoch of reionisaiton are presented in a series of articles. Further in this issue the VST-SMASH survey and its first results are presented, as well as the latest news on the ongoing upgrades of GRAVITY+. 

With the Extremely Large Telescope (ESO’s ELT) just a few years away from completion, ESO has started the process to identify its next programme. The process has been given the name Expanding Horizons and will aim to identify the next transformational facility that will advance humanity’s understanding of the Universe whilst fostering international collaboration. 

By the deadline on October 15, 2024, ESO received nine letters of intent for the ESO public survey with KMOS. These letters of intent cover a wide range of scientific topics from young stellar objects to the evolution of galaxies at cosmic noon and beyond. There are three submitted letters of intent covering galactic and stellar evolution topics, followed by the local universe (two letters of intent) and galaxy evolution at higher redshift (four letters of intent). Nine PIs and more than one hundred co-Is are participating in these scientific projects. The overall total time request is equivalent to an over-subscription by a factor 5.

This is the initial announcement for the upcoming ESO workshop "Galactic Ecosystems under the Microscope: Lessons from High-Resolution Studies" at ESO Garching, 7-11 July 2025. This workshop will explore the latest developments in resolved galaxy properties and evolution. With next-generation observatories such as JWST, ELT and SKA, and upgrades to ALMA and VLA, a new era is being entered in understanding these critical aspects of galaxies throughout cosmic history.

The deadline for proposal submission for Period 115 (1 April 2025 - 30 September 2025) was 26 September 2024. 763 valid proposals were submitted. On the VLT, the most demanded ESO instrument was MUSE with a request of 233 nights, followed by ESPRESSO with 214 nights, and XSHOOTER with 182 nights. HARPS/NIRPS on the ESO 3.6-metre telescope was the most demanded instrument at La Silla, with a combined request of 202 nights. The figure above shows the time request since Period 62, for Paranal (VLT/I), La Silla, and APEX. The fluctuations since Period 106 are partly because Large Programmes are offered only in even periods since P106. The highest peak in P106 is due to the extension of the proposal submission deadline during the pandemic.