Openscapes Champions Programme
Openscapes Champions Programme
Published: 06.03.2026
ESA Openscapes Champions Program Spring 2026
The ESA Openscapes Champions Program Spring 2026 is a professional development and leadership opportunity for European Space Agency (ESA) affiliated researchers and people supporting ESA research to explore open data science practices and make incremental and sustainable change, no matter where you are starting from.
This remote-by-design mentorship program helps researchers explore open science approaches for daily workflows. For ESA Openscapes, participants also spend time experimenting and planning FAIR principles for Earth Observation and EarthCODE. Core lessons include open mindset; GitHub for publishing and project management; team culture; data strategies for future us; coding strategies for future us; and open communities.
The spring 2026 Champions Cohort will run from April 15 to June 10, 2026, meeting biweekly on alternating Wednesdays from 14:00–15:30 GMT via Zoom.
| Session | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 15, 2026 | 14:00–15:30 GMT |
| 2 | April 29, 2026 | 14:00–15:30 GMT |
| 3 | May 13, 2026 | 14:00–15:30 GMT |
| 4 | May 27, 2026 | 14:00–15:30 GMT |
| 5 | June 10, 2026 | 14:00–15:30 GMT |
The program is open to ESA-affiliated researchers, including postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, principal investigators, other academic researchers, and people supporting ESA research. Preference will be given to Science Hub, Phi Lab, and ESA Cluster researchers if capacity is reached.
This opportunity is free and supported by the ESA EarthCODE Project through a contract to Openscapes. The expected time commitment is 6 hours per month for 2 months, including synchronous Zoom calls, optional coworking times, and collaboration with peers to strengthen shared workflows.
To nominate yourself, please fill out the nomination form by March 25, 2026. Open science is collaborative, and participants are encouraged to sign up with a colleague or two. You do not need to be working on the same project, only to share an interest in improving workflows.
For more information about Openscapes and the Champions Program, see Openscapes Champions, What to Expect, including the core lessons, and these blog posts. Questions can be directed to hello@openscapes.org.
This opportunity is funded by the European Space Agency EarthCODE.