CNES Scientific Foresight Seminar (SPS) 2024
This call for papers published by CNES is part of the preparation of the next Scientific Prospective Seminar (SPS).
The SPS is organized every 5 years by CNES, and gathers the French space scientific community. It draws up the scientific balance sheet since the previous seminar and decides on the major orientations of space research in France for the next 5 years. The next SPS will be held from 8 to 10 October 2024, in Saint-Malo.
This call for papers is entirely open without any priority in terms of scientific themes or technical hardware or software solutions. However, the responses must imperatively put forward the scientific objective, then possibly the mission or action (e.g. R&T, phase 0...) associated. The scientific relevance will be a determining criterion of evaluation. The positioning of the proposals in relation to the European and international context will be essential to show their added value in relation to what already exists. The degree of technical maturity, as well as the size of the proposed missions or experiments, particularly in terms of budget, are not decisive selection criteria at this stage.
New contributions may concern new scientific objectives or space experiments that could be developed by 2030 or beyond, or previous proposals that were not selected and whose scientific or technical maturity has since been confirmed. Their implementation can be envisaged in a national framework by CNES, or European by ESA, but also in a multilateral way with our international partners. Research proposals involving balloon-borne experiments, or using parabolic flights, ESA sounding rockets, automatic capsules, space stations, airplanes, drones, in connection with space research are also concerned by this call for contributions.
In addition to proposals for new activities in a scientific and technical framework, responses may also concern methods, the organization of activities (see for example the specific themes proposed for this exercise) or any other type of contribution of interest for space research.
Calendar
September 15, 2023: deadline for receipt of proposals
October 2023 to February 2024: scientific review of proposals by CNES thematic working groups. Following this review, the proposers will be informed of the opinions of the working groups and will be invited, if necessary, to further develop certain elements of their proposals.
June 2024: preliminary versions of the reports of the working groups set up to work on the foresight.
September 2024: final version of the groups' reports.
October 2024: holding of the scientific foresight seminar.
Juin 2024 : versions préliminaires des rapports des groupes de travail mis en place pour travailler sur la prospective.
Septembre 2024 : version finale des rapports des groupes.
Octobre 2024 : tenue du séminaire de prospective scientifique.
At the end of the seminar, recommendations for some of the proposals discussed may be issued concerning pre-project activities, phase 0 studies or Research and Technology (R&T). Recommendations for the passage to the definition phase and then realization may be issued for certain proposals.
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