Specific Challenge:

Support the data exploitation of European missions and instruments, in conjunction, when relevant, with international missions.

Scope:

This topic will cover the exploitation of all acquired and available data provided by space missions in their operative, post-operative or data exploitation phase focusing on astrophysics (including exoplanets), heliophysics and the Solar System exploration, including the Moon.

Projects selected under this call may rely on the data available through all the available ESA Space Science Archives when possible or other means (e.g. instrumentation teams). Combination and correlation of this data with international scientific mission data, as well as with relevant data produced by ground-based infrastructures all over the world, is encouraged to further increase the scientific return and to enable new research activities using existing data sets. These activities shall add scientific value through analysis of the data, leading to scientific publications and higher level data products. When possible, enhanced data products should be suitable for feeding back into the ESA archives. Resulting analyses should help preparing future European and international missions. International cooperation is encouraged in particular with countries active in space exploration and science, or where their participation is deemed essential for carrying out the activities of this topic.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of EUR 1.5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately, including through proposals from small teams. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

A higher number of scientific publications based on Europe’s space data, high-level data products made available through appropriate archives, and tools developed for the advanced processing of data. Proposals are also expected to add value to existing activities on European and international levels, and to enhance and broaden research partnerships.