CALL FOR PROPOSALS - ESO WORKSHOPS 2026

Science workshops constitute a crucial element in ESO's programs, providing a unique opportunity to foster ideas and collaborations within its scientific community. Annually, the Directorate for Science at ESO offers support and funding for workshops in Santiago (Chile) and Garching (Germany). Typically, these workshops are held at either the ESO Headquarters in Garching or the ESO building in Vitacura, with logistical support provided by ESO, but they can also be organised in other ESO Member States or Australia (as a strategic partner) and can be co-funded by ESO and other institutes.

This call invites the ESO community to submit proposals for workshops in 2026, encouraging community astronomers to collaborate with ESO staff and fellows in Chile and/or Germany. Mixed SOC/LOC setups between Chile and Garching offices are also encouraged. To promote diversity and to be as inclusive as possible, all workshops should allow hybrid participation, with the option of remote-only organisation.

Workshop planning should prioritise diversity in all aspects, including gender and career stage representation in organisational aspects, session chairs, and invitations to speakers. ESO is committed to a safe, professional, and respectful work environment, and adherence to the adopted Code of Conduct for ESO Workshops and Conferences is essential (https://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/CodeofConductWorkshops.html). For monitoring purposes, demographic information for participants will be collected during the organisation of the workshops.

Proposals should outline the scientific area and format of the workshop, with no need to contact potential SOC members or speakers formally at this stage. Gender balance in all aspects of the workshop is emphasised, and demographic information for participants will be collected for monitoring purposes.

For Garching, we encourage proposals for a joint conference to be organised between the local institutes (Max Planck, LMU, TUM and the Excellence Cluster), providing the opportunity to reach a broader audience. Similarly, in Chile we encourage proposals for joint conferences between ESO-Chile and Chilean astronomy institutes. Please highlight such schemes in your submission.

The evaluation of proposed workshops will be conducted by a committee of ESO astronomers, with outcomes communicated to applicants by the end of June 2025. The selection process considers scientific timeliness and perceived benefits to ESO's programs and community. Approved workshops co-chaired by external and ESO astronomers will have ESO staff acting as the local point of contact for those held at ESO premises.

A list of the ESO staff can be found at:

· Chile: https://www.eso.org/sci/activities/santiago/personnel.html

· Germany: https://www.eso.org/sci/activities/garching/personnel.html

The workshop proposal form is available HERE.

Proposals should be sent by 9 May 2025 (23:59 Chilean Time)

For further information please contact Joe Anderson (janderso@eso.org) or Michael Hilker (mhilker@eso.org).

Code of Conduct for ESO Workshops

A Code of Conduct for ESO Workshops & Conferences is now in place for all meetings at ESO that involve external participants. All ESO meetings involving internal participants are already fully covered by the policies outlined in "The ESO Way".

ESO Conference Proceedings 2.0 at Zenodo

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Astronomical Meetings Worldwide

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