The Fondation Ailes de France kicked off its SPACE Grants campaign in partnership with CNES and sponsored by satellite operator Eutelsat. The foundation’s grants are awarded to young people up to 25 years old from diverse backgrounds looking to follow a career path in the space sector. Working under the aegis of the Fondation de France, the Fondation Ailes de France seeks to further learning and raise awareness of the aerospace sphere. To this end, it lends its support to educational, scientific, cultural and sustainable development projects aimed in particular at young people.
For the second year running, the foundation’s partnership with CNES and now funding support from Eutelsat to award SPACE Grants are a natural extension of its efforts to help bright young students by giving them the means to accomplish their higher education goals in domains related directly to the space sector. In the medium term, the programme has three objectives: to get young people interested in space, help them enter the employment market and nurture French talents in this sector.
This year the Fondation Ailes de France plans to award up to ten grants each worth €5,000. Four of these grants will be funded by CNES and four by Eutelsat, which will also sit on the selection panel to be convened in May. An official SPACE Grants award ceremony is planned in June.
“Through these grants the Fondation Ailes de France is seeking to help build a bright future for the younger generations and the wider community of aviators. It will continue to pursue its actions through new partnerships and funding from future donations.”
General Patrick Charaix, President, the Fondation Ailes de France
“Engaging young people to fire their interest in space is ingrained in the French space agency’s DNA. It is with the new generations that we are building the sector’s future. The values behind this project closely fit those of CNES and it is in our interest to be a key contributor to the Fondation Ailes de France’s space efforts.”
Philippe Baptiste, Chairman & CEO, CNES
“We believe it is our responsibility to encourage young talents to join our sector, and that’s why we’ve supported the Fondation Ailes de France since its inception. The renewal of our commitment to the foundation this year is an extension of our efforts to aid education and career opportunities for young people. For example, last year we also launched a specific recruitment campaign to hire young graduates and help them find their first job in a context marked by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Eva Berneke, CEO, Eutelsat