GeoPlaNet project: a transnational collaboration for planetarygeosciences

The spectacular progress of space exploration during the last 30 years has allowed the development
of Planetary Geosciences, an intrinsically interdisciplinary field of sciences joining together geologists,
geophysicists, geochemists, etc. Master degree courses in astrophysics and planetary geosciences are
attracting more and more graduates with a great diversity of backgrounds covering physics, earth
sciences, engineering, mathematics. It is, therefore, important to promote these courses,
highlighting not only their core curricula but also the new opportunities they offer for careers in
space research and space industry.
The GeoPlaNet project has brought together the partner institutions of the GeoPlaNet consortium:
researchers in Space Sciences, representatives of technological enterprises operating in this sector,
high school graduates and higher education students. During 2020-2023, the GeoPlanet Erasmus +
Strategic Partnership project has implemented several actions to respond to these new needs.
Coordinated by Nantes (France) and further including Coimbra and Porto (Portugal), Padova and
Chieti/Pescara (Italy), and VR2Planets, a start-up (France) specializing in virtual reality, the
GeoPlaNet-SP project has joined together universities with complementary expertise in astrophysics

and astronomy, geology and planetary geosciences. The project outputs comprised intellectual
productions, training activities and dissemination events, all grouped into four work packages:
"Employability", "Habitability", "Innovative training practices" and "Geological mapping and
planetary analogues”.
All the results of this project are available on the website: https://geoplanet-sp.eu, including online
courses of the worshop and thematic course and an online platform https://geoplanet.space that
gathers information on the different GeoPlaNet activities along with requirements, contents and
professional opportunities (research careers in industry and academia) of master's courses in
astrophysics and planetary sciences at partner universities of the strategic project Erasmus+
GeoPlaNet-SP (KA203)

The main achievements of GeoPlaNet - SP Project were :- to strengthen cooperation between
partners and develop new collaboration with private companies. In this sense, there was an effort to
transfer the research collaborations, expertise and cutting-edge disruptive technologies used in
research field into an increasing knowledge about employers needs in the space exploration sector ;-
to allow the realisation of synergies and exchange of good practices inside a network of excellence,
with joint activities and intellectual outputs, sustainable for future training courses. There was an
effort to adapt training offers and fostering innovation through testing and implementing innovative
practices in the field of education such as VR and new interdisciplinary modules in planetary
geosciences to enrich existing international degrees;- to allow participants to develop a multicultural
European approach that could be very valuable for their careers in an intrinsically international
sector.

The GeoPlaNet Strategic partnership has received the exemplarity label of the European Commission
for the high quality of its results and implementation. These efforts are pursued today through an
Erasmus mundus program EMJM-GeoPlaNet (https://geoplanet-impg.eu/), started in 2023/2024,
and that creates unique opportunities for students to develop interesting projects in the framework
of their academic training, but also within complementary activities adding a value to their
experience during the program. We expect the GeoPlaNet EMJM in Planetary Geosciences to
contribute to training the best engineers and researchers in tomorrow's space mission teams,
preparing them to design, analyse and interpret the missions’ data, and to address the many
challenges of the oncoming Earth and Planetary exploration programmes.