Date: 20-24 July 2026 (25 July optional)
Venue: IACTEC- San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
Hybrid Course (in-person and online)
Welcome to the AEACI 2026!
We invite you to participate in the 11th edition of the International School Astronomy Education Adventure in the Canary Islands, which this year is held in the framework of the Erasmus+ project Astro-Journeys.
This edition of the school is structured around the Big Ideas in Astronomy, offering participants an integrated view of the Universe, from the Solar System to galaxies and large-scale cosmic structures. The course emphasizes how these fundamental ideas can be explored and connected across different scientific disciplines.
The school follows a hands-on and inquiry based learning approach, combining short theoretical inputs with practical sessions, workshops and collaborative activities. Participants will engage directly with astronomical data, tools and educational resources, experiencing astronomy as an active process of exploration that can be transferred to the classroom.
The school will be held from July 20 to 24, 2026 in a hybrid format, combining face-to-face activities (in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands) and online participation. This allows educators from all over the world to enjoy the AEACI experience in a flexible and sustainable way.
Who Can Apply
Who can apply?
Teachers of all grade levels and subject domains, as well as informal educators, are invited to attend the school and dive into a real STEAM experience.
About the School
General Information
- Dates: July 20-24, 2026 (25 July optional)
- Duration: 32 certifiable hours
- Modality: hybrid (in-person and online)
- Language: English
- Venue: “Sala Multipropósito” of IACTEC, San Cristóbal de La Laguna (Tenerife, Spain)
Topics and lecturers
The programme combines lectures by experts from the IAC and other collaborating institutions with hands-on workshops designed to actively engage participants in the exploration of astronomy as a scientific and educational process.
Through practical activities, participants will work with professional robotic telescopes, astronomical images and real scientific data, learning how to integrate these resources into student research projects and inquiry-based classroom activities.
In line with the Astro-Journeys framework, the school places special emphasis on the Big Ideas in Astronomy, encouraging participants to explore how fundamental astronomical concepts connect different areas of science and can be approached through interdisciplinary and project-based learning.
The school also includes training visits, both face-to-face and virtual, to the IAC facilities and to the Observatories of the Canary Islands, offering participants first-hand insight into professional astronomical research environments.
Objectives
- To offer an innovative, hands-on and interdisciplinary learning experience for teachers based on the Big Ideas of Astronomy.
- To explore the curriculum through research-based activities supported by an AI-assisted interactive learning platform.
- To support teachers’ professional development in inquiry-, project- and problem-based learning, enabling them to design interdisciplinary and inclusive learning experiences using astronomy as a connecting theme.
- To enable participants to follow personalized learning journeys through the AI platform, while strengthening their digital, green and socio-emotional competences.
Timetable
- Morning programme: It comprises 5 sessions of 3.5 hours + 30’ coffee breaks + 15’ Warm-ups
- Afternoon programme: It will include 4 sessions of 2 hours + 15’ Warm-ups , and a training visit to the Teide Observatory (Tenerife).
On-site participants will be able to sign up for an optional visit to the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the neighbouring island of La Palma, which will take place on July 25.
School programme will be available soon.
Attending the School
Registration
Registration will be open until June 30 (or until full capacity is reached) and places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to teachers working in public schools.
We will admit up to 40 on-site attendees and 200 online attendees.
Fees & Funding
The school is partially funded by the Communication and Outreach Unit of the IAC.
Participation in the course can be funded by the ERASMUS+ Programme, for teachers with KA1 grants.
Attendance to the school requires a registration fee for accepted face-to-face participants that covers:
- Morning coffee during lecture days.
- Lunch at the school venue.
- Visit to the Teide Observatory (Tenerife) including transportation, guided visit, activities and dinner.
- School materials.
- Tuition fee for lectures, workshops and visits.
The registration fee is:
- 100 € for on-site participants from Spain (fee partially funded by the IAC).
- 400 € for on-site participants from outside Spain.
- 10 € for online participants. This symbolic fee will go entirely to the NUCLIO Trust programme to help students from developing countries to pursue university studies.
Payment instructions will be sent to applicants once the registration form has been completed and their participation has been accepted.
A limited number of grants may be awarded by the IAC to cover part of the costs of participants who do not have sources of funding. Applicants who require grants may indicate this on the payment form, once they have registered.
Participants who are awarded a grant will be informed by July 8.
Deadline for the payment is July 10.
We are also planning an optional visit to the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in the beautiful island of La Palma, on Saturday July 25, with an estimated additional cost of 100 € for Canarian residents and 200 € for non-residents. This trip will take place if it gathers the interest of a minimum amount of people (15), a requirement that has been met in all previous editions of the school. The trip includes the return flight between Tenerife and La Palma, bus transfers on La Palma, a visit to the Roque de Los Muchachos Visitor Centre, lunch and a guided tour of several telescopes. It is a full day trip and we do not expect to be back in Tenerife before approximately 20:30h.
School Venue & Local Information
The school will be held in the Sala Multipropósito of the IACTEC building, in San Cristóbal de La Laguna (Tenerife, Spain).
School Heads and Teachers participation in the summer courses can be funded by the ERASMUS+ Programme.
In case your school or organization does not have the funds to cover the costs of your participation in the Summer School, there is another option: you can apply to be funded by by the ERASMUS+ Programme.
Please note that the Erasmus+ KA1 application can only be submitted by the school or the organization – no individual applications can be submitted.
The deadline for application is February 19, 2026.
What is ERASMUS+?
Erasmus+ is the European Commission’s Programme for education, training, youth, and sport for the period 2021-2027. As an integrated programme, Erasmus+ offers more opportunities for the mobility of learners and staff and cooperation across the education, training, and youth sectors and is easier to access than its predecessors, with simplified funding rules and a structure that aims to streamline the administration of the programme.
Erasmus+ Key Action 1 (KA1) provides a unique opportunity for teachers, headmasters, trainers, and other staff of educational institutions to participate in international training courses in different European countries. Schools, universities, vocational education and training, and adult education organizations are all eligible to receive full funding to attend courses under a KA1 mobility grant. The Erasmus+ KA1 grant covers all the costs to attend teacher training courses: including travel, subsistence, and course fee.
For up-to-date information about Erasmus+ please check the Programme’s website. Your school will need to apply to your country’s National Agency, who is also the one who will evaluate the proposal. Therefore, your National Agency is also a very good point to start for more information.
Don’t forget to go through the New Programme Guide and you will have all you need to know.
The steps to apply for an Erasmus+ KA1 School Education Staff Mobility grant are:
- Fill in the registration form to our Summer School with your details. This is an individual registration form, so if there are more than one participant from the same school, each one will have to submit a separate registration form. This way you have reserved a slot in the course in case your application for Erasmus+ funding is successful!
- Register your school/organization here: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-esc/index/ , if not already registered.
- Check the compliance with the programme criteria
- Check the financial conditions
- Fill in and submit the application form
- Respect the deadline
- Do not forget to inform us as soon as you get notified from your National Agency whether your grant application is accepted or rejected.
You can find all related information about submitting an Erasmus+ Application HERE.
We will be happy to guide you through the process.
Organisers
The school is organised by the IAC and is held in 2026 within the framework of the Erasmus+ project Astro-Journeys, together with its European partner institutions, NUCLIO, CY Cergy Paris Université, Ellinogermaniki Agogi, Haus der Astronomie, F-HOU – L’univers A Portee De Main, FTP-Europlanet, Lake Alqueva Observatory (OLA) and Portuguese Astronomical Society (SPA), and in collaboration with the Faulkes Telescope Project, The Schools’ Observatory and the CESAR initiative (ESA-INTA-ISDEFE), in partnership with the European School Innovation Academy (ESIA).
Organising Committee
- Nayra Rodríguez Eugenio (Chair, IAC)
- Alejandra Goded Merino (IAC)
- Iván Jiménez Montalvo (IAC)
Technical Secretariat
- Ana Costa (NUCLIO)
- Laura Peña (IAC)
Contact