SPHERE Summer School 2026

The main objectives of the course are:

• Present the activities and toolkits prepared by the SPHERE collaboration
• Prepare  partners and teachers for the SPHERE out-of-classroom simulations in various countries and the SPHERE analog missions in Portugal and Poland.

The SPHERE Summer School is designed to be highly engaging, creative, and interactive. Participating teachers will work as individuals and in small groups. Thus, they will be able to collaborate with teachers from other countries, discuss ideas, and exchange experiences to create lesson plans and group activities which will encompass all the features of successful interdisciplinary science activities.

The course will last for 5 days, consisting of a total of 28 hours of workshop-based training, such as presentations followed by hands-on sessions (10 hours of lectures and demonstrations, 18 hours of hands-on workshops). 

One important aspect of the training activities is the collected feedback and the common discussion among participants. We will provide a platform to exchange ideas and talk in detail about the requirements concerning various aspects of the tools shown to facilitate their further development, maximize their efficiency, and enhance their adaptation potential.

To be announced.

Participants are expected to give their feed-back after the end of the summer course, including information on how they will have implemented SPHERE  practices into their own classes. An online community will be built to support the sharing of their experiences.

The programme for the SPHERE Summer School 2026 will be available soon.

Course fee

The course fee for the SPHERE Summer School is 480€ (80€/per day) and fully within the funding opportunities of the Erasmus+ Programme.

The course fee covers:

• Expert lecturers for lectures, seminars and workshops
• All materials and equipment needed for the course
• Bus transfer from Lisbon Airport to Monsaraz (round-trip)
• Participation in the social programme in Monsaraz

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:

1. 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!
2. Register your school/organization here: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-esc/index/ , if not already registered.
3. Check the compliance with the programme criteria
4. Check the financial conditions
5. Fill in and submit the application form
6. Respect the deadline
7. 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.