The inaugural Biennial European Astrobiology Conference (BEACON) of the European Astrobiology Institute (EAI) which brought together 250 scientists and experts in Astrobiology field from Europe and beyond, making it the largest ever astrobiology themed conference ever held in Europe.
The CAPS group was well represented at the inaugural BEACON which was held at the La Palma & Teneguia Princess Hotel on Fuencaliente, La Palma Island (Canary Islands, Spain) from May, 8th to 12th 2023 having been postponed from 2020 and 2021 (due to pandemic) and 2022 due to volcanic eruption on the island.
CAPS attendees were Professor Nigel Mason, Dr Felipe Fantuzzi and Dr Heidy Lara and PhD students Alexandra Corrigan and Reece Wilkinson all of whom presented at the meeting, posters attracting keen interest. Many new links and opportunities for collaborations were established during the meeting. The next meeting will be held in Iceland in 2025.
New initiatives
Funding has been awarded for two new initiatives in which CAPS members will participate.
- A IAU-Kavli Symposium entitled ‘(Toward) Discovery of life beyond Earth and its impact’ will be held April 15-19, 2024 in Durham
- A new COST action entitled “The birth of Solar Systems” chaired by Catherine Walsh at Leeds which is expected to start in autumn of 2023 and will run for four years hosting staff exchanges, workshops and training schools.