From 31 August to 10 September 2026, Toulouse welcomed the first edition of the UNIVERSEH Summer School: Space, Business & Communication, bringing together 17 students from different academic and cultural backgrounds for an intensive learning experience at the heart of Europe’s space capital.
Organised in Toulouse by TBS Education and Université Toulouse – Jean Jaurès, the Summer School offered students a perspective on space that went beyond science and engineering. Across 11 days, participants explored the economic and entrepreneurial dimensions of the space sector while developing the intercultural and communication skills needed to work effectively in an increasingly international environment.
Discovering the business behind space
Toulouse was a natural setting for a Summer School dedicated to space. Home to a major concentration of aerospace companies, research organisations and higher education institutions, the city provided students with the opportunity to connect classroom learning with the realities of the sector.
The first part of the programme focused on Space Business, with sessions exploring the French and Occitan space ecosystem, the structure of the European space industry and the actors shaping its development.
Students examined the dynamics of the European space economy and discussed some of the challenges and opportunities facing the sector. They also explored space entrepreneurship and innovation, business process improvement and the perspectives of the wider aerospace industry.
The programme was deliberately practical. A visit to Airbus offered participants a closer look at one of the world’s leading aerospace companies, while a visit to Cité de l’espace provided another opportunity to explore how space science and technology are communicated to the public.
For students coming from different academic disciplines and countries, these experiences helped bring the European space ecosystem to life.
Learning to work across cultures
Understanding the space sector also means understanding the people who work within it.
With international cooperation at the heart of UNIVERSEH, Intercultural Cooperation formed a central strand of the Summer School. Through workshops and interactive activities, students reflected on cultural differences, collaboration and the challenges of working in multicultural teams.
Rather than treating intercultural skills as an additional topic, the programme placed them at the centre of the learning experience. Students had to navigate different perspectives, communication styles and ways of approaching problems – while learning from one another.
The diversity of the group became one of the Summer School’s greatest assets. With 17 participants bringing different academic and cultural experiences to the classroom, discussions often extended beyond the scheduled sessions and continued over coffee, during visits and while discovering Toulouse together.
Communicating science beyond the laboratory
The second major strand of the programme focused on Scientific Communication.
Space is a field full of complex concepts, technical language and rapidly evolving technologies. Communicating these ideas clearly, to specialists and non-specialists alike, is therefore an increasingly important skill.
Students worked on scientific communication and presentation techniques, preparing them to explain complex topics with greater clarity, confidence and awareness of their audience.
The programme culminated in final presentations, giving participants the opportunity to put these skills into practice. After days of exploring the space industry, intercultural cooperation and scientific communication, they were challenged to bring these different perspectives together and communicate their ideas effectively.
A classroom without borders
The Summer School was not confined to lecture rooms.
Between sessions, students discovered Toulouse through a guided city tour, visited Airbus and Cité de l’espace, and shared a farewell dinner at the end of the programme. These informal moments were an important part of the experience: they created space for conversations, new friendships and exchanges between students who might otherwise never have met.
This combination of academic learning, professional encounters and cultural discovery is at the heart of the UNIVERSEH approach to mobility.
For many participants, the Summer School was not simply an opportunity to learn about the space sector. It was also an opportunity to experience what it means to learn and work in a genuinely European environment.
Looking beyond the first edition
The first Toulouse Summer School brought together three elements that are increasingly important for the future of the space sector: knowledge, communication and collaboration.
By combining Space Business with Intercultural Cooperation and Scientific Communication, the programme encouraged students to look at space from different angles and to recognise that tomorrow’s space professionals will need more than technical expertise alone.
They will need to understand markets and innovation. They will need to communicate across disciplines and cultures. And they will need to work with people whose perspectives and experiences may be very different from their own.
After 11 days in Toulouse, 17 students left with new knowledge, new skills and, hopefully, a few new connections across Europe.
The first edition may have come to an end,but the conversations, collaborations and curiosity it sparked are only just beginning.
