Young professionals IPMC Workshop

The IAF’s International Project/Programme Management Committee (IPMC) established this workshop to gather inputs from young professionals in the international space community on how to bridge the generational gap in the workplace and on how to better develop and empower the next-generation workforce.

The IPMC Young Professionals (YP) Workshop is a recurring yearly event. It was initiated in 2012 as a single-day meetup. Over the years, the Workshop evolved to become a several months-long virtual collaboration in which YPs can come together, interact, learn, debate, and make their voice heard. The Workshop still culminates with a one-day in-person event which is held on the Sunday before the International Astronautical Congress (IAC).

Every year, the IPMC selects a number of topics to be investigated. These topics are always linked to Project and Program Management, People Management, and Knowledge Management. In particular, topics are chosen among the latest Space Sector trends and challenges, with the goal to gather YPs’ recommendations on key matters. The topics – together with a comprehensive set of requirements and guidelines – are published in the Statement of Work.

In the spring of each year, young space professional delegates from all over the world (nominated by IAF member organizations) are selected to take part in the Workshop. Based on their preference, participants are assigned to discussion groups that focus on a specific topic. Over the course of several months, YPs meet online to consider, research and discuss their topic in depth, and to prepare their findings and recommendations. The discussion groups then meet in person during the Final Event at the IAC and present the results of their research to all the workshop participants, as well as representatives of the IPMC member organizations and the general IAC audience. Following the workshop, a final written report is published online and distributed to the IPMC and any interested IAF member organization.

Over the entire duration of the Workshop, YPs can benefit from a variety of networking and professional growth opportunities. They can meet peers from agencies, companies, academia and other space institutions worldwide. They can rely on Senior Mentors specifically assigned to each topic, who are experienced space professionals able to provide continuous feedback on the research and associated results. In addition, YPs can attend dedicated events, like Expert Talks and seminars. These are online meetings where invited guests share knowledge and lessons learned from their careers and engage in meaningful conversation with the delegates, answering questions and providing advice. For the 2021 Workshop, for example, the international leadership development firm KONU offered a very interesting session about “Leading With And Beyond One’s Authority”.

The Workshop Organizing Committee (WOC) – composed of several alumni who participated in previous editions – help organize and conduct the annual programme. The WOC collaborates with the IPMC in selecting the discussion topics. In addition, they support the workshop delegates to navigate through the events, provide guidance in writing their report on the chosen topics, and arrange the expert talks as well as the seminars.

All full IPMC YP Workshop reports, can be found at the bottom of this page. For further details, contact the WOC.

Call for Delegate Nominations for the 2025 IPMC Young Professionals Workshop EXTENDED

2025 Young Professionals Workshop Statement of Work