Are you a researcher in Earth, Planetary or Space sciences who wants to develop your skills in science communication, science for policy or career development? Why not apply to join one of the EGU’s six FREE workshop series’ for 2026?! These online training workshops can help you to develop new skills and build your confidence in a range of subjects, and are led by professionals who specialise in science communication, science for policy, outreach or career development.

These workshops have all been sponsored by various committees and groups of EGU, in order to give free access to these trainings. The Outreach Committee continues its tradition of providing free workshops on subjects related to science communication, outreach and public engagement, by sponsoring workshop series' 2, 3, 5 and 6. The Outreach Committee is also supporting the Science for Policy workshop, series 1, which is sponsored by the Policy Team and Science for Policy Working Group, who are running their first autumn workshop. Also joining the roster this year are the Early Career Scientists network who are sponsoring workshop series 4.

Please read the in-depth workshop descriptions before you apply to participate, and only EGU members are eligible to join these workshops.

Series 1: From science to policy with policy consultant Laura Danilaviciute

This workshop series aims to provide researchers with the practical skills, tools, and confidence to engage with policy practitioners, and support those practitioners in evidence-based decision-making in an EU policy landscape.

This workshop series will take place on the 9, 16, 23 and 30 September, 11:00-12:30 CEST. The sessions will be divided as follows:

• Session 1: Understanding the EU policy landscape: where science enters policy
• Session 2: Science use in policy tools: advice, impact assessments and evidence
• Session 3: Writing effective policy briefs
• Session 4: Engagement, communication and policy influence

Places for this FREE workshop are limited to 40 people so if this workshop series appeals to your interests, register here today. Only EGU Members can apply to participate in these workshops and places are limited. We ask you to please commit to attending all workshops in the series and to cancelling your participation in case you are unable to keep your commitment by emailing the EGU Policy team. Those that complete the full series will be issued a certificate of participation by the EGU Science for Policy Working Group. For any additional questions, please contact the EGU Policy team.

Series 2: Beyond pretty pictures; the art (and science of designing engaging graphics) with author-illustrator and science communicator Lucía Perez-Díaz

Clear, compelling science graphics are not created by software proficiency alone, nor by mastering a few graphic design principles. This workshop series goes beyond the technical aspects of making figures to explore how people actually see, process, interpret and remember visual information (and how we can use that knowledge to communicate science more effectively). This is a workshop series about communicating through graphics, not simply making them. Whether the goal is a scientific paper, conference presentation, classroom, outreach activity or public-facing story, participants will learn how to turn complex scientific ideas into visuals that help people understand, think and engage.

This workshop series will take place on the 7, 14, 21 and 28 October, 13:00-14:00 CEST. The sessions will be divided as follows:

• Session 1 - Seeing Why do geosciences need visual communication in the first place? This session explores how graphics help us understand invisible processes, complex systems, spatial relationships and change over time. Participants will discover how the brain processes visual information, including attention, saliency, cognitive load, recognition and recall, and how people construct mental models from what they see. 
• Session 2: Choosing Knowing how people process information is useful only if we can turn that knowledge into design decisions. This session focuses on defining what a graphic is actually trying to communicate, controlling visual hierarchy, reducing unnecessary cognitive load and deciding what deserves to be shown and what does not. The aim is not to make science “simpler”, but to make it easier to understand without losing what matters.
• Session 3: Making A good graphic rarely appears fully formed on the first attempt. This session focuses on the creative process behind scientific visualisation: sketching as a way of thinking, exploring multiple visual solutions, choosing between maps, diagrams, charts, schematics and sequences, and using metaphor and analogy to make invisible systems thinkable. Participants will experiment with rapid, low-fidelity ideas and learn to treat visualisation as a process of exploration of their own ideas and knowledge.
• Session 4: Testing How do we know whether a graphic actually works? This session focuses on testing, critique and iteration, with an emphasis on interpretation rather than aesthetics. The session also considers how graphics can become part of the research process itself, as tools for thinking and analysis, rather than something created only at the end, and for the benefit of others.

Places for this FREE workshop are limited to 30 people so if this workshop series appeals to your interests, register here today. Only EGU Members can apply to participate in these workshops and places are limited. We ask you to please commit to attending all workshops in the series and to cancelling your participation in case you are unable to keep your commitment by emailing the EGU Outreach Committee. Those that complete the full series will be issued a certificate of participation by the EGU Outreach Committee. For any additional questions, please contact the EGU Outreach Committee.

Series 3: Lights, camera, geoscience with geoscience communication consultant Sérgio Esperancinha at Four.Six

This practical workshop is designed to equip geoscientists with the skills to plan, produce, and edit effective video-based science communication. It combines principles of storytelling with an applied understanding of video as a narrative medium, guiding participants through a complete workflow from story development to a finished short video. By the end of the series, participants will have developed a short science video prototype based on their own research or professional work.

This workshop series will take place on the 3, 10, 17 and 24 November, 15:00-16:30 CET. The sessions will be divided as follows:

• Session 1: From research to story: The Power of storytelling in science communication - Participants learn why narrative approaches are particularly effective in science communication and how storytelling can humanise geoscience and create emotional connection with non-expert audiences.
• Session 2 — From story to visual structure: Video as a narrative medium - Participants learn how stories are translated into images, movement, and visual emphasis, treating video as a language rather than a format. 
• Session 3 — Shooting with intent: Practical video production - Participants learn to treat light, sound, framing, and composition as communicative tools that support clarity, credibility, and audience trust, rather than as technical mastery. 
• Session 4 — Shaping the message: Editing, rhythm, and audience engagement - Participants learn to approach editing as a narrative and emotional process rather than a software-driven one, focusing on what to keep, what to remove, and how rhythm and pacing guide attention.

Places for this FREE workshop are limited to 20 people so if this workshop series appeals to your interests, register here today. Only EGU Members can apply to participate in these workshops and places are limited. We ask you to please commit to attending all workshops in the series and to cancelling your participation in case you are unable to keep your commitment by emailing the EGU Outreach Committee. Those that complete the full series will be issued a certificate of participation by the EGU Outreach Committee. For any additional questions, please contact the EGU Outreach Committee.

Series 4: Navigating your research career - strengths, strategy and sustainability with researcher career development specialist Naomi Tyrrell

This four-session workshop series is designed to equip Early Career Scientists (ECS) with the self-awareness, strategic clarity, and practical skills needed to navigate their careers with confidence. The series addresses the structural pressures faced by researchers at the beginning of their careers and explores career paths both within and beyond academic research. Rather than providing generic advice, the course uses structured activities, peer coaching, and reflection tools to help participants map the career landscape, identify transferable skills, build a strategic professional presence, and develop a personalized 90-day action plan.

This workshop series will take place on the 4, 11, 18 and 25 November, 16:00-17:30 CET. The sessions will be divided as follows:

• Session 1: Know your strengths: Values, skills and career clarity - Focuses on identifying core strengths and values using interactive tools, discussing transferable geoscience skills, and establishing baseline career clarity.
• Session 2: Careers within and beyond academia: Mapping the landscape - Covers career ecosystem mapping, case-study analysis of geoscientists working across diverse sectors, and practical strategies for leveraging AI in career development.
• Session 3: Self-advocacy, visibility and community building - Focuses on drafting elevator pitches, auditing LinkedIn profiles, and developing strategies for professional networking and visibility.
• Session 4: Your 90-Day career action plan - Guides participants through setting structured goals using the FutureProof Framework, establishing peer accountability, and defining concrete next steps.

Places for this FREE workshop are limited to 30 people so if this workshop series appeals to your interests, register here today. Only EGU Members can apply to participate in these workshops and places are limited. We ask you to please commit to attending all workshops in the series and to cancelling your participation in case you are unable to keep your commitment by emailing the EGU Early Career Scientist contact. Those that complete the full series will be issued a certificate of participation by the EGU Early Career Scientists network. For any additional questions, please contact the EGU Early Career Scientist contact.

Series 5: Beyond attendance; an introduction to evaluation and assessment of informal science learning with STEM education researcher Gregory Goldsmith. 

Was your science café inspiring? Did your workshop teach participants how to advocate for science policy? Are you sure that the kids that came to your science on display booth understood your description of plate tectonics? This interactive two-part workshop series will help practitioners who are offering informal science learning opportunities more clearly articulate their intended learning outcomes, then evaluate and assess their success in helping participants achieve those outcomes. 

This workshop series will take place on the 5 and 12 November, 16:00-17:30 CET. The sessions will be divided as follows:

• Session 1: Learning outcomes first, then the methods 
• Session 2: How to gather data, when to gather data 

Places for this FREE workshop are limited to 30 people so if this workshop series appeals to your interests, register here. Only EGU Members can apply to participate in these workshops and places are limited. We ask you to please commit to attending all workshops in the series and to cancelling your participation in case you are unable to keep your commitment by emailing the EGU Outreach Committee. Those that complete the full series will be issued a certificate of participation by the EGU Outreach Committee. For any additional questions, please contact the EGU Outreach Committee.

Series 6: Presenting with impact; engaging public audiences in Earth, planetary and space science with science communicator Emma Donnelly at Comm-it

Strong presentation skills are a core skill for life and career, underpinning how scientists build credibility, influence understanding, form collaborations and contribute meaningfully to society. For researchers, the ability to clearly and confidently present ideas is not only central to public engagement, but also to career progression, leadership, teaching, interdisciplinary work and policy influence. This workshop series builds the practical presentation capability of researchers communicating Earth, planetary and space science to public and non-specialist audiences, including schools, community groups, science festivals, public lectures and media-adjacent contexts. Rather than offering generic presentation tips, the series will focus on audience-centred design, ethical simplification of complex geoscience content, and confident delivery, particularly where uncertainty, scale, probability or societal sensitivity are involved. Participants will work with a real presentation drawn from their own research, refining it across the series through structured activities, peer learning and individual facilitator feedback and become facilitators of dialogue and action.

This workshop series will take place on the 30 November, 7 and 14 December, 09:30-11:00 CET. The sessions will be divided as follows:

• Session 1: Designing presentations for the audience - Stop presenting for yourself. Start presenting for your audience. Ever delivered a talk that made perfect sense to you, but left your audience confused, disengaged, or overwhelmed? This interactive session will help you identify who you're speaking to, what they actually need from you, and how to shape your message accordingly. You'll work with your own presentation topic to clarify your purpose, sharpen your key message, and create a stronger foundation for communicating Earth, planetary and space science to public and non-specialist audiences.
• Session 2: Making complex geoscience clear and visual - How do you explain uncertainty, risk and complexity without losing your audience? Geoscience is full of challenging concepts: uncertainty, probability, scale, modelling, hazards and long timeframes. In this hands-on workshop, you'll learn practical techniques for turning complex scientific information into explanations that are accurate, engaging and easy to understand. Through interactive exercises and real examples, you'll practise simplifying jargon, structuring explanations and creating slides that support understanding rather than compete with it.
• Session 3: Confident delivery and handling audience questions - Great science deserves confident delivery. Even the best presentation can fall flat if nerves, pacing or difficult questions get in the way. In this practical session, you'll explore techniques to strengthen your delivery, engage your audience and respond confidently when the unexpected happens. You'll have the opportunity to practise presenting, receive feedback from peers and facilitators, and build confidence communicating your science in both online and in-person settings.

Places for this FREE workshop are limited to 30 people so if this workshop series appeals to your interests, register here today. Only EGU Members can apply to participate in these workshops and places are limited. We ask you to please commit to attending all workshops in the series and to cancelling your participation in case you are unable to keep your commitment by emailing the EGU Outreach Committee. Those that complete the full series will be issued a certificate of participation by the EGU Outreach Committee. For any additional questions, please contact the EGU Outreach Committee.

The European Geosciences Union (EGU) is Europe’s premier geosciences union, dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in the Earth, planetary, and space sciences for the benefit of humanity, worldwide. We are a non-profit, interdisciplinary, learned association of scientists founded in 2002, with headquarters in Munich, Germany. The EGU publishes a collection of diverse scientific journals, which use an innovative, interactive and open access format, and organises a number of events, meetings and outreach and education activities. The annual EGU General Assembly is the largest and most prominent European geoscience event, attracting over 20,000 researchers from all over the world. For more information, visit www.egu.eu 

• EGU Outreach Committee
  EGU Early Career Scientist (ECS) network
  EGU Science for Policy
  EGU Online Events