The International Astronautical Federation(IAF) has officially announced it is open for submission of hosting applications from member organisations, for the annual International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in 2023.

The congress, last held in Washington, the USA in October 2019,  is slated for Dubai next year, and Paris in 2021.

The schedule for the selection of the site of the 73rd IAC is as follows:

• Announcement of Call for Proposals: 15 November 2019.
• Deadline for notices of intent to submit proposals:21 February 2020.
• Deadline for submission of proposals: 24 April 2020.
• Selection of finalist candidates (if applicable): June 2020.
• Site Inspections: July – August 2020.
• Deadline for submission of updated proposals: 10 September 2020.
• Finalist presentations: During the 71st IAC in Dubai, U.A.E. 12 – 16 October 2020.
• Selection of the Host by the IAF General Assembly: 16 October 2020.

Note: The IAF may – at its discretion – modify the above schedule and notify the concerned organisations of the schedule changes.

*Bidders should have expressed their intention to bid by 21 February 2020. Please note that the intention to bid is not a requirement to submit a proposal and the final date for submission of proposals is 24 April 2020.

All required documents should be sent to:

Dr Christian Feichtinger
International Astronautical Federation
100 Avenue de Suffren
75015 Paris – France

or by Email: christian.feichtinger [@] iafastro.org

It is expected that after the official endorsement of the hosting proposal by the IAF General Assembly, there will be signing of a contract between the IAF and the Host Organisation, which clearly outlines the roles and responsibilities of each party.

Qualifications
The proposing organisation must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the IAF that it is:

• An IAF member organisation or a group of IAF member organisations. The member or members submitting a proposal must be a member(s) in good standing.
• Legally capable of signing a contract with the IAF for the execution of an IAC.
• Organisationally and financially able to undertake and successfully implement an IAC.
• Capable of fulfilling all of the requirements placed on the host organization as described in the Call.

Note: The IAF member organisation proposing to host an IAC must demonstrate that it meets the above requirements through the creation of a consortium or other entity with sufficient organization skills, financial backing, human resources and legal structure to meet this requirement.

In this case, the proposed organisation must include in its proposal:

• A description of the proposed organisational arrangement. The consortium or organisation shall also provide documentation to validate its legal existence as well as its address, telephone and email address for follow up communications.
• Written commitments from the consortium members specifying the organisational and/or financial support they propose to provide.
• Additional, publicly verifiable information describing the capabilities as well as the financial and organisational resources of the consortium members.

The IAF may request additional information to ensure that it has sufficient understanding of the consortium arrangement as well as the legal and financial commitments of the consortium members to the collective effort.

For more information on the event and useful resources, click here.

About the IAC

The IAC offers the latest space information, developments but above all contacts and potential partnerships. It is a global, multidisciplinary congress that covers all space sectors and topics,  where actors come together every year to exchange ideas. Each year, the IAC changes the host country, theme and local organiser, enabling all to learn more about, and be a part of the world space scene.

In recent years, the event has attracted between 4500 and 6500 participants, including 3500 full paying participants, retired participants and press representatives as well as more than 1500 students and young professionals. The congress itself is a five-day event with defined pre- and post-congress events.