The Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences (IA) is a new but long anticipated research infrastructure with a national dimension. It embodies a bold but feasible vision for the development of Astronomy, Astrophysics and Space Sciences in Portugal, taking full advantage and fully realizing the potential created by the national membership of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO). IA resulted from the merging the two most prominent research units in the field in Portugal: the Centre for Astrophysics of the University of Porto (CAUP) and the Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics of the University of Lisbon (CAAUL). It currently hosts more than two-thirds of all active researchers working in Space Sciences in Portugal, and is responsible for an even greater fraction of the national productivity in international ISI journals in the area of Space Sciences. This is the scientific area with the highest relative impact factor (1.65 times above the international average) and the field with the highest average number of citations per article for Portugal.

The IA-ON workshop marks the first internal meeting of the IA research groups, focusing on the research and development activities embodied on the IA’s five thematic lines. Open to all IA researchers, it will be a golden opportunity to:
(a) present the status of the on-going evaluation procedure of the IA funding application;
(b) discuss the IA’s research and strategy;
(c) discuss how to streamline the collaborative environment between the two nodes.

Organizing Committee
José Afonso
Pedro P. Avelino
Alexandre Cabral
Paulo Peixoto
Nuno C. Santos
Elsa Silva