From 4 to 11 September 2026, Kiel became a meeting point for the energetic-particle and space-weather community as the SPEARHEAD School and Workshop #3 brought together students, early-career researchers, project scientists and invited experts for eight days of training, scientific exchange and collaboration at Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (CAU).
The programme represented an important moment for SPEARHEAD: an opportunity not only to present the results, tools and resources developed throughout the project, but also to transfer knowledge to a new generation of researchers and discuss how the project’s scientific legacy can contribute to the future of heliophysics.
From learning the physics to using the tools
The SPEARHEAD School, held from 4 to 8 September, combined lectures with extensive practical training.
Participants explored Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs), Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs), Forbush decreases (FDs), particle detectors and modern methods for analysing energetic-particle observations. The emphasis throughout the School was on connecting the underlying physics with the way research is performed in practice.
Students therefore had the opportunity to move beyond the lectures and work directly with analysis tools developed and used within SPEARHEAD, including SEP-PACT, VDA and FDAT. Through hands-on activities, participants could explore the acceleration, propagation and observation of energetic particles and gain experience with tools and methods that can support their own future research.
The School also took participants outside the classroom with a visit to the Kiel-Rönne facilities. There, they experienced first-hand the infrastructure used for communication and data reception from space missions, including STEREO, ACE and IMAP. The visit connected the observations used in scientific analysis with the ground-based systems that make their reception possible.
Bringing the SPEARHEAD results together
The School was followed by SPEARHEAD Workshop #3, held from 9 to 11 September and marking the final Workshop of the project.
Across three days, SPEARHEAD researchers, invited experts and members of the wider community discussed the scientific results and resources produced during the project. The programme covered new energetic-particle catalogues, particle acceleration and transport, high-energy solar events, Forbush decreases and Galactic Cosmic Rays, analysis tools, and emerging applications of Machine Learning and Explainable Artificial Intelligence.
Rather than considering these results independently, the Workshop provided an opportunity to connect them: from observations and instrument measurements to calibrated datasets, catalogues, modelling and reusable scientific tools.
Scientific presentations were complemented by dedicated discussion sessions and direct interaction between participants, creating space not only to communicate results but also to exchange ideas, challenge interpretations and identify new opportunities for collaboration.
Looking beyond SPEARHEAD
As the final Workshop progressed, the discussion increasingly turned towards the future.
Upcoming missions such as HENON, new instrumentation and observational capabilities, and the rapidly developing role of Artificial Intelligence in SEP science provided the starting point for a broader conversation about the questions and technologies that will shape heliophysics and space-weather research in the coming years.
This forward-looking discussion also highlighted an important part of SPEARHEAD’s legacy. The project leaves behind more than individual scientific results: it has produced catalogues, datasets, analysis tools and methodologies that can continue to be used, tested and extended by the community.
Just as importantly, the School and Workshop demonstrated the value of bringing different generations of researchers together. Students and early-career scientists were able to learn directly from experienced researchers, work with modern scientific tools, present their own work and participate in discussions about where the field should go next.
The Workshop ends, the science continues
Eight intensive days in Kiel connected education with research, theory with hands-on analysis, observations with tools, and established expertise with the next generation of heliophysics researchers.
We warmly thank all lecturers, speakers, students, participants and collaborators who contributed to the SPEARHEAD School and Workshop #3, both in Kiel and online, and Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (CAU) for hosting the events.
As the final SPEARHEAD Workshop comes to an end, the scientific resources, collaborations and connections developed through the project remain available to the community and provide a foundation for future research.
The Workshop ends. The science continues.