  This text is a review of aspects of supergravity theories that are relevant
in superstring cosmology. In particular, it considers the possibilities and
restrictions for `uplifting terms', i.e. methods to produce de Sitter vacua. We
concentrate on N=1 and N=2 supergravities, and the tools of superconformal
methods, which clarify the structure of these theories. Cosmic strings and
embeddings of target manifolds of supergravity theories in others are discussed
in short at the end.
