NanoforumEULA selection visiting researchers from Latin America to Europe

NanoforumEULA selection visiting researchers from Latin America to Europe

Utrecht, 6 September 2007. Today, the NanoforumEULA specific support action funded by the European Union announced the results of the selection of 20 researchers from Latin America who will receive support for a visit up to 3 months in one of four European nanotechnology research organizations, in the period September 2007 until 1 May 2008. The successful candidates are listed below.

About the selection procedure

A total of 29 applications were received, including 19 by men and 10 by women. Of the 29 applicants, 15 came from Mexico, 5 from Brazil, 3 from Argentina and Colombia, 2 from Venezuela and 1 from Chile. Of all applicants, 12 preferred to go to the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (UAM) in Madrid, Spain, 8 preferred to go to the MESA+ research centre of the University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands, 6 preferred to go to the Fraunhofer Institute for Materials and Beam technology (IWS) in Dresden, Germany and 3 to go to MINATEC in Grenoble, France.

Each of the host organisations ranked the applicants for their organisation on four criteria, using a five point scale for each criterion:

Subsequently, MINATEC reviewed the applicants who had preferred to go to another organisation, but were not selected there, and chose the two best candidates who have been asked if they are willing to go to MINATEC in stead. For each organisation, the five highest ranked candidates have been selected.

In the selection, all countries NanoforumEULA received applications from are represented. A balance was also achieved between PhD students, postdocs and experienced researchers. 30% of the selected candidates are women, slightly less than the 35% women among the applicants. The main cause for this is that only men applied for visiting the Fraunhofer IWS institute.

Other mobility funds and fellowships

To assist these and other interested students and researchers in finding other European grants or opportunities for mobility, the following website are recommended:

Eracareers: http://ec.europa.eu/eracareers/index_en.cfm

Cordis nanotechnology webpages on mobility:

http://cordis.europa.eu/nanotechnology/src/mobility.htm

The Erasmus Mundus programme:

http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/mundus/index_en.html

Interested students and researchers may also find the database of over 2300 nanotechnology research organizations at the Gateway to Nanotechnology in Europe www.nanoforum.org useful in helping them identify other potential host organizations in Europe. This database is accessible online after free login.

Furthermore, a list of other EU or European national mobility schemes is included below.

About NANOFORUMEULA

This Specific Support Action Nanoforum EU Latin America is funded by the European Union under the Sixth EU Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development; Nanotechnologies and Nanosciences, Knowledge Based Multifunctional Materials and New Production Processes and Devices (FP6, NMP). See http://cordis.europa.eu/nanotechnology. The project aims to foster lasting research relations between European research organisations and research organisations in Latin America specialising in nanotechnology. Exchange visits for some twenty Latin American researchers to four European research organisations specialising in nanotechnology (MESA+ institute, University of Twente, Netherlands; MINATEC, Grenoble, France, Fraunhofer Institute for Materials and Beam Technology, Dresden, Germany and Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain are being subsidised. Two workshops and subsequent fact finding missions are being organised in Mexico and Brazil enabling European researchers and industrialists to identify opportunities for establishing working relations. The project has a budget of €500,000 and lasts 18 months (1-12-2006 to 31-5-2008). Check the website for updates: www.nanoforumeula.eu or contact Ineke Malsch: postbus@malsch.demon.nl