The Rheinland-Pfalz & Scotland x Life Sciences partnership aims to support collaboration, network building and mobility opportunities for research communities in Rheinland-Pfalz and Scotland.
This initiative is based on the Statement of Intent, signed in March 2021 by ministers from Rheinland-Pfalz and Scotland, to promote closer cooperation in the areas of research, culture, education and higher education.
In 2022 the Rheinland-Pfalz Ministry for Science and Health, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Universities Life Science Alliance announced the launch of their first jointly funded call in support of research collaborations in the field of life sciences and biotechnology.
To deepen this engagement, an official cooperation agreement was signed in June 2024 between the JGU Scotland HUB at the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (JGU) in Rheinland-Pfalz and the Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA) in Scotland for strategic collaboration in the fields of life sciences, biotechnology and enivironmental sciences.
Minister Dr Denis Alt emphasised that both Scotland and Rhineland-Palatinate are leaders in the field of biotechnology. To build on this momentum and make improvements to the world we live in, this strategic agreement between the JGU Scotland HUB and SULSA aims to strengthen collaboration in the fields of biotechnology, life sciences and environmental sciences.
read his full statement here
Building on the Declaration of Intent, which was signed between the two governments in 2021, this cooperation also supports the facilitation of short term mobility opportunities for early career researchers.
The JGU Scotland HUB acts as the focal point for Scotland-related research activities at the Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU) Mainz and has contributed to the development of deeper and more extensive academic collaborations since its foundation in 2015.
In the pursuit of these goals, it can rely on a broad network of academic, personal and institutional contacts with a broad number of Scottish universities including the universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA) was established in 2004 to encourage researchers across Scottish higher education to pool resources and collaborate in order to increase international competition. Now, as a strategic partnership of 12 universities and 1 research institution, SULSA acts as a gateway into the connected and vibrant life sciences research community in Scotland and supports equal access for career progression and collaborative research opportunities across our member institutions.
The Rheinland-Pfalz & Scotland x Life Sciences Fund aims to support international networking and mobility for PhD Students and Postdoctoral Researchers in the fields of Life Sciences, Biotechnology and Environmental Sciences. It is expected that these bilateral research exchanges will lead to outputs such as increased connectivity and further opportunities for funding. In addition, this call will support the career progression and professional development of early-stage researchers through gained technical skills, scientific outputs, and an expanded research network.
PhD Students and Postdoctoral Researchers can apply for a maximum of €8,000 to complete a research exchange project as a visiting researcher. Exchanges can range in length from 2 weeks to 3 months and must be bilateral in nature.
This fund has been jointly funded by the Ministry of Science and Health in Rheinland-Pfalz and the Scottish Government Office in Berlin to support research collaborations between academic institutions in the Rheinland-Pfalz (RLP) land of Germany and Scotland. The Fund is being delivered by the Scotland Hub at Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz (JGU Scotland Hub) and the Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA) (Herein referred to as the administrative team).
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