EMBO, EMBC and the National Science Council of Taiwan sign cooperation agreement

The agreement will allow Taiwanese scientists to participate in EMBO training programmes and activities. It also means that EMBO Courses & Workshops can take place at Taiwanese research institutes.

New ways of global scientific interaction have been created following a cooperation agreement between EMBO, its inter-governmental funding body, the European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC), and the National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC). The agreement will allow Taiwanese scientists to participate in EMBO training programmes and activities. It also means that EMBO Courses & Workshops can take place at Taiwanese research institutes.

This is the first cooperation agreement of its kind between EMBO, EMBC and Taiwanese scientists, represented by NSC and Academia Sinica. The Taipei City-based Academia Sinica and NSC work together to create new opportunities for Taiwanese life scientists.

“EMBO promotes and encourages the development of the life sciences within Europe and beyond. We encourage the global mobility of scientists and we look forward to the increased scientific collaboration that this agreement will bring,” said EMBO Director Maria Leptin.

EMBO Associate Member and Academia Sinica President Chi-Huey Wong said: “EMBO is a leading organization that fosters new generations of life science researchers producing world-class scientific results. It is our delight to create great opportunities for young Taiwanese scientists to connect with the elite scientists of Europe.”

Representing the NSC, the cooperation agreement was signed by Minister Cyrus C.Y. Chu. He said: “This agreement opens up a gateway for Taiwanese life scientists to interact with some of the world’s brightest minds. We anticipate that more Taiwanese scientists will form affiliations with leading European life scientists because of this agreement.”

Under the terms of the agreement, scientists can apply for EMBO Short-Term and Long-Term Fellowships. Young Taiwanese group leaders will be eligible to benefit from the EMBO Young Investigator Programme, which provides outstanding young scientists with financial, academic and practical support to start up their first independent research laboratories.

Taiwanese scientists and EMBO will also cooperate in the organization of EMBO Courses & Workshops, which will help to spark collaborations between different scientific disciplines. Earlier this year, Academia Sinica and EMBO jointly organized the lecture course “Logic of Regulatory Circuits in Life Sciences” in Taipei City.

Conference organizers can apply for funding for plenary lectures given by EMBO Members or lectures given by EMBO Young Investigators at Taiwanese institutes and universities. Travel stipends will be available for Taiwanese scientists to attend EMBO Courses & Workshops and The EMBO Meeting.

The cooperation agreement will run for three years.

EMBO
Barry Whyte
Head, Public Relations
& Communications
P: +49 6221-8891-108
communications@embo.org
National Science Council
Louis Chen
Program Director Department
of International Cooperation
P: +886-2-2737-7959
ymchen@nsc.gov.tw
Academia Sinica
Pearl Huang
Media Liaison,
Office of the Director General
P: +886-2-2789-8820
pearlhuang@gate.sinica.edu.tw

About EMBO
EMBO stands for excellence in the life sciences. The organization enables the best science by supporting talented researchers, stimulating scientific exchange and advancing policies for a world-class European research environment. EMBO is an organization of more than 1500 leading life scientist members that fosters new generations of researchers to produce world-class scientific results. EMBO helps young scientists to advance their research, promote their international reputations and ensure their mobility. Courses, workshops, conferences and scientific journals disseminate the latest research and offer training in cutting-edge techniques to maintain high standards of excellence in research practice. EMBO helps to shape science and research policy by seeking input and feedback from our community and by following closely the trends in science in Europe.

About NSC
The National Science Council (NSC) is the major Taiwanese funding agency for Science and Technology.
The NSC has signed 105 cooperation agreements with 43 nations for Taiwanese researchers to participate in international Science and Technology activities. Cooperation involves exchange among researchers, joint conferences, joint research projects, high-level official visits, and conferring international awards. The NSC overlooks 16 Science and Technology overseas divisions. Apart from strengthening international relations with host nations, the NSC provides support for Science and Technology researchers to pursue research at overseas universities or research organizations, to broaden global perspectives and enhance their mobility.

About Academia Sinica
Academia Sinica is the most prominent Taiwanese academic institution. It was founded in China in 1928 to promote scholarly research into sciences and humanities. In 1949, Academia Sinica was re-established in Taipei. It is now a modern institution with a worldwide reputation and a proud tradition. Academia Sinica is currently under the leadership of President Chi-Huey Wong. It is divided into three divisions, the Division of Life Sciences, the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Division of Mathematics and Physical Sciences. The institute consists of 24 institutes and 7 centers, the research from which can be seen regularly in international scholarly journals. As of November 1, 2012, it includes 1,022 research fellows and research specialists, and 662 postdoctoral researchers.