NWO sends young scientific talent out into the big, wide world

15 December 2009

NWO is awarding Rubicon grants to 35 young researchers for foreign experience

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded grants from the Rubicon programme to 35 young and promising scientists. The grant enables Dutch researchers who have recently gained their PhDs to gain research experience in other countries, and foreign researchers to gain research experience in the Netherlands.

A total of 130 young researchers submitted applications and 35 of them have now been awarded a Rubicon grant. The majority of the successful candidates gained their PhDs in the Netherlands and are about to leave for other countries. Most of the young researchers are setting off for the USA. The UK is the next most popular destination. Other candidates are starting off in Germany, Australia, Sweden and Spain.

Four foreign researchers are using their Rubicon grants to undertake research at Dutch institutions. Over the next few years, NWO hopes to attract more foreign researchers for a period of research in the Netherlands with the aim of further encouraging a circulation of knowledge.

The candidates received their awards for a range of reasons. The main criteria are the quality of the research proposal, the quality of the researcher and the quality of the host institution. The feasibility of the research and the mobility of the researcher also play a role in the assessment.

The River Rubicon

Rubicon (www.nwo.nl/rubicon) is a good step up towards a Veni grant under the NWO Innovational Research Incentive Scheme. The campaign during which Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon can be regarded as an important preparation for his series of victories, which led to him utter the immortal words 'veni, vidi, vici'. Likewise, the Rubicon is a good preparation for researchers who have recently gained their PhDs and who often lack the necessary research experience to obtain a Veni award.

Dutch institutions that can offer a year’s accommodation to a foreign researcher will receive a maximum of 55,000 euro. Dutch graduates going abroad for between 6 months and 2 years receive a payment for their expenses, the size of which depends on the destination chosen. NWO provides 1.7 million euro for each Rubicon round.

Here is an alphabetical list of the researchers awarded a Rubicon grant.

About NWO

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) is the principal Dutch science funding body and its mission is to facilitate excellent scientific research in the Netherlands by means of national competition. Each year NWO spends more than 700 million euro on grants for top researchers, on innovative instruments and equipment, and on institutes where top research is performed. NWO funds the research of more than 5300 talented researchers at universities and institutes. Independent experts select proposals by means of a peer review system. NWO facilitates the transfer of knowledge to society. 

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last modified on 8 February 2010