"The restart fellowships offer scientists an excellent opportunity to return to the laboratory. EMBO hopes that this programme will help to counteract the losses to science and research caused by scientists leaving to start a family," says Gerlind Wallon, EMBO Restart Programme Manager. "Judging by the number of inquiries received, there is a great deal of interest in the scheme. And we have already had a lot of applications from really excellent scientists. This shows the need for initiatives like this in Europe."
The first six awardees are:
The EMBO Restart Programme was launched in February this year. It builds on the tradition of the EMBO fellowships that have been providing training for scientists in the life sciences since 1966. However, the specific aim of the restart fellowships is to support young scientists who wish to go back into scientific research after having taken a career break to have a family. "It is therefore not obligatory for the restart fellow to move to a different country, as is the case with regular EMBO fellowships," explains Gerlind Wallon. "This would be difficult for these scientists." The EMBO restart fellowship project is the first of its kind on an international level and, although open to male and female scientists of all EMBC member states, it will greatly benefit young female scientists.
The European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC) supports EMBO's work and consists of 24 member states. The EMBC countries are: Austria, Greece, Poland, Belgium, Hungary, Portugal, Croatia, Iceland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Ireland, Spain, Denmark, Israel, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Turkey, Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom.