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This pilot ‘visitor programme’ targets PhD and postdoctoral students, as well as tenure-track group leaders, whose primary affiliation is with a research group based in Africa.

Successful candidates will be funded through the  of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory under its .

The successful candidates will be hosted by one or more group leaders for this theme at one of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory’s six sites in Europe:  Barcelona (Spain), Cambridge (Hinxton, UK), Grenoble (France), Hamburg and Heidelberg (Germany) and Rome (Italy).

The focus of these research groups is the characterization of pathogen (viruses, bacteria, parasites) interactions with the host at an atomic, molecular, tissue and ecosystems level, in order to understand infection and antimicrobial resistance better.

The group leader will mentor and co-develop the project proposed by the successful candidate, in line with the group’s research focus. 

Applications are especially welcomed from eligible candidates among the recipients of the L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Award and from women belonging to the network of researchers engaged in UNESCO’s ‘‘ programme or involved in the work of the  , a UNESCO programme unit.

The call follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding between UNESCO and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in September last year. The two partners undertake to promote equality, diversity and inclusiveness in science, notably by fostering implementation of the adopted in November 2021, the adopted in November 2017 and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory Programme’s from Molecules to Ecosystems that runs from 2022 to 2026.

At the signing of the agreement, Prof. Edith Heard, Director General of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory recalled that ‘openness and data sharing were cornerstones of the laboratory’s operations. She mentioned that the laboratory’s European Bioinformatics Institute ‘curates the world’s largest collection of molecular data, derived from over 50 years of life science experimentation, which it annotates and makes publicly available, free of charge, on an open access platform’. She explained that, although the European Molecular Biology Laboratory took the lead, this data-sharing was coordinated with the USA and Asia.

For its part, ‘UNESCO can assist the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in enhancing its collaboration with scientists and scientific institutions in primarily developing countries’, observed UNESCO Assistant Director General for Natural Sciences Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, who went on to say that the partnership would have the advantage of raising these institutions’ ‘awareness of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory’s data-sharing platforms and its accessible research and support services related to COVID-19 and many other areas’.

For more information, please contact f.rafieian@unesco.org