October 13, 2011 --
1. Scientists in Singapore and Europe will have access to new platforms for scientific interaction and collaborative research, following a cooperation agreement between EMBO, its intergovernmental funding body, EMBC, and the government of Singapore. The agreement will allow Singapore scientists to participate in EMBO training programmes and activities. It also means that EMBO workshops and lectures can take place in Singapore. This is the first cooperation agreement of its kind between EMBO, EMBC and Singapore.
2. “EMBO promotes and encourages the development of the life sciences within Europe and beyond. We welcome the opportunity to ensure the mobility of scientists between Singapore and Europe and we look forward to the scientific collaboration that this agreement will bring,” said EMBO Director Maria Leptin.
3. Chairman of Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Mr Lim Chuan Poh, said that Singapore shared the same vision. “We are confident that this agreement will spur international collaborations in world-class scientific research, which will pave the way for new biomedical discoveries and global healthcare solutions.”
4. A*STAR represented Singapore in negotiations. The agreement brings together major players in Singapore’s biomedical research scene, namely A*STAR, the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
New opportunities for scientific interaction
5. Under the agreement, scientists can apply for EMBO Short-Term and Long-Term Fellowships to work in Singapore or Europe. Scientists from Singapore can apply to the EMBO Young Investigator Programme, which provides outstanding young scientists with financial, academic and practical support to start up their first independent research laboratories.
6. Singapore and EMBO will also cooperate in the organisation of an EMBO Workshop in Singapore, allowing scientists from different fields to pursue cross-disciplinary collaborations. The workshop organizers from Singapore and Europe can apply for the support of an EMBO Member or Young Investigator as plenary lecturer at their event. Other conferences in Singapore can also apply for the support of an EMBO Member or Young Investigator as speaker.
7. The cooperation agreement will run for three years.
Singapore and EMBO: a growing relationship
8. The cooperation agreement builds on a growing series of exchanges between Singapore and scientists associated with EMBO. Key EMBO Members based in Singapore include NTU President Professor Bertil Andersson; A*STAR Chief Scientist, Professor Sir David Lane; Chairman of A*STAR’s Biomedical Research Council, Professor Sir George Radda; and NTU Professor of Biological Sciences and Chair of EMBO Council, Daniela Rhodes. Since 2005, there have been eight EMBO-funded events in Singapore, including a 2011 Plenary Lecture. In 2009, 12 EMBO Gold Medalists presented their work and held discussions with 300 researchers based in Singapore on a range of topics in developmental, cell and molecular biology.
For media queries, please contact:
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Ms Adela Foo
Senior Officer, Corporate Communications
DID: (+65) 6826 6218
Email: adela_foo@a-star.edu.sg
EUROPEAN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY ORGANIZATION (EMBO)
Suzanne Beveridge
Head, Public Relations and Communications
Charlotte Otter, Communications Officer
P: +49 6221 8891 108
communications@embo.org
About the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is the lead agency for fostering world-class scientific research and talent for a vibrant knowledge-based and innovation-driven Singapore. A*STAR oversees 14 biomedical sciences and physical sciences and engineering research institutes, and six consortia & centres, located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis as well as their immediate vicinity.
A*STAR supports Singapore’s key economic clusters by providing intellectual, human and industrial capital to its partners in industry. It also supports extramural research in the universities, hospitals, research centres, and with other local and international partners.
For more information on A*STAR, please visit www.a-star.edu.sg.
About EMBO
EMBO stands for excellence in the life sciences. We enable 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 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.
Related Documents Singapore EMBO cooperate in life sciences.pdf [39.1 KB]
ContactsName Ms Adela Foo
Tel 6826 6218
Email adela_foo@a-star.edu.sg
