FCT signs agreement with EMBL for technological internships

FCT and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory(EMBL) have signed an agreement to promote expressions of interest for Studentships for young Portuguese graduates at EMBL. The selected candidates will acquire on-the-job training in the areas of competence of that international scientific organization of which FCT is a member.

Eligible candidates must have a bachelor's degree or higher and the areas of training to be attended will be those that correspond to the fields of the EMBL programs, namely: cell and molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, biophysics, bioinformatics, genomics, optical and electron microscopy, synchrotron radiation technology and technological workshops.

EMBL was created with the aim of promoting molecular biology throughout Europe and has become a research center of excellence for young researchers in molecular biology. It is an intergovernmental organization, created in 1974, which currently represents 23 member states, two associates and three candidates. It is made up of six laboratories, located in Heidelberg (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Grenoble (France), Hamburg (Germany), Hinxton (United Kingdom) and Rome (Italy).

This agreement reinforces FCT's objective of supporting and accompanying the participation of the scientific and technological community in the international organizations of which Portugal is a member. The benefits for the scientific community include access for national teams to international scientific infrastructures, increased competitiveness for industry, access to training programs and Calls scientific or management positions in the different organizations.

The internships at EMBL will enrich FCT's Technological Internship Program, which already includes agreements with CERN, ESA and ESO, where every year young Portuguese graduates have the opportunity to acquire training for up to two years. This year, FCT also held the first Call for Research Studentships for Internships at NASA. The application process for these internships is expected to begin at the end of this year.