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Marja Makarow, Professor, Program in Cellular Biotechnology, Institute
of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Finland, marja.makarow@helsinki.fi
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The Executive Committee of the Federation of European Biochemical
Societies (FEBS) decided to found three 3-year posts. The holders
of the new Committee posts should be responsible for specific tasks,
science and society issues, women bioscientists’ issues and young
scientists’ issues. Dr. Federico Mayor, former President of Unesco,
was invited to serve the first function. The constituent societies
of FEBS voted Dr. Sissel Rogne from the Norwegian Biotechnology
Advisory Board to take care of womens’ issues, and Marja Markarow
from University of Helsinki was voted to look after young scientists’
issues. The two last nominations were ratified by the 40th
FEBS Council in the 27th FEBS/PABMB meeting, which took
place in Lisbon on June 30 - July 5. The three year period of service
of Dr. Rogne and myself was decided to start on January 1st,
2002. Dr. Mayor organized the first Science and Society session
already in the Lisbon meeting.
Why do European young scientists need special attention?
More and more European countries strive to become knowledge-based
societies, characterized by businesses which are based on a high
education level of employees, innovation, sufficient public and
private investment into research and development, and high quality
basic research. We cannot afford to loose our most talented young
scientists to the United States of America, where more attractive
carreer prospects are offered than in many European countries.
The specific problems that scientists encounter early on in their
careers have to be identified and surveys on their career developments
should be carried out. Visions for future solutions should be created
and the decision makers informed about the problems and the suggestions
of removing them.
Forum of Young Scientists
The Lisbon meeting started by the Forum of Young Scientists, entitled
"Protein structure-Function, Trafficking and Signalling",
on June 28-30. 155 young scientists, mostly Ph.D. students from
all over Europe attended, 41 gave oral presentations and 95 presented
posters. The event was closed by a 3 hours panel discussion on problems
specific for young investigators. The list was long, starting with
lack of information on funding opportinities at different stages
of the career. Returning home after a post-doctoral training period
abroad was feared to be an especially vulnerable situation, with
concerns not only on the availability of suitable funding instruments,
but also the degree of independency as young group leaders under
strong department heads. Though mobility is strongly recommended
by individual countries, as well as the EU, the feelings on this
issue were mixed. Many thought that this requirement interferes
with for instance family planning. The different criteria for Ph.
D. theses had been recognized, and harmonization of these criteria
in all European countries was felt to be urgently needed.
Council decisions
The Forum of Young Scientists was decided to be organized as a
satellite meeting of every FEBS meeting. The Council agreed to allocate
annually euros 100.000 for travel support of the participants of
Forum, and to pay for three invited plenary speakers. The Ph.D.
students of the organizing country should be strongly involved in
planning of the Forum’s program. The Forum will continue to have
a general panel discussion, and recruitment services are under consideration.
It will provide a unique channel to hear directly the voice of
young European scientists. FEBS has a clear nich to promote Ph.
D. students issues, as organizations like EMBO for instance fund
post-doctoral students.
A small expert committee will be assembled to help us cristallize
the goals and seek solutions to problems. Close contacts to EMBO,
the Marie Curie program, the Wellcome Trust, NorFA and other funding
agencies will be fostered to avoid overlapping of activities, and
to work constructively together for the best of the next generation
of European group leaders in the field of biochemistry and molecular
biology.
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