Researcher Jadviga Tatur (BT) receives Rubicon grant
13 April 2007 by TNWToday | M&CJadviga Tatur MSc has been awarded the Rubicon grant for her research into the decoding of the structure of proteins. This research is important for the development of medicines. Crystals are required for the study of protein structures – but making these crystals is not easy. Jadviga is attempting to find a way of using tiny tubes to stimulate these proteins to form crystals. With the help of the grant awarded to her, she is continuing her work for a further 20 months at Imperial College in London.
The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded a Rubicon grant to 31 promising young scientists. This grant gives Dutch researchers who have only recently received their doctorate the chance to gain research experience abroad. By the same token, foreign researchers can carry out research in the Netherlands.
A total of 102 researchers submitted a research proposal. The applications were judged by three multi-disciplinary advisory committees. The successful candidates were selected by virtue of their talent for conducting innovative and trailblazing research at an excellent institute in the Netherlands or abroad.
The majority of the successful candidates gained their doctorate in the Netherlands. Other candidates originate from Europe and the United States. Many researchers are conducting their work at a knowledge institute in the US, while other candidates are researching in England, Germany, Switzerland and Canada. Ten researchers are carrying out their research in the Netherlands. More than a third of those selected to receive grants are women – a figure corresponding to the percentage of women who submitted an application.
The 31 researchers together receive about 1.8 million euros. This covers the cost of spending between six months and two years at a foreign institute, up to a maximum of about 80,000 euros. If a recipient is spending a year at a Dutch institute, the institute receives a maximum of 55,000 euros.
The Rubicon grant is a precursor to the Veni grant. The name is derived from the River Rubicon. Julius Caesar crossed this river before commencing his series of conquests that ultimately lead to the statement ''veni, vidi, vici''. The Rubicon granted is intended for researchers who have only recently received their doctorate; this group often does not quite have the research experience needed to receive a Veni grant.
