w-fFORTE and the “Austrian Research Promotion Agency” recently launched an initiative called “Laura Bassi Centres of Expertise” with the goal of enabling highly-qualified women to work on the forefront of science and industry. The six “Centers of Expertise,” will focus on applied basic research in the natural sciences, engineering and technology and will each receive up to €320.000 annually. More information can be found on the w-fFORTE website, an information folder is also available for download. The full details of the program and the selection process will be made available on April 29, 2008.

The GE & Science Prize for Young Life Scientists, which is sponsored by GE and Science, has been established to provide support to scientists at the beginning of their careers. In 2008, the prize will recognize outstanding graduate students in molecular biology from all regions of the world. This international prize will be awarded for the outstanding thesis in the general area of molecular biology as described in a 1000-word essay. The winners will fly to Stockholm for the award ceremony, meet some of the Nobel Prize laureates, have their PhD profiled in the online version of Science and receive $25,000 or $5,000 for regional winners. The deadline for entries is August 1, 2008. Further information can be found here.

Entries are invited by the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, for the 9th international Josef Umdasch Research Prize. In memory of the founder of the Umdasch Group, its proprietors Hilde Umdasch and Alfred Umdasch, respectively the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Umdasch AG, have endowed a biennial sum of EUR 30,000 to honor outstanding achievements in the fields of forestry and timber science. The deadline for the submission of entries for this year’s award is May 15, 2008. Further information can be found here.

The Erwin Schrödinger International Institute for Mathematical Physics (ESI) in Vienna, Austria, celebrated its 15th anniversary with a series of lectures on April 14, 2008. Since 1993, the ESI has emerged into one of the leading research institutions in its field, offering a handful of research programs on an annual basis. For further information on calls for proposals, please visit the ESI website.

The Club of Vienna, an international association for the promotion of interdisciplinary research for Vienna, and the City of Vienna are awarding the EUR 1,000.-- Rupert-Riedl-Prize for work devoted to tolerance and sustainable development. Completed interdisciplinary and practice-related diploma theses and dissertations from the fields of Social Sciences, Humanities, Natural Sciences, Economics, and Technology are accepted for submission by June 1, 2008. Rubert Riedl was an Austrian zoologist who made contributions in the fields of Marine Biology, Morphology, Theory of Evolution, Evolutionary Epistemology and Environment and Society. Further information on criteria of judging and details on the submission of papers can be found here.

The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST-A) - Seeking scientists in basic research in the natural and applied sciences. Join the mailing list of IST-A to stay up-to-date on job opportunities. Click here for more information.

Austria is developing into a leading knowledge based society. The Austrian researcher's dialogue is collecting ideas for strategic research policy in the next decade, which will be discussed at the Alpbach 2008 meeting. The dialogue took place on March 6th in Vienna and focused on the future of higher education. Minister of Research, Dr. Johannes Hahn, opened the forum. For further details, visit the website.

ERA-Link meeting with Janez Potočnik

The EU Commissioner of Science and Research, Janez Potočnik, met with European scientists in Washington, DC, on February 14th, 2008. The meeting and following lunch reception took place at the Embassy of Austria. Commissioner Potočnik introduced the European Research Area and Seventh Framework Program, a 2007-2013 funding initiative to advance research and technology development, create jobs, and increase competitiveness and quality of research in the EU. To view the event report click here. For details about ERA-Link visit the ERA-Link website.