NWO awards twenty-one researchers with Rubicon grants to do research at foreign research institutes

THE HAGUE, 26-Jan-2017 — /EuropaWire/ — Twenty-one researchers who have recently gained their PhDs will do research at foreign research institutes with a Rubicon grant from NWO. The Rubicon programme gives young, highly promising scientists the opportunity to gain international research experience.

The list of awards contains brief descriptions of the research proposals awarded funding as well as several facts and figures for this funding round.

Facts and figures

A total of 77 researchers submitted a proposal for Rubicon: 44 men and 33 women. The overall award rate was 27%. Among men the award rate was 30% and among women it was 24%. Nine laureates are going to the United States, eight to the United Kingdom, two to Germany, one to Australia and one to Denmark. For many scientists experience abroad is an important step in their career.

Rubicon

The scientists awarded funding can use their Rubicon grant  to do research for a maximum period of 24 months. The size of the grant depends on the destination chosen and the duration of the stay. Each year NWO can award about 60 young researchers funding within Rubicon (for a total amount of 7 million euros, spread over three rounds). The Rubicon programme is named after the river that Julius Caesar crossed in 49 BC before embarking on the series of victories that led to his famous pronouncement ‘veni, vidi, vici’. In 2005, NWO chose Rubicon as the name for its individual grant programme aimed at making a contribution to retaining talented researchers with a doctorate for science.

SOURCE: NWO

Spokespersons NWO

• Tessa van Leeuwen t.vanleeuwen@nwo.nl
  t: +31 (0)6 53 75 64 23

• Olivier Morot o.morot@nwo.nl
  t.: +31 (0)70 344 08 26