IFS eNews No. 16, February 2006
IFS eNews appears quarterly. Ad hoc newsbulletins (fellowship announcements etc) are also sent out to all IFS eNews subscribers. We hope that it is an effective way to inform you about recent developments. Your comments on the contents of IFS eNews are most welcome to info@ifs.se
Developing Science - Science for Development
In this issue
1 GRANTING NEWS
1.1 Research grants approved
1.2 New granting session now open
2 SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCES, MEETINGS AND WORKSHOPS
2.1 Sustainable solid waste management in developing countries
2.2 Capacity enhancing workshop on sanitation, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
2.3 Workshop on semiochemicals, Santiago, Chile
2.4 Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change, Bonn, Germany
2.5 International Council for Science (ICSU) General Assembly, Suzhou, China
3 IFS SOCIAL SCIENCES DELEGATION IN VIETNAM
4 IFS MOURNS A DISTINGUISHED ADVISER
5 IFS MEETINGS
5.1 IFS Regional Assembly in Asia
6 IFS SECRETARIAT
6.1 Staff News
7 ANNOUNCEMENTS
7.1 The Orskov Foundation
7.2 Semiochemicals in pest control and conservation biology, Lund, Sweden.
7.3 Consultative meeting on scientific equipment policies, Bagamoyo, Tanzania.
7.4 5th International conference on Mycorrhiza (ICOM5) Granada, Spain.
7.5 3rd International Symposium on Biochemistry & Molecular Biology,
Havana, Cuba
7.6 Bangladesh Chemical Congress 2006, Dhaka, Bangladesh
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1 GRANTING NEWS
1.1 Research grants approved
IFS is very pleased to announce that 123 grants were approved in December, bringing the total number of grants awarded during 2005 to 240. IFS gratefully acknowledges an additional last-minute contribution by Sida/SAREC, allowing us to finance a number of good applicants whose research proposals would otherwise not have been funded.
During 2005, 70% of the grants were awarded to researchers in IFS priority countries, and 31% of the successful applicants were women. Twelve grants were awarded to applicants in the Middle East and North Africa, while 110 Sub-Saharan African researchers were awarded grants. Young scientists in Latin America and the Caribbean gained 51 grants, and 63 were awarded to researchers in South and South East Asia.
Congratulations to all the applicants whose research proposals have been successful, and very best wishes for future success to those applicants who did not gain grants this time.
1.2 New granting session now open
As of January 1st, the new granting session is open at IFS. We are, as usual, inviting young scientists in developing countries to apply for IFS research grants. Scientific topics acceptable must fall under the broad concept of sustainable management of biological or water resources. This session is open until 30th June.
As well as this general call for applications, we have a number of special
calls for this session (note that you can only apply for one IFS grant at
a time).
The special calls are:
1. IFS – CORAF/WECARD call for team applications from West and Central
Africa, for research on food security and productivity, crop-livestock integration
or agricultural policy and commercialisation.
2. IFS – CODESRIA call for applications from research groups in Sub-Saharan
African countries working on the role of under-utilised traditional food crops
in African agriculture, or on biotechnology and food in Africa. Research groups
should be interdisciplinary and composed of both social scientists and natural
scientists.
3. IFS – Sida/NATUR call for research grant applications both from individual
researchers and teams, in the area of sustainable sanitation and grey water
re-use in developing countries.
4. IFS - INWRDAM - COMSTECH call for research grant applications on Water
Research in OIC Countries (Organization of Islamic Conference).
For application forms and detailed eligibility criteria, see the IFS web: http://www.ifs.se
2 SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCES, MEETINGS AND WORKSHOPS
2.1 Sustainable solid waste management in developing countries
Held in January in Kathmandu, this was the first international conference in Nepal to focus on local waste management issues. It shared information and research relating to solid waste, and facilitated collaboration among national universities, NGO’s and some Nepalese national governmental agencies.
The conference was organised by Kathmandu University and the Development Network in Nepal, and co-organised by IFS, Kalmar University (Sweden), the LAQUA group (Sweden) and several Nepalese organisations operating in the areas of the environment and public health, solid waste management, clean energy, development research and information communication. Read more on: http://ku.edu.np/dobes/Seminar/information.htm
In conjunction with the conference IFS conducted a workshop on scientific methodology and scientific proposal writing.
2.2 Capacity enhancing workshop on sanitation in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
This October 2005 IFS workshop was held around the theme of Sustainable sanitation / Community management of grey water, urine and excreta. It included sessions on scientific methodology, writing research proposals, access to electronic literature, and the service and maintenance of scientific equipment. Altogether 48 people from 12 African countries participated in the workshop: from Tanzania, Mali, Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Senegal, Cameroon and Burkina Faso. The workshop was co-organised and co-financed by the Centre régional d'eau potable et d'assainissement à faible coût (CREPA).
2.3 Semiochemical research in Latin America:
a multidisciplinary endeavour requiring collaborating scientists
September 2005, Santiago, Chile.
This workshop was organised by Professor Hermann Niemeyer, Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile and co-sponsored by IFS and MISTRA (Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research).
Young scientists from Swedish and Latin American research institutions presented their latest research and the workshop also promoted the MISTRA/IFS-sponsored collaboration between Swedish and Latin American research institutions and the potential for further “North-South and South-South collaborations” within the field of semiochemical research. Participants were from Sweden, Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, UK, US, Italy and Belgium. They included about 10 IFS grantees and former grantees.
2.4 Global Environmental Change, Globalization and International Security:
New Challenges for the 21st Century, October 2005, Bonn, Germany.
IFS staff, advisers and 6 grantees from the Social Science area took part
in this conference in October at the University of Bonn. The meeting, the
world's largest social science event on global environmental change, brought
together over 900 participants. Co-organisers were IHDP (the International
Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change), CIESIN (the Center
for International Earth Science Information Network), IIASA (International
Institute for Applied Systems Analysis), UNU (United Nations University) and
IGES (The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies).
More information: http://openmeeting.homelinux.org/concept.htm
2.5 International Council for Science (ICSU) 28th General Assembly, October
2005, Suzhou, China.
Members of ICSU are national science academies and international unions of scientists – with more than 260 people at the Assembly. IFS, which is classified as a partner organisation, was one of 10 organisations invited to deliver brief messages at the formal opening session. IFS thus got a flying start for subsequent networking, following through with 15 bilateral meetings. Presentations on ICSU activities included reports on the formation of a regional office in Africa and the planned establishment of further regional offices in Asia and Latin America.
3 IFS SOCIAL SCIENCES DELEGATION IN VIETNAM
A delegation of IFS staff and Advisers visited Vietnam in early November. This visit was part of an ongoing campaign to encourage promising young researchers in Asia to apply for IFS support for social, cultural and economic research. IFS would like to thank all those who contributed to making this visit a success.
IFS held a seminar at Hanoi Agricultural University on the topic of IFS support and the design of research proposals that was attended by researchers from across the country. The delegation visited and met with officials of Thai Nguyen University and held an information seminar for faculty and students, and met with the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training in Hanoi. In addition, the delegation had the opportunity to visit the field sites of two recent IFS grantees, Ms Tran Thi Thu Ha and Dr Nguyen Mau Dung, and learn of the substantial progress that they are making in their work.
For more information about IFS grants for social science research, please contact Mr. Eren Zink, Scientific Programme Coordinator for Social Sciences at IFS (eren.zink@ifs.se).
4 IFS MOURNS A DISTINGUISHED ADVISER
It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of Dr Pierre Potier, Director Emeritus of CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), France, February 3, 2006.
Dr Potier was one of the most distinguished scientists in France. He played a commanding role in natural products research with the discovery of the two major anticancer drugs Navelbine and Taxotere, that are prescribed today throughout the world. During his lifetime he received many prizes and awards, both in France and abroad. In 1998 he received the CNRS Gold Medal which is the highest scientific honour awarded in France, and he was named Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur and Commandeur dans l’Ordre National du Mérite, two of the highest distinctions awarded by the French government.
IFS deeply appreciated his commitment and support for more than 25 years. Dr Potier was one of the first members of the Scientific Advisory Committee in the Natural Products Area (1979-1982), and he continued to be very supportive of the goals and activities of IFS. His involvement was crucial in developing the co-operation between southern countries, the Institution for the Chemistry of Natural Products, CNRS, and IFS. He will be sadly missed.
5 IFS MEETINGS
5.1 IFS Regional Assemblies
The IFS Asian Regional Assembly was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in August 2005, in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the Malaysian Scientific Association (MSA). It provided a golden opportunity to discuss the future role of IFS in Asia, while receiving feedback from Affiliated Organisations (AOs), and promoting IFS to young scientists to increase the number of applications from the region. It also provided opportunities to extend IFS supported networks, and to recruit AOs and Donors.
More than 60 people representing 20 organisations in 15 different countries participated in the lively discussions. A particular issue was how the scientifically advanced countries in the region could interact with and support science development in their poorer neighbouring countries, and how IFS can play a constructive role in this process.
An IFS Regional Assembly for Latin America will take place in Argentina in May.
6 IFS SECRETARIAT
6.1 Staff News
IFS welcomes Mr Anders Kinding, appointed from 1st December as Administrative Operations Manager for IFS. Anders has extensive experience from running his own management consultancy for the past ten years, after a long career in management (and marketing), 15 years of which were with the Scandinavian bank SEB. As Anders said, he has been training managers for the past decade, after spending 20 years developing his own management skills. In his new role he will have the opportunity to do both. His appointment is part of the ongoing development of IFS, as it moves towards changes being proposed in the 2006-2010 Work Plan. The intention is to achieve an even more effective organisation for delivering support to young researchers in low income countries with vulnerable scientific infrastructure.
Dr Ulrika Huss has been appointed Scientific Programme Coordinator for Natural Products area as of 1st January, after working on contract at IFS for 1½ years. She has a research background in pharmacognosy at Uppsala University in Sweden.
7 ANNOUNCEMENTS
7.1 The Orskov Foundation
Poverty alleviation through agricultural education.
The Orskov Foundation was established in May 2004, in recognition of Professor
Bob Orskov on his 70th birthday. Professor Orskov has been an IFS Scientific
Advisor for many years. The Foundation aims to support graduate students from
developing countries. Grants will be provided for training, for undertaking
relevant study courses, for field or laboratory work and associated expenditure
at any relevant university or research institution. See www.orskov.org
7.2 Semiochemicals in pest control and conservation biology
Lund, Sweden, 13-24 March
Graduate student course on the applications of pheromones, kairomones and other semiochemicals. Organised by the Department of Ecology, Lund University and the Department of Crop Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
Since the first identification of a pheromone over forty years ago the world of chemical signals has received much attention from scientists in biology, chemistry and agriculture/forestry. Many of the findings have come into practical use, for monitoring or suppression of insect pests. Crop protection based on semiochemicals has obvious advantages over conventional insecticides, but as yet is not widely used. Why not? What can be done to increase the applied use of these sustainable alternatives? Can other possibilities to use odour signals be developed, such as in the detection of rare species? And can they be more widely used in conservation biology? See: http://www.pheromone.ekol.lu.se/semiochem-06.html
7.3 Consultative meeting on the need for scientific equipment policies
Bagamoyo, Tanzania. 12-14 July
The Network of Users of Scientific Equipment in Eastern and Southern Africa (NUSESA) is working with IFS and the African Network of Scientific and Technological Institutions (ANSTI) to raise the quality of scientific equipment in Africa, through transforming institutional attitudes to scientific equipment. The meeting aims to bring together concerned stakeholders to develop and adopt a comprehensive scientific equipment policy framework. The deadline for pre-registration is 15 April, or for applying for sponsorship, 31 March. Email: enquiries@nusesa.org, or info@nusesa.org
7.4 5th International Conference on Mycorrhiza (ICOM5)
Granada, Spain, 23-27 July
ICOM5 will discuss recent advances in mycorrhiza research and outline trends around the theme "Mycorrhiza for Science and Society". Particular emphasis will be placed on basic knowledge about this universal fungal/root symbiosis and its role in satisfying societal demands for sustainable production of safe foods and for promotion of environmental quality. More info at: www.eez.csic.es/icom5/
7.5 3rd International symposium on biochemistry & molecular biology
Havana, Cuba, 16-20 October.
This conference, which will be part of the 27th Latin American Congress on Chemistry and the 6th International Congress on Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, is being organised by the Cuban Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SCBBM) together with the Cuban Society of Chemistry (SCQ) and the Latin American Federation of Chemistry.
Thematic Sessions are planned on: Proteins – Structure, Function and
Proteomics; Enzyme Technology; Immunology; Genetics, Nutrition and Molecular
Evolution; Molecular Medicine; Molecular Biology of Plants. Their Interaction
with other Organisms; Bioinformatics; and, Education on Molecular Biosciences.
Abstracts submission: April 15th, 2006.
Further information:
http://www.loseventos.cu/XXVIIclaq
http://fbio.uh.cu/scbbm/
7.6 Bangladesh Chemical Congress 2006 (BCC’06)
Dhaka, Bangladesh, 7-10 December.
Theme: Chemistry in the 21st Century.
See: www.chemhome-bcs.org. Note more information will be posted on this site
by April.
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