Networking in the Framework

A group of PhDs and postdocs from eight European countries, all funded by the European Union (EU) as part of its Framework Programme on research, met recently in Cambridge, UK, with no supervisors, group leaders or principal investigators, but loads of enthusiasm.

The Framework Programme is the EU's main instrument for funding research. The sixth programme has a budget of nearly €18 billion (US$22 billion). The fifth programme funded no fewer than 500 projects, each representing a Research Training Network (RTN) — a consortium of teams in different countries that propose a common project to provide training and transfer of knowledge.

Our RTN involves laboratories in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Denmark and Britain. Using a multidisciplinary approach, it aims to improve understanding of how genome stability is controlled by checkpoints for DNA damage and DNA repair mechanisms. It will also give young researchers intensive, internationally competitive training in a dynamic field, with emphasis on the use of integrated genetic and biochemical approaches.

The transfer of knowledge and interaction between participants is one of the key points of the network. Researchers can meet regularly without having to cross the Atlantic. Another benefit is that young scientists can develop collaborations outside their own institutes early in their careers.

After a successful conference in Amsterdam in February, five PhDs and five postdocs involved in the project decided to meet again. The goal of this meeting, held in July in the beautiful surroundings of Magdalene College, was to provide a platform for setting up collaborations or reinforcing ongoing ones. The small numbers allowed for longer presentations and discussions, and the absence of principal investigators let the young researchers express their thoughts and ideas freely. Two important issues scientists encounter early in their careers were addressed by invited speakers: Patrick Bateson, an ethologist at Cambridge, discussed the ethics of using animals in research, and Cambridge pathologist Anne Cooke talked about writing successful grant applications.

In November 2005, this RTN will culminate in a final meeting in Milan, Italy. By that time, and thanks to the meeting in Cambridge, all young researchers involved will not only have benefited from the project and its complementary teams, but also from contacts that could prove vital to their careers.