Monash backs Europe engagement

King's College London Guy's Campus

18 December 2008

Monash University recently awarded more than $170,000 in travel grants to staff and students, to encourage early career researchers to collaborate with their European colleagues.

In October 2008, Monash awarded about $150,000 through the Europe Travel Grants scheme. The Travel Grants, of up to $8,000 each, sought to build and promote collaborative research links with Europe.

More than 110 applications for Travel Grants were received from across Monash, reflecting the high level of interest in Europe among Monash staff and students.

In all, 26 grants were awarded to 12 staff and 14 PhD students at the beginning of their research careers, facilitating travel to universities, research institutes and conferences across Europe. In two other cases, funding was provided to enable experts from Europe to travel to a Monash campus.

Europe Travel Grants were awarded across all faculties and several campuses of the University.

The Europe Travel Grants coincide with the award of the 2008 Monash Fellowships at King’s College London.

King's College London is an important strategic partner to Monash, and a destination of choice for many researchers.

Three-month fellowships, offered in collaboration with the Menzies Centre for Australian Studies at King's College London, were recently awarded to two outstanding young researchers.

Drs Diana Bowman (the Monash Centre for Regulatory Studies, Faculty of Law) and Anna Eriksson (Criminology, School of Political and Social Inquiry, Faculty of Arts) will be based at the Menzies Centre for the duration of their stay, and will have access to the events program and facilities of Chatham House.

During her time at King’s College London, Dr Bowman will examine regulation of nanotechnologies in the European Union. Dr Eriksson will collaborate with her counterparts at King’s in an exploration of police and community partnerships.

Both the Europe Travel Grants and the Monash Fellowships at King’s College London are important conduits for Monash University’s broader engagement with Europe.

Monash continues to build its teaching, research and conference program at its Prato Centre in Italy.

The Monash European and EU Centre is an interdisciplinary research and teaching centre based at the University’s Caulfield campus, established with the generous support of the European Commission. The Centre maintains close links with European researchers and promotes awareness of Europe within the University and to the wider community.

For more information about the University's activities in Europe, contact Michael Simmonds or Benjamin Leske in the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International).

Information about the Europe Travel Grants can be found at the Monash 2008 Europe Travel Grants webpage.

For more about the Monash Fellowships at King's College London, see the Monash University Fellowship at King’s College London webpage (staff access only).