Newcastle University

JSPS (London): Pre- and Post-Doctoral Fellowships for Foreign Researchers (Short Term)

Application Deadline: Extended to 1st July 2013. 

Details

The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) is the leading research funding agency in Japan, established by the Japanese Government, for the purpose of contributing to the advancement of science. This programme provides the opportunity for short-term visits  of between 1 to 12 months for young pre- and post-doctoral UK researchers and researchers from Europe and North America based in the UK, to conduct cooperative research with leading research groups at Japanese universities and institutions. The programme is designed to provide researchers with first-hand experience of the research and living environment in Japan and encouraging academic exchange between Japan and the United Kingdom. 

Researchers from all fields of sciences including the humanities and social sciences are eligible to apply.

Eligible applicants must be either within 2 years of finishing their PhD at the time of starting their fellowship in Japan or have obtained their PhD after 2 April 2007. Fellowships must be started between 1st November 2013 to 31st March 2014.

Further information Applications are made via the JSPS London Office http://www.jsps.org/funding/2013/03/postdoctoral-fellowship-for-foreign-researchers-short-term.html  

Newcastle Biomedicine - Xiamen Strategic Travel Scholarships

Newcastle University is forming a strategic partnership with Xiamen University. 

The partnership will cover academic programmes, research, staff and student exchanges, mutual support, and cultural cooperation.  A delegation comprising of 20 senior academics and staff from Xiamen will visit Newcastle on 17 and 18 May 2013 to progress academic discussions and to launch the Strategic Partnership and the Newcastle Confucius Institute.  

One theme for the partnership is Biomedicine.   

In recognition and support of the objectives of the partnership, Xiamen Strategic Travel Scholarships will be introduced to facilitate postgraduate student exchange and in particular to facilitate travel of Newcastle Postgraduate Research Student travel to carry out collaborative research activities in Xiamen University. 

Background 

Xiamen is a coastal city with a population of 3.5 million people in Fujian Province in the south east of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that faces outward across the South China Sea to Taiwan 250 kilometres distant.  

Xiamen University is a key national university as designated through inclusion in the 211 and 985 Projects of the Chinese government. In the most authoritative rankings Xiamen has been placed 20^th for the past three years (2010-12). This is confirmed by its showing in the Shanghai Jiao Tong list in the 15-28 banding for China and 401-500 category globally.  

Xiamen is a comprehensive university covering all major university subjects. The university currently has a total enrolment of over 38,000 full-time students on campus, including 20,575 undergraduates, 15,590 Master students, 2,567 doctoral students, and over 2,500 international students. It has numerous strengths with top intake qualifications in economics and management, music, law, chemistry, journalism and communication, and mathematics. It is in the 151-200 banding in the Shanghai Jiao Tong list for engineering, technology and computer science. Its highest subject ranking is chemistry (101-150). In the QS world rankings, the university is placed at 293 for social sciences and management, 334 for life sciences and medicine, and 319 for the arts and humanities. Within China, Xiamen is held in particularly high esteem for accounting in which it is generally considered to be number one or two. Overall Xiamen is considered to be a strong, progressive and entrepreneurial university and like other leading Chinese universities is on a rising reputational trajectory.  

Xiamen University also built a new mainland campus for eight science, including those related to Biomedicine, and engineering schools (covering 650 acres) which is now operational. The main campus on Xiamen Island will now be dedicated to the arts, humanities, social sciences and a number of science schools. New buildings are being constructed for physics. In addition to these large investments in Xiamen, the university is to open a branch campus for a wide range of subjects in Malaysia. 

Objectives of the Proposed Partnership  

Five main strategic objectives have, to date, been identified and discussed:

1) The progressive development of a portfolio of internationally innovative, reputation enhancing research projects that address societal challenges and national strategic priorities, and which attract significant research funding.  

2) The development of imaginative joint teaching programmes that recognise established and emerging labour markets.  

3) The facilitation of student and staff exchanges to help create more capable, internationally-oriented graduates and faculty members.  

4) The provision of mutual support for important strategic initiatives, including e-learning opportunities.  

5) The active encouragement and promotion of international cultural exchanges, particularly through the new Confucius Institute.

 Themes for Strategic Partnership  

1) Energy (Theme Leader, Professor Tony Roskilly).  

2) Ocean Science (Theme Leader, Professor Tony Clare).  

3) Biomedicine (Theme Leader, Professor Barry Hirst).  

4) China in the Global Economy (Theme Leader, Professor Stephen Hughes).  

5) Chinese Language and Culture (Theme Leaders, Mr Gerard Corsane and Professor Eric Cross)

6) Creative Industries (Theme Leaders, Professor Eric Cross and Mr Gerard Corsane).  

7) Youth and Identity (Theme Leader, Professor Peter Hopkins).