While the current COVID-19 pandemic may be restricting mobility for researchers for the time being, interest in cooperation opportunities with Europe in Malaysia and the wider ASEAN region is as great as always! A staggering 4000 researchers joined us for this year's event - a big thank you to all!
The European Research Day (ERD), the annual flagship event of EURAXESS ASEAN, kicked off on Monday, 21 September and will run until Friday, 25 September 2020. A total of 12 webinars will detail the diversity of opportunities for research collaboration with European partners or research stints in Europe that are open to researchers in Malaysia and the wider ASEAN region.
ERD 2020 Malaysia opened with a dialogue session on the timely topic of 'How to build & maintain an international research network during a pandemic'. Co-organised by EURAXESS ASEAN and the Young Scientists Network Malaysia (YSN-ASM), a panel of early-career researchers of various disciplines shared their advice on how to sustain international collaborations despite the restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Over 220 participants joined in the discussion which was moderated by AP Dr Siti Sarah Othman, University Putra Malaysia & Co-chair of the International Networking Group, YSN-ASM and featured presentations by the following researchers.
Dr Chai Lay Ching, Institute of Biological Sciences, Universiti Malaya & Chair, Young Scientists Network Malaysia;
AP Dr Shyamala Doraisamy, Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Department of Multimedia, Universiti Putra Malaysia;
Dr Chia Suet Lin, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomoleculer Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia;
Dr Vanvimon Saksmerprome, Principal Investigator at National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), (NSTDA) Thailand; and
Dr Thai Cuong Nguyen, Ho Chi Minh City University of Law, Vietnam.
This session officially opened the 2020 edition of the EURAXESS ASEAN European Research Day with a welcome address by Francesco Flores, Head of the Trade and Economics Section of the EU Delegation to Malaysia.
Almost 300 researchers across the ASEAN region tuned in for the interactive webinar with Dr Brian Trenaman, Director of the DAAD Information Centre Malaysia, who detailed the opportunities for researchers of all disciplines interested in research and collaboration opportunities in Germany.
The Netherlands are a top research destination - particularly with a view to international collaboration opportunities! Peter van Tuijl, Director of Nuffic-Neso in Indonesia, introduced the 300 or so participants to the key features of conducting research in the Netherlands and with Dutch partners and, of course, the available funding opportunities to do so. The presentation slides are available below. The session was moderated by James Zulfan, alumnus of TU Delft and EURAXESS ASEAN Prize winner 2019!
nuffic_neso_ind_presentation_euraxess_220920.pdf
Still a young research destination, Luxembourg boasts a research ecosystem rich in opportunities, attracting and retaining international talent. Rated among the “Strong Innovators” in Europe and ranking 1st for “Attractive Research Systems” (EU Innovation Scoreboard 2020), the country puts special emphasis on interdisciplinarity and global collaboration. Over 200 researchers joined us for the webinar "Luxembourg: small country - huge opportunities for researchers" to to get an understanding of the Luxembourgish research landscape, to discover several national research institutions and their specializations, as well as the types of funding open to researchers in Malaysia and ASEAN to do research in Luxembourg!
The following presenters took part in this session.
Heike Scheuerpflug, University of Luxembourg;
Nathalie Perrin & Dr Michalis Spyropoulos, Max Planck Institute for Procedural Law (MPI); (mpi_0.pdf)
Dr Aliénor Didier, EURAXESS Luxembourg; and
Didier Goossens, Fonds National de la Recherche (FNR). (luxembourg_national_research_fund_fnr_funding_opportunities_22.09.2020.pdf)
The remaining presentation slides will be made available here soon.
While there may not be any kangaroos living in Austria, what this country has on offer are plenty of opportunities for research career advancement for international researchers! Ms Maria Unger of the Austrian Agency for International Cooperation in Education and Research, OeAD, gave an inspiring talk about 'Funding Opportunities in Austria'. Our audience of researchers from across the region also learned about the opportunities for collaboration with Austrian research partners in the framework of the ASIA-UNINET programme. The project was presented by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Mohamad Farizal bin Rajemi, Director, Centre for International Affairs and Cooperation (CIAC), Universiti Utara Malaysia and Prof Yazrina Yahya, Deputy Director of the Centre For Leadership Sustainability, Higher Education Leadership Academy, Malaysia.
funding_opportunities_in_austria.pdf
asea_uninet_opoortunities_yazrina_yahya_0.pdf
In our next webinar we zoomed in on France – one of Europe’s innovative powerhouses and a long-standing research partner of Malaysia with over 30 years of successful collaboration and partnership in science, technology, and education. A panel of experts introduced some of the many ongoing research collaborations between Malaysia and France. The session was moderated by former colleague at EURAXESS France, Mr Eng Guang Yeo.
Professor Mohamed Kheireddine Aroua, Associate Dean Research and Head of Centre for Carbon Dioxide, Capture and Utilisation, at Sunway University in Malaysia shared information on a sustainable research collaboration of more than ten years between Malaysia and France in the field of glycerolvalorisation. (slides_mohamed_kheireddine_aroua.pdf)
Dr Eric Olmedo, Principal Research Fellow at the Institute of Ethnic Studies at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia spoke about a specific model of triangular cooperation involving institutions from France, Malaysia and other ASEAN countries. (slides_dr_olmedo.pdf)
Dr Neethiahnanthan Ari Ragavan, Executive Dean and Professor at Taylor’s University Malaysia, explained about the research co-productions in place between Taylor’s University, Malaysia & the University of Toulouse-Jean Jaures, France.
Dr Mohd. Hazwan Hussin, Coordinator at the USM-UL Centre at Universiti Sains Malaysia, introduced the listeners to the PHC Hibiscus Grant.
The remaining presentation slides will be made available here soon.
In this webinar entitled “The French research landscape: opportunities for collaboration” our participants learned more about existing research collaborations in various academic disciplines between Malaysian and French research players.
Dr Angéline Blanc-Serre, Attachée for Science and Higher Education at the French Embassy in Malaysia shared an overview of the French research landscape. (euraxess_-_presentation_research_landscape_20200924_for_publication.pdf)
Dr Jean-Paul Toutain, Research director at CNRS and Regional Director of CNRS office in ASEAN and Oceania introduced the activities of CNRS, one of the world's leading research institutions. (cnrs-jpt-euraxess.pptx)
Dr Marcel Djama, Researcher at CIRAD (Agricultural Research for Development), Department for Environment and Societies illustrated the activities of this French agricultural research and international cooperation organization in Malaysia. (presentation_cirad_euraxess_malaysia_24092020.pdf)
Prof. Daniel Perret, Researcher at the Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO) introduced EFEO as an associated college of PSL University dedicated to the study of Asian societies. (perret_webinar_france_2.pptx)
Erasmus+ is the EU's programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. Erasmus+ has opportunities for people of all ages, helping them develop and share knowledge and experience at institutions and organisations in different countries. The programme also offers opportunities for a wide range of organisations, including universities, education and training providers, think-tanks, research organisations, and private businesses. This webinar provided insight about the opportunities available under the ERASMUS+ programme. The session featured Adrian Veale, Policy Officer from DG EAC at the European Commission in Brussels. He was joined by Ms Bee See Yuen, member of the EMS in Malaysia.
erasmusplus-international-my-indiv_veale.pdf
2020-09-24_ema_introduction.pdf.
The EURAXESS portal is a one-stop information and support tool for mobile researchers who want to explore the many opportunities for research career advancement in Europe. In this hands-on session, Dr Susanne Rentzow-Vasu, Regional Representative of EURAXESS ASEAN talked the audience through the various functions of the portal. Two additional sources of information - the EU's Participant Portal as well as CORDIS - were introduced. The session finished with an introduction to the Phd and Postdoc opportunities offered by the MSCA programme.
euraxess_-_your_gateway_to_research_in_europe_erd2020.pdf
postdoctoral_research_in_europe_with_a_msca_fellowship_2020_-_erd.pdf
Important Links
CORDIS- here you will find information on all projects that have been funded under the current, and past, European Framework Programmes for Research & Innovation.
Participant Portal - Find open calls on EU funded programmes including Horizon 2020.
The network of National Contact Points (NCPs)is the main structure to provide guidance, practical information and assistance on all aspects of participation in Horizon 2020. NCPs are also established in many non-EU and non-associated countries ("third countries").
ERD 2020 also featured two fantastic career training sessions on scientific publishing - attended by over 500 researchers!
The recordings and slides are now available below (click on the image to start the recording).
"How to get published in a peer-reviewed journal Part 1: Structuring your manuscript to impress journal editors"
euraxess_singapore_24_sept_2020_yateendra_joshi.pdf
The recording is now available below (click on the image to start the recording).
"How to get published in a peer-reviewed journal Part 2: Responding to reviewer comments effectively"
A big thank you to all presenters and participants for joining us for ERD 2020 Malaysia - we hope you have been inspired to explore the many opportunities for research mobility and collaboration in Europe!
Stay tuned for European Research Day Indonesia this October!