News

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 25 of 105 eligible PhD projects have been selected for funding in the 2020 AFR Call. This represents an FNR commitment of 4.5 MEUR. 6 additional projects are on the reserve list. 

The FNR is pleased to communicate the multilateral EUROSTARS Call is now open, with a deadline of Thursday, 3 September 2020. 

Luxembourg has jumped from ‘Strong Innovator’ to ‘Innovation Leader’ in the EU Commission’s 2020 European Innovation Scoreboard. For the third year running, Luxembourg ranks 1st for ‘Attractive research systems’. This underlines the considerable development of the young Luxembourgish research and innovation ecosystem, and is an important recognition of the country’s continuous efforts to develop a world-class R&I landscape.

As part of its lecture series on Infection & Immunity, the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) is organising a lecture on the topic ‘Systems immunology and metabolic control of adaptive immunity’. The lecture takes place on Thursday, 25 June 2020. 

The FNR is pleased to announce the joint Call for bilateral proposals with the Belgian F.R.S-FNRS. Deadline for proposals is Thursday, 9 July 2020, 14:00 CET.

In May, the FNR has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Quebec Research Fund (FRQ) to support bilateral projects in the framework of the AUDACE programme. A first bilateral call for interdisciplinary projects will be launched in summer 2020 with a pre-proposal deadline in early autumn 2020. 

Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) is calling on Luxembourg to participate in a major online survey. Aimed at all residents aged 16 and over (all categories: workers, students, pensioners, high school students, etc.) because all opinions count and all information is valuable.  The survey is also accessible to cross-border workers, who have also been affected by this crisis.

Following the second deadline of the FNR’s COVID-19 Fast Track Call, 21 of 55 eligible projects have been retained for funding, an FNR commitment of 1.12 MEUR.

In an international project with pharma company Sprint Bioscience, scientists at the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), led by Dr Bassam Janji, have developed an approach that turns “cold” tumours “hot”, making them responsive to immunotherapy.

The FNR is looking for a Programme/Innovation Manager to strengthen our team within the Innovation and R&D Programmes and to contribute to the further development of our innovation-driven management processes. The position is permanent (CDI), full-time, with an application deadline of Friday, 26 June 2020.

As part of a campaign to re-imagine research, the Wellcome Trust is calling on researchers to contribute their ideas to help craft ambitious goals for creating a better research culture.

The FNR is pleased to announce a new RESCOM Call for proposals. Deadline to submit proposals is Tuesday, 30 June 2020, 14:00 CET.

The FNR is pleased to announce a new INTER Mobility Call for proposals. Deadline for applications is Tuesday, 30 June 2020, 14:00 CET.

To keep scientific discussions and knowledge exchange in the community alive, the first Virtual Chalcogenide PV Conference (vCPVC 2020) from 25 to 28 May 2020 will be hosted by the Helmholtz Centrum Berlin The virtual conference (free of charge) is co-organised by FNR ATTRACT Fellow Alex Redinger, associate professor at the University of Luxembourg in the Physics and Materials Science Research Unit.

CON-VINCE, a national research project aiming to evaluate the prevalence and dynamics of the spread of the COVID-19 disease within the Luxembourgish population, was launched at the beginning of April under the umbrella of the Research Luxembourg COVID-19 Task Force. Following the successful recruitment and first testing effort of more than 1800 participants over the age of 18, a first publication has now been uploaded on the preprint server medRxiv (Reference: MEDRXIV/2020/092916) and will be soon submitted for peer-reviewed scientific publication.

A team of scientists at the Luxembourg Institute of Health, led by FNR ATTRACT Fellow Prof Dirk Brenner, have discovered a novel mechanism through which the immune system can control autoimmunity and cancer. The findings hold important implications for the development of personalised treatment options for autoimmune disorders. In a nod to the importance of the findings, the research graces the cover of the journal ‘Cell Metabolism’.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 13 of 17 projects have been retained for funding in the 2020-1 PSP-Classic Call, representing an FNR Commitment of 213,981 EUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 2 of 3 projects have been selected for funding in the 2020-1 RESCOM Call, an FNR commitment of 69,600 EUR. Through RESCOM, the FNR supports communication between researchers to promote scientific outcomes.

The FNR is pleased to announce that all 10 eligible INTER Mobility projects have been selected for funding from the 2020-1 Call, an FNR commitment of 693,470 EUR.

We understand that researchers and research teams may go through a difficult period triggered by the COVID-19 lockdown. Research projects may currently be suspended and key parts of projects may have to be postponed for a significant amount of time, FNR wishes to offer flexibility in the handling of grants and grant proposals.

14 transnational and multi-disciplinary consortia have received funding from the European NORFACE network within the Call ‘Democratic governance in a turbulent age’. The total budget of the call was 17.3 MEUR. One project is led by a Luxembourg-based team at the University of Luxembourg.

Various partner agencies of the FNR have launched calls for proposals concerning Sars-CoV-2 offering international consortia to submit proposals for research projects tackling COVID19. The calls will be handled under the lead-agency procedure and FNR is prepared to finance the Luxembourg part (eligible to FNR support) of successful projects.

Following the communication of the results of the first round of the FNR COVID-19 Call, the FNR launches the second Call. Deadline to submit proposals to FNR is Monday, 11 May 2020, 17:00 CET. 

The Luxembourg Agency for Research Integrity (LARI) is hosting a webinar on Thursday, 30 April 2020, 16:00, aimed at researchers working on projects related to COVID-19, titled ‘Ethical & robust research during a pandemic – how?’

FNR communication regarding allegations of research misconduct related to the project Po17/11757260 « LALA – Lauter lëschteg Lauter », that was funded within the FNR Proof-of-Concept (PoC) programme and related projects. The National Commission for Research Integrity (CRI) of the Luxembourg Agency for Research Integrity (LARI) has conducted a confidential investigation into anonymous allegation of research misconduct in connection … Continued

In close cooperation with the Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the Ministry of Health, the  Research Luxembourg COVID-19 Task Force has developed a “Large Scale Testing Strategy” based on a voluntary diagnostic test accessible to the population, including cross-border commuters of the Greater Region. The goal: increase testing to cover the entire Luxembourg population.

The Research Luxembourg COVID-19 task force has announced the start of “Predi-COVID”, a study that aims to identify important risk factors and biomarkers associated with COVID-19 severity and long-term health consequences of the disease in Luxembourg. The FNR supports the study with 1.85 MEUR.

Following the first deadline of the FNR’s COVID-19 Fast Track Call, 30 of 69 eligible projects have been retained for funding, an FNR commitment of 1.52 MEUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 10 of 15 eligible Pathfinder projects have been accepted in the 2019-2 JUMP Call, an FNR commitment of 343,430 EUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 5 of 9 full proposals for Doctoral Training Units (DTU) in the third PRIDE Call have been retained for funding, corresponding to 61 PhD grants, an FNR commitment of 12.4 MEUR.

For the current FNR COVID19 fast track call, the FNR aims to foster interdisciplinary projects and institutional cooperation among public research institutions. In the project ideas on the national COVID-10 Platform, we have noticed a significant number of project ideas that could complement each other and would lend themselves to synergies. Therefore, the FNR decided of offer a top-up funding of up to 30.000 EUR for projects where complementary expertise from different fields are bundled.

The Research Luxembourg COVID-19 task force announces the launch of “CON-VINCE[1]”,  a study that aims to evaluate the dynamics of the spread of the COVID-19 disease within the Luxembourgish population. The FNR co-funds the study with 1.4 MEUR.

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has launched the annual Call for the award ‘Green Talents – International Forum for High Potentials in Sustainable Development’ to promote the international exchange of innovative green ideas. The award is open to young researchers and has an application deadline of Tuesday, 19 May 2020, 14:00 CET.

The FNR has launched a special fast-track Call to provide initial funding for research projects on COVID-19, with a first deadline of Tuesday, 14 April 2020. The aim is to (co-)support short-term projects, or the starting phase of long-term projects. In order to be eligible for the FNR Call, short descriptions of project ideas must first be published on the COVID-19 platform by 8 April.

‘Research Luxembourg’, the initiative of the main players of Luxembourg public research, has launched its website. In addition to being a platform to promote Luxembourg research to an international audience, the site also features a dedicated section about the COVID-19 task force.

The Greater Region has launched a new programme to highlight scientific excellence in the Greater Region and generate new synergies in the research sector. Complementary funding for dissemination will be made available for ongoing and scientifically validated research projects with the participation of one or more research institutes in the Greater Region. The actions supported may be aimed at the general public, scientists, stakeholders, companies and/or decision-makers. Deadline is 15 July 2020.

As researchers work on numerous new projects to contribute to the fight against COVID-19, Research Luxembourg has launched a national COVID-19 platform to coordinate research projects and collaborations. The FNR will soon open a special fast-track Call for proposals to support research efforts.

PRIMA, the Partnership on Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area has postponed the pre-proposals deadline for its second transnational Call for proposals to Wednesday, 13 May 2020. 

The Call for the Greater Region Interregional Science Prize 2020 is open, deadline Wednesday, 15 July 2020. The prize is awarded to research networks that work at least bilaterally, but preferably multilaterally, on a topic that is of cross-border interest within the Greater Region. 

The 44th edition of the Summer School Alpbach is planned from 14 to 23 July 2020, the topic of the 2020 edition is ‘Comparative Plasma Physics in the Universe’. Registrations are open for science and engineering students and graduates (Master, PhD and Postdoc level), with the FNR providing financial support for selected PhDs and Postdocs. Deadline to apply has been postponed to Thursday, 30 April 2020. *SUMMER SCHOOL POSTPONED UNTIL 2021 DUE TO COVID-19*

The FNR Science Image Competition was organised for the first time in 2019 on the occasion of the FNR’s 20th anniversary. The project has multiple aims: to show the growing role of images in scientific research, to reveal how scientific work is conducted, to give a face to the researchers conducting it and to present various ways to engage the public with science.

Research Luxembourg, a joint initiative of the main players in Luxembourg’s public research sector, is mobilising its knowledge and its human and material resources to help address the challenge of COVID-19. A task force has been set up in order to offer the health system the combined expertise available within the Luxembourg public research sector (LIH, LISER, LIST, LNS, University, FNR, under the coordination of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research).

The FNR is pleased to communicate that four eligible full proposals involving Luxembourg partners have been retained for funding in the 2019 M-ERA.NET Call, an FNR commitment of 1.77 MEUR.

The 2021 ATTRACT and PEARL Calls will be launched in early July 2020. Deadlines for pre-proposals is 13 November (ATTRACT) and 6 October (PEARL) 2020. Interest candidates are encouraged to contact their desired host institution as soon as possible.

You want to communicate about your research or your passion of science through a YouTube video? If you are motivated to learn how to produce your own science web video, join us for a thrilling two-day training. Organised by the FNR, in cooperation with Wissenschaft im Dialog and the Fast Forward Science contest, this workshop will give you all insights and tools on how to produce your own science web video. Update: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this training has been postponed from April to Autumn 2020 (exact date to follow).

The Researchers’ Days will return for its 7th edition on Friday, 27 and Saturday, 28 November 2020 at the Rockhal in Esch/Belval. Proposals for workshops and Science Cafés are now being accepted. Update: Deadline postponed to Monday, 27 April 2020, 12:00 CET.

The 2020 M-ERA.NET Call is open for proposals. 29 funding agencies from 23 countries participate with a total budget of more than 20 MEUR national/regional funding. Deadline to submit pre-proposals is Tuesday, 16 June 2020, 12:00 CET.

Due to the restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the FNR offers flexibility in the handling of grants and grant proposals.

Due to the precautions associated with the spread of the coronavirus and the closure of schools and the University, please note that the vast majority of FNR staff will be working from home from 16 – 27 March. Please contact FNR staff via email during this time. Thank you for your understanding.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Luxembourg Government has decided to close schools for the next two weeks. As a consequence we have decided to cancel the 10th edition of “Chercheurs à l’école”. We do not foresee to re-organise the scheme later this year, therefore the next edition of Chercheurs à l’école will be in 2021. The call for applications will be launched at the end of 2020.

As part of its lecture series ‘New Horizons: Confronting the Digital Turn in the Humanities’, the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH) is organising a lecture on the topic ‘Audiovisual heritage’ on Wednesday, 15 April 2020.

The French national Thomas Cauvin, currently Professor of History at the University of Colorado and President of the International Federation for Public History, will join the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH) at the University of Luxembourg thanks to an FNR ATTRACT fellowship endowed with 2 million euros (over five years). Thomas Cauvin’s project aims to develop public history as a new participatory model for interpreting the past. Inspired by the evolution of digital participatory sciences, the project will facilitate interactions between academics, cultural institutions, and the general public to contribute to a democratisation not only of access but also of the production of history.

Calling young researcher leaders to explore global opportunities at the interdisciplinary level. Early to mid-career researchers can apply until 18 March 2020 for their chance to participate in this stimulating exchange in Belval!

Claude Meisch, Minister of Higher Education and Research, has presented the Government’s research and innovation strategy for Luxembourg and the associated new national research priorities. This is the first time that Luxembourg has drawn up a formal national research strategy. The two documents define how Luxembourg’s scientific ecosystem should develop over the next 10 years and in which areas investment should be concentrated.

Following an open call for proposals among doctoral candidates, the FNR has selected eight Luxembourg doctoral candidates to participate in the 2020 edition of the EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF), taking place from 5 to 9 July in Trieste, Italy.

The Research Council of Norway (RCN) will not run a bilateral Call with the FNR in 2020. However, Luxembourg-based scientists may still submit proposals directly to the RCN by 6 May 2020 – if successful, RCN will also fund Luxembourg partner.

In the context of the RESEARCH LUXEMBOURG initiative, the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) seeks to recruit a Marketing & Communications Coordinator (f/m) on a limited full-time contract (CDD) for 24 months (or 1 year renewable once), with an immediate opening. Application deadline is Monday, 16 March 2020.

For the 10th year running, the FNR is encouraging all researchers in Luxembourg to ‘go back to school’ and inspire the next generation of researchers! “Chercheurs à l’école” is your chance to interact and motivate future generations, and share the passion that got you into research in the first place. 

Do you plan to submit a proposal for a workshop at the Researchers’ Days? The FNR is organising an interactive training session for researchers and science communicators, with tips and tricks on how to present research through fun, hands-on science activities. The session will take place on Thursday, 5 March 2020. First-come, first-serve – deadline Monday, 3 March 2020.

The FNR is pleased to communicate it has retained 40 research projects for funding in the 2019 CORE Call, an FNR commitment of 22.63 MEUR. Three bilateral projects where decisions were pending can now be communicated. Abstracts are now also available.

Wednesday, 11 March 2020, 13:00. European Investment Bank, 98-100, Bd Konrad Adenauer, Luxembourg. Speaker: Dr Lidia Ceriani, Georgetown University

The FNR took home silver (2nd place) and the ‘prix du public’ in the category TV/Cinema at the 2020 Media Awards, for a promotional video for the science website science.lu, created for the FNR by the creative studio Moast.

The innovation programmes BRIDGES and Industrial Fellowships are now open for proposals. Deadline for submission is Friday, 17 April 2020, 14:00 CET.

The Active and Assisted Living Programme (AAL) has launched the 2020 Call challenge, on the topic ‘Healthy Ageing with the Support of Digital Solutions’. Deadline to submit proposals is Friday, 22 May 2020.

“The outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China (2019-nCoV) represents a significant and urgent threat to global health. We call on researchers, journals and funders to ensure that research findings and data relevant to this outbreak are shared rapidly and openly to inform the public health response and help save lives.”

Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) researchers Dr Anna Golebiewska, and FNR ATTRACT Fellow Dr Johannes Meiser have been awarded the Legs Kanning Prize for their work on cancer research in Luxembourg, presented by the association Action Lions Vaincre le Cancer. 

Tuesday, 11 February 2020, 13:00. European Investment Bank 98-100, Bd Konrad Adenauer, Luxembourg. Speaker: Prof. Roberto Galbiati, CNRS, Sciences Po

In cooperation with the FNR and several private sponsors, the ‘Section des Sciences Naturelles, physiques et mathématiques de l’Institut Grand-ducal’ is now accepting applications for the 2020 Grand Prix en Sciences de l’Institut Grand Ducal, this year being awarded in the domain of physics. Deadline to apply is Tuesday, 31 March 2020.

Patrick Glauner, whose PhD was funded by an FNR Industrial Fellowship is to start a Full Professorship in AI at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology in Germany in February 2020.

Thursday, 30 January 2020. Lecture: 11:00 – 12:00, Lycée Guillaume Kroll Salle de projection audiovisuelle / Meet & Eat: 12:30 – 13:30, House of BioHealth, Room Françoise Barré-Sinoussi. Topic: ‘Systems immunology and metabolic control of adaptive immunity’

Thursday, 6 February 2020. Lecture:  11:00 – 12:00, CHL Luxembourg (Amphitheatre). Meet, Greet & Eat: 12:00 – 13:00, CHL Luxembourg (Foyer). Topic: ‘Manipulating inflammation to raise cancer immunogenicity’

The FNR is hosting an event to launch the National Research Priorities for Luxembourg. The event will take place on Monday, 3 February 2020. Romain Martin, First Government Counselor in the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, will introduce the Luxembourg National Research Strategy, while FNR Secretary General Marc Schiltz will provide an overview of how the revised National Research Priorities will be implemented at the FNR.

From 26 to 29 February 2020, the University of Luxembourg Incubator again offers the possibility to discover entrepreneurship through a hands-on experience with expert support: The Ideation Camp. The 3-day workshop is open to all Bachelor through to PhD-level students from the University of Luxembourg, as well as University staff and PhD students from Luxembourgish research centres.

The FNR is pleased to announce the joint Call for proposals for bilateral research projects with the FWO (Belgium). Deadline for applications is Wednesday, 1 April 2020 17:00 CET.

Tuesday, 25 February 2020, 16:30 – 17:20. Maison du Savoir, room 3.110, Campus Belval, 2, avenue de l’Université L-4365 Esch-sur-Alzette. Speaker: Vincent Borrelli (University of Lyon)

Wednesday, 22 January 2020, 13:00. European Investment Bank, 98-100, Bd Konrad Adenauer, Luxembourg. Speaker: Prof. Guillermina Jasso, New York University

In 2019, the FNR committed 7 MEUR of funding to 19 bi- and multilateral projects via its INTER scheme to foster international cooperation.

The EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) will soon launch the joint trans-national call for multinational research projects on ‘Novel imaging and brain stimulation methods and technologies related to Neurodegenerative Diseases’. Pre-proposal deadline is 3 March 2020, full proposal deadline is in June.

The FNR is pleased to announce the launch of the 2020-1 PSP-Classic Call for proposals. Deadline is Sunday, 1 March 2020 (or first working day thereafter), 14:00 CET, for projects taking place after 30 April.

Thursday, 16 January 2020. Lecture: 11:00 – 12:00, Lycée Guillaume Kroll Salle de projection audiovisuelle. Meet & Eat*: 12:30 – 13:30, House of BioHealth, Room Françoise Barré-Sinoussi. Topic: ‘Mapping nutrient utilization by T cells in vivo: implications for immunity’

Thursday, 23 January 2020. Lecture:  11:00 – 12:00, CHL Luxembourg (Amphitheatre). Meet, Greet & Eat: 12:00 – 13:00, CHL Luxembourg (Foyer).

On 20 December 2019, the Conseil de gouvernement approved the “National Research and Innovation Strategy for Luxembourg” as well as the annexed document of the “National Research Priorities for Luxembourg”. The inclusive process that led to these revised priorities took two years and involved multiple stakeholders: the national and international research community, public and private stakeholders as well as the various ministries.

The FNR is pleased to announce the launch of the 2020 OPEN Call for proposals. Deadline for submission is Wednesday, 22 April 2020, 14:00 CET. The OPEN 2020 call is linked to the revised National Research Priorities for Luxembourg as retained by the Government on 20 December 2019.

The FNR hereby launches the 2020 CORE Call for proposals. Deadline for submission is Wednesday, 22 April 2020, 14:00 CET. The CORE 2020 call is linked to the revised National Research Priorities for Luxembourg as retained by the Government on 20 December 2019.

FNR ATTRACT Fellow Prof Dr Paul Wilmes from the University of Luxembourg’s LCSB has secured a Consolidator grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for his ExpoBiome project. Wilmes is the third FNR ATTRACT Fellow to secure a prestigious ERC grant since 2015.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 4 of 8 eligible Proof of Concept projects have been accepted in the 2019-2 JUMP Call, an FNR commitment of 857.900 EUR.

LIST researcher Dr Nicolas Boscher is one of two Luxembourg-based researchers to be awarded a prestigious ERC Consolidator grant in the latest Call by the European Research Council. Dr Boscher will receive 1.9 MEUR in funding over the next five years for the CLEANH2 project entitled ‘Chemical Engineering of Fused MetalloPorphyrins Thin Films for the Clean Production of Hydrogen’.

ERA PerMed, an ERA-Net Cofund Action on Personalised Medicine (PM) has launched its 2020 Call, with a pre-proposal deadline of Thursday, 5 March 2020, 17:00 CET. 

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 18 of 25 projects have been retained for funding in the 2019-2 PSP-Classic Call, representing an FNR Commitment of 431,090 EUR.

The FNR is pleased to announce it is, for the first time, joining the multilateral ERA-NET Call CHIST-ERA, which has a focus on ICT. Deadline for pre-proposals is Friday, 14 February 2020, 17:00 CET.

In accordance with the law of 31 May 1999 establishing a national [public sector] research fund, HRH the Grand Duke has, by recommendation of the Government, appointed the new Board of the FNR for the period 2019-2024.

To highlight early-career researchers across the world, the FNR runs the annual Spotlight on Young Researchers campaign, as part of this is calling on PhD or Postdoc researchers with a connection to Luxembourg to share their story! This is an opportunity for early-career researchers to showcase their work, and inspire others who may be considering a career in research.

Download FNR 2020 Calls A5 flyer (includes short programme descriptions) Download FNR 2020 Calls A3 poster (deadlines only)

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 9 of 16 eligible projects have been retained for funding in the 2019-2 BRIDGES Call, representing an FNR commitment of 2.97 MEUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 7 of 13 eligible Industrial Fellowship projects have been selected for funding in the 2019-2 Call, representing an FNR commitment of 1.31 MEUR. 

The FNR is pleased to announce the 2020 AFR Call for proposals. The deadline is Wednesday, 11 March 2020, 14:00 CET.

The 2020 JUMP (Pathfinder and Proof of Concept) Call is now open for proposals. The deadline for Pathfinder is Thursday, 30 January 2020, 14:00 CET, while the deadline for Proof of Concept is 25 September 2020, 14:00 CET. Please note: Only one Call in 2020!

Wednesday, 18 December 2019, 16.00 – 18.00. Maison des Sciences humaines – C²DH – 4th floor – Open Space. 11, Porte des Sciences, L-4366 Esch-sur-Alzette. Speaker: ‘New findings and new questions about the origins of Digital Humanities: on the state of the art of histories of the Index Thomisticus project of Fr Roberto Busa S.J.’

Thursday, 12 December 2019, Lecture: 11:00 – 12:00, Lycée Guillaume Kroll Salle de projection audiovisuelle. Meet & Eat*: 12:30 – 13:30, House of BioHealth, Room Françoise Barré-Sinoussi. Topic: ‘Distinct mucosal or systemic responses to non-pathogenic intestinal microbes build the baseline B cell repertoire and its functional responsiveness’.

Wednesday, 11 December 2019. Lecture:  11:00 – 12:00, Maison du Savoir, Room 3.120. Meet, Greet & Eat: 12:00 – 13:00, Maison du Savoir, Foyer 0342090 (3rd floor). Topic: ‘Cell death regulation in the intestinal epithelium and its impact on tissue and immune homeostasis’.

On Thursday, 21 November 2019, the fourth edition of the National PhD Welcome Day gathered doctoral candidates from all disciplines who recently started their PhD in Luxembourg. They gathered  on Belval Campus to get information and advice for their PhD, network with stakeholders in doctoral training and socialise with their peers.

Marc Schiltz, Secretary General and Executive Head of the FNR, has been re-elected President of Science Europe, an association of major European research funding and research performing organisations. The FNR has been an active member and a strong supporter of Science Europe since its creation in 2011.

Wednesday, 4 December 2019, 12:00. Campus Belval, Maison du Savoir; Amphi 3.510. Speaker: ‘Global elimination of viral hepatitis – current status reports’.

There’s a legend about a place… a secret and mysterious place. A place between science and fiction… where you can meet Frankenstein and other mysterious scientists…Curious? Eager to discover science during a special and slightly offbeat evening? Experience an evening between science and fiction, at a place where something special will happen – join us on Friday, 29 November 2019.

The FNR is pleased to announce that 4 of 8 INTER Mobility projects have been selected for funding from the 2019-2 Call, an FNR commitment of 343,600 EUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 8 of 12 projects have been selected for funding in the 2019-2 RESCOM Call, an FNR commitment of 295,900 EUR. Through RESCOM, the FNR supports communication between researchers to promote scientific outcomes.

Wednesday, 18 December 2019, 13:00. European Investment Bank – 98-100, Bd Konrad Adenauer, Luxembourg. Speaker: Janet Currie (Princeton University).

Wednesday, 27 November 2019, 16.00 – 18.00. Maison des Sciences humaines – C²DH – 4th floor – Open Space. 11, Porte des Sciences, L-4366 Esch-sur-Alzette. Speaker: Dr Melvin Wevers, KNAW Humanities Cluster, Amsterdam.

Tuesday, 12 November 2019, 11:00 – 12:30. LISER Conference Room, MSH 1st floor. Speaker: Conny Wunsch (University of Basel).

Tuesday, 26 November 2019. Lecture:  11:00 – 12:00, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, 4, rue Barblé – Luxembourg, Amphitheatre. Meet, Greet & Eat: 12:00 – 13:00, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, 4, rue Barblé – Luxembourg, Foyer. Speaker: Prof Alan Melcher, Team leader in Translational Immunotherapy, The Institute of Cancer Research, London. United Kingdom.

The next lecture in the Luxembourg Society for Microbiology’s (LSfM) lecture series ‘From Single Organisms to Systems Ecology and Evolution’ will take place on Wednesday, 13 November 2019. Topic: ‘Dance of Rock and Life: Energy, Evolution and the Transformation of the Earth’. Dr Judson is also giving a seminar & workshop on scientific writing on … Continued

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 7 of 13 eligible Pathfinder projects have been accepted in the 2019-2 JUMP Call, an FNR commitment of 293,040 EUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate the results of the 2019 OPEN Call for proposals: 4 of 12 eligible projects have been retained for funding, an FNR commitment of 2.3 MEUR. 

The European Commission funds excellent postdoctoral scientists working for up to two years in your institutions (companies, research groups, NGOs and public administrations) through the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowships (MSCA IF). Is your organisation interested? Luxinnovation, the National Contact Point for European funding, can assist in finding the best applicants from around the world and help candidates prepare their 10-page proposals. 

On Friday, 25 October 2019, the FNR held the 11th edition of the FNR Awards Ceremony, where around 150 people, including Claude Meisch, Minister for Higher Education & Research, gathered in the halle des poches à fonte in Belval, to reward Luxembourg’s best research and science communication efforts. Six FNR Awards were presented across three categories. Discover the winners!

Tuesday, 12 November 2019. Tuesday, 12 November 2019. Lecture: 11:30 – 12:30 – LIH, 1 B, rue Thomas Edison, L-1445 Strassen, Room: Curie/Pasteur. Meet the speaker: 12:45 – 14:00 (registration required) – LIH, 1 B, rue Thomas Edison, L-1445 Strassen, Room: Franklin. Topic: ‘e-Health: is it good value for money?’.

For the first time, a researcher based in Luxembourg has been recognised by the American Physical Society (APS) for outstanding contributions to the field of physics. Prof Alexandre Tkatchenko from the Physics and Materials Science (PHYMS) at the University of Luxembourg has been elected APS Fellow for his work on interactions between molecules and materials.

Experiment, experience, marvel: Science Festival, the biggest celebration of science in Luxembourg returns with its 12th edition in November 2019! Thursday, 7 and Friday, 8 November is reserved for school classes, while the Science Festival opens its doors to the general public on Saturday, 9 and Sunday, 10 November.

Friday, 25 October 2019. Lecture: 11:30 – 12:30, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, 4, rue Ernest Barblé, L-1210 Luxembourg, room: Amphitheatre. Meet the speaker: 12:45 – 14:00 (registration required), LIH, 1A-B, rue Thomas Edison, L-1445 Strassen, room: Curie/Pasteur (3rd floor). Topic: ‘Digital in mental health : “Fashionable gimmick” or “True innovative tool” ?’

‘Mathemarmite’ A game created by the xCIT research group, led by FNR ATTRACT Fellow Dr Pedro Cardoso Leite, is nominated for an Indie Development Award at Game Connection Europe 2019. The free game is a research tool in itself: the goal is to help children learn by understanding how they learn.

Monday, 28 October 2019, 11:00 – 12:30. Black Box conference room, ground floor MSH. Maison des Sciences Humaines (MSH), 11, Porte des Sciences, L-4366 Esch-sur-Alzette/Belval

Every two years, the FNR commissions a survey study to understand the level of notoriety and the perception of the Luxembourg research community among the general public. Discover the findings!

On the occasion of the Royal Visit to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, UCLouvain announces that the University of Luxembourg, the FNR and the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) have signed a letter of interest to establish partnerships in the framework of the launch of the new ‘VIVES Inter-University Fund’.

The FNR has signed two bilateral agreements with the FWO and the F.R.S-FNRS to strengthen and intensify the excellent research cooperation with Belgium.

A project looking at the impact of diet on colorectal cancer cells, using ‘HuMiX’, the gut on a chip developed by the lab of FNR ATTRACT Fellow Prof Paul Wilmes at the University of Luxembourg’s LCSB, took home the Healthcare Research Award at the 2019 Luxembourg Healthcare Awards. 

Tuesday, 5 November 2019, 13:00. European Investment Bank, 98-100, Bd Konrad Adenauer, Luxembourg. Speaker: Prof. Michael C. Wolfson, University of Ottawa

Thursday, 17 October 2019. Lecture: 11:00 – 12:00, Lycée Guillaume Kroll Salle de projection audiovisuelle, Meet & Eat: 12:30 – 13:30, House of BioHealth, Room Françoise Barré-Sinoussi. Topic: Gut reactions: host microbiome interactions in the intestine in health and disease

The FNR is recruiting a Research Programme Manager to strengthen our team within the material and physical sciences domains and public-private research partnerships. The position is on a 12-month (CDD) contract, with an application deadline of Monday, 11 November 2019.

Professor Gilbert Fridgen has been appointed the inaugural PayPal-FNR PEARL Chair in Digital Financial Services which will allow him to conduct scientific research at the digital transformation of financial services and the intersection of finance and technology. The partnership supports the Luxembourg Government’s aim of making the country a world leader in innovative financial services.

Médecins Sans Frontières is organising a panel discussion on the topic ‘epidemics, today and tomorrow’ on Wednesday, 6 November 2019 in Esch. The panel discussion features Sean Sapcariu, Programme Manager at the FNR.

The 5th International Systems Biomedicine Symposium will take place on Tuesday, 5 and Wednesday, 6 November 2019 in Belval, Luxembourg. The theme is “Systems Neuroscience: bridging the scales of the brain”. The conference will bring together world-wide leading experts in neuroscience in an interdisciplinary framework to address the huge complexity of the human brain and to demonstrate how systematic approaches can be used to reveal disease mechanisms.

The FNR is pleased to announce the call for talented young researchers to participate as Luxembourg delegates at the 7th Lindau Meeting on Economic Sciences, which takes place from 25 – 29 August 2020 in Lindau, Germany. Deadline to apply to attend is Monday, 4 November 2019.

The FNR is pleased to announce that it will co-fund grants for pre- and postdoctoral research visits of Luxembourg nationals within the framework of the Fulbright awards programme. Deadline for application is Sunday, 1 December 2019.

The FNR is pleased to be able to communicate that 4 of 31 proposals involving Luxembourg partners have been retained for funding in the ANR-FNR Call, representing an FNR commitment of 1.57 MEUR. 

The Luxembourg Digital Innovation Hub (L-DIH) has been officially launched in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy Étienne Schneider. As a key element of the national strategy for a data-driven economy, L-DIH is a platform hosted and managed by Luxinnovation, with the FNR among the partners. It is part of a European initiative aimed at bringing together supply and demand in the context of the digitisation of industry, in particular SMEs.

Tuesday, 15 October 2019. Lecture:  11:00 – 12:00, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, 4, rue Barblé – Luxembourg, Amphitheatre. Meet, Greet & Eat: 12:00 – 13:00, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, 4, rue Barblé – Luxembourg, Foyer. Topic: ‘Cellular and molecular circuits that determine CD8+ T cell phenotypes in cancer’

Researchers from the University of Luxembourg have made it to the final round in the 2019 Fast Forward Science Web Video Contest. The winners of the final round are partially decided through a public vote, open until Sunday, 13 October – vote now! Every like and comment on the video will be counted.

The 2019 edition of the October Days for Sustainable Development (ODSD) will take place on Thursday, 17 and Friday, 18 October. Every year since 2015 (the year of the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs), the October Days for Sustainable Development (ODSD) have contributed to the global debate on the SDGs by enhancing dialogue among stakeholders.

The FNR is pleased to announce the opening of the Call for proposals with France’s Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR). Deadline for pre-proposals is Thursday, 24 October 2019, 13:00 CET.

Monday, 30 September 2019. Lecture: 11:30 – 12:30. Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, 4, rue Ernest Barblé, L-1210 Luxembourg, room: Amphitheatre. Meet the speaker: 12:45 – 14:00 (registration required). LIH, 1A-B, rue Thomas Edison, L-1445 Strassen, room: Curie/Pasteur (3rd floor). Topic: New dimensions of design for user experience and evaluation in digital health

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 32 of 119 eligible PhD projects have been selected for funding in the 2019 AFR Call. This represents an FNR commitment of 5.72 MEUR. Of the 32 projects, 7 projects were previously on the reserve list, but have now also been accommodated funding.

Have you ever wondered about how to involve the public with your research? Would you like to improve your communication skills to talk to the media and the public? What to say during an interview to get your message across? Would you like to feel safer in front of a TV camera or when communicating on social media? Register now for the FNR’s media training for researchers, taking place on Thursday, 17 October 2019. Update: This training is now fully booked.

Have you ever wondered about how to involve the public with your research? Would you like to improve your communication skills to talk to the media and the public? What to say during an interview to get your message across? Would you like to feel safer in front of a TV camera or when communicating on social media? Register now for the FNR media training for PI’s, taking place on Wednesday, 16 October 2019. Update 23/09: fully booked! A waiting list has been put in place.

Luxinnovation is organising an information day on 10 October 2019 for Horizon 2020, the European funding programme for research and innovation. 

Thursday, 12 September 2019. Lecture:  11:00 – 12:00, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, 4, rue Barblé – Luxembourg, Amphitheatre. Meet, Greet & Eat: 12:00 – 13:00, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, 4, rue Barblé – Luxembourg, Foyer. Topic: ‘Single-cell profiling of the tumour micro-environment during cancer checkpoint immunno therapy’.

Welcome to all new PhD candidates from all over the world who start their doctoral research in Luxembourg! The 4th edition of the National PhD Welcome Day will take place on Thursday, 21 November 2019.

The ERA-NETs SUSFOOD2 and CORE Organic Cofund launch a joint Call for transnational research within the area of sustainable food systems. The FNR supports Luxembourg researchers in this multilateral Call via its international cooperation scheme INTER. Deadline for pre-proposals is Monday, 4 November 2019, 15:00 CET. 

Wednesday, 18 September 2019, 16.00 – 17.30. Belval Campus, Maison des Sciences humaines – Black Box. 11, Porte des Sciences, L-4366 Esch-sur-Alzette. Speaker: Prof Dr Jane Winters, School of Advanced Study, University of London.

The FNR is offering 8 travel grants to excellent young researchers who represent the Luxembourg research community at the Euroscience Open Forum (ESOF) 2020 which takes place from 4 – 9 July in Trieste, Italy. Application deadline has been extended to Monday, 28 October 2019.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announces it is the first of the United Nations agencies to join the growing coalition of research funders and charitable foundations who implement Plan S. This commitment will ensure that all WHO supported health research will be free to read online on the day it is published. 

The University of Luxembourg’s Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) celebrates its 10th anniversary with the exhibition ‘Mind the Brain’, taking place in Luxembourg City from Sunday, 15 September to Sunday, 6 October 2019. 

Wednesday, 25 September 2019, 13:00. European Investment Bank. 98-100, Bd Konrad Adenauer, Luxembourg. Speaker: Prof Charles Yuji Horioka, Kobe University and NBER.

Wednesday, 4 September 2019, 12:00. Campus Belval, Maison du Savoir; Amphi 3.510. Topic: ‘The rapidly expanding universe of giant viruses’.

Thursday, 5 September 2019. Lecture: 11:30 – 12:30 – Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg. Meet the speaker: 12:45 – 14:00 – LIH, 1A-B, rue Thomas Edison, L-1445 Strassen. Topic: ‘Digital Health Literacy: a starting point for digital health equity and systems reform’.

The FNR is pleased to announce the Call for talented young researchers to participate as Luxembourg delegates at the 70th edition of the renowned Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau, Germany. The meeting takes place from 28 June – 3 July 2020 and is dedicated to Chemistry, Physics and Physiology/ Medicine, with a particular focus on interdisciplinarity. Deadline to apply has been extended to Monday, 7 October 2019.

The FNR is pleased to announce the opening of the 2019 KITS Call. Deadline is Friday, 27 September 2019,14:00 CET.

In spring 2015, the National Centre for Excellence in Research on Parkinson’s Disease (NCER-PD) was created as the very first inter-institutional research programme of its kind in Luxembourg. It represents a joint effort between five partners that unite their complementary expertise for Parkinson’s disease (PD). The Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) has committed 8.3 million euros to this collaborative research programme for the past four years. At the end of this first funding period, the programme has been evaluated with outstanding scores by an international jury of experts. This paved the way for its second phase until May 2023, funded with an additional 6 MEUR.

Professor Dr Sean Takats, an internationally renowned expert on digital history, will start his research work in Luxembourg in October 2019. Backed by an FNR PEARL Chair from the FNR, Sean Takats joins the Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH), one of the interdisciplinary research centres of the University of Luxembourg. The PEARL programme, funded by the FNR, provides competitive funding to attract top researchers in strategic research areas for Luxembourg.

The FNR is pleased to announce that the 2019 ATTRACT Call for proposals is now open. Deadline for pre-proposals is Thursday, 15 November 2018, 14:00 CET.

The 2020 PEARL Call for proposals is now open. Starting with this Call, the PEARL programme has both a pre- and full proposal stage. Pre-proposal deadline is Tuesday, 15 October 2019, 14:00 CET – full proposal deadline is Friday, 14 February 2020, 14:00 CET.

The FNR is pleased to inform that COST in June 2019 has decided to support 40 new Actions in all fields of science and research, starting in late Summer/Autumn 2019. COST Actions are networks of researchers all over Europe and abroad and Luxembourg researchers are strongly encouraged to participate, especially early-career researchers. The next deadline to propose a new COST Action is Thursday, 5 September 2019.

Top Japanese research consolidates ties with Luxembourg: Representatives of the Japanese RIKEN Institute, the University of Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Institute for Health (LIH) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in which the three institutions declare their intention to further strengthen future scientific cooperation. The fundamental elements are the so-called joint RIKEN Outpost Labs in Luxembourg, where senior scientists from the RIKEN Institute will undertake research in the Grand Duchy, intensifying their collaboration with Luxembourg science. 

‘Der Spiegel’, a widely read news magazine generally considered one the most influential of continental Europe in June published a cover story focussed on human gut microbiome research. The elaborate, seven-page article by the German weekly magazine features the recognised research work of Prof Mahesh Desai from the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH).

The FNR is pleased to announce the opening of the 3rd PRIDE Call. Please note, the application process is reduced to a one-stage application (it is no longer required to submit a “Commitment of Participation”). The deadline for the full proposal is Tuesday, 8 October 2019, 14:00 CET.

The FNR encourages researchers, science communicators, students and those interested in science to submit web videos on science and research as part of the Fast Forward Science web video contest! The challenge: The videos should be entertaining, scientifically sound and comprehensible at the same time. Deadline is Monday, 22 July 2019.

The FNR has the pleasure to publish the final report of the external assessment exercise of the implementation of the National Quality Framework for Doctoral Training (NQFDT).

The JUMP programme is now accepting proposals, with a deadline of Friday, 27 September 2019, 14:00 CET.

The 24th edition of the European Symposium on Research in Computer Security (ESORICS2019) will take place in Luxembourg from 23 to 25 September 2019, followed by two days of satellite workshops on 26 and 27 September 2019.

The 8th European Conference on Injury prevention and safety promotion (‘EU safety’) will take place on 3 and 4 October 2019. Organised by in collaboration with the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), this conference builds on the series of European Injury Prevention Conferences successfully organised over the past decades by EuroSafe and the success of the World Safety-Conferences attended by a large European contingent.

Space Café Luxembourg returns on Tuesday, 16 July 2019. This special event will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the launch of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins to the Moon in 1969 aboard Apollo 11.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 8 of 12 eligible Industrial Fellowship projects have been selected for funding in the 2019-1 Call, representing an FNR commitment of 1.38 MEUR. 

The FNR is pleased to inform that 3 out of 8 Luxembourg proposals are invited to submit a full proposal to the NORFACE programme on democratic governance: “Democratic governance in a turbulent age”.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 8 of 11 eligible projects have been retained for funding in the 2019-1 BRIDGES Call, representing an FNR commitment of 2.76 MEUR.

Wednesday, 3 July 2019, 12:00. Campus Belval, Maison du Savoir; Amphi 3.510. Topic: ‘A single-cell perspective on metabolic interactions in bacterial communities’.

The Science Europe Governing Board has appointed Lidia Borrell-Damián the new Secretary General of Science Europe. She succeeds Stephan Kuster who leaves the organisation this June after nine years.

Luxembourg is ranked as a ‘Strong Innovator’ in the EU Commission’s 2019 European Innovation Scoreboard. For the second year running, Luxembourg ranks 1st for ‘Attractive research systems’. This underlines the considerable development of the young Luxembourgish research and innovation ecosystem, and is an important recognition of the country’s continuous efforts to develop a world-class R&I landscape.

On the occasion of the FNR’s 20th anniversary, the FNR is excited to announce the 2019 FNR Science Image Competition. Spanning five categories, the award-winning works will receive a 1000 EUR prize and will be widely displayed. Luxembourg-based researchers, collaborators of non-profit organisations, as well as foundations engaged in scientific activities in Luxembourg are encouraged to pick up their camera and document the – often unusual – environment in which they work and to share their passion with as many people as possible! Deadline to submit is Wednesday, 31 July 2019.

Wednesday, 26 June 2019, 13:00. European Investment Bank. 98-100, Bd Konrad Adenauer, Luxembourg. Speaker: Prof. Costas Meghir, Yale University, NBER and IFS.

On Friday, 24 May 2019, around 150 people gathered in Belval to hear from famous scientist and edutrainer Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim about why science and Youtube are a perfect fit. The talk also kicked off an intense two-day workshop in which 30 participants learned how to communicate science through the medium of video.

Wednesday, 26 June 2019, 16:00 – 17:30. Belval Campus, Maison des Sciences humaines – Black Box. 11, Porte des Sciences, L-4366 Esch-sur-Alzette. Speaker: Prof. Dr David Bodenhamer, (founding) Executive Director of The Polis Center and Professor of History at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI).

Thursday, 20 June 2019. Lecture:  11:00 – 12:00, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, 4, rue Barblé – Luxembourg, Amphitheatre. Meet, Greet & Eat: 12:00 – 13:00, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, 4, rue Barblé – Luxembourg, Foyer. Topic: ‘Targeting RAS in colorectal cancer’

Tuesday, 25 June 2019. Lecture:  11:00 – 12:00, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, 4, rue Barblé – Luxembourg, Amphitheatre. Meet, Greet & Eat: 12:00 – 13:00, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, 4, rue Barblé – Luxembourg, Foyer. Topic: ‘Impact of oxidation resistance gene 1 (OXR1) on neuronal development and metabolism’.

As part of ongoing lecture series, the Luxembourg Academy of Sports Medicine, Physiotherapy & Science is organising a lecture on ‘Endurance training and coaching in elite sports’ on Wednesday, 19 June 2019 with Prof Mike McNamee from Swansea University.

cOAlition S has released revised guidance on the implementation of Plan S, an initiative for Open Access publishing that was launched in September 2018. From 1 January 2021, Plan S requires all scholarly publications resulting from research supported by cOAlition S members to be accessible Open Access.

Thursday, 6 June 2019, 13:00. European Investment Bank98-100, Bd Konrad Adenauer, Luxembourg. Speaker: Dr. Andres Solimano, International Center for Globalization and Development (CIGLOB).

Today, Friday, 24 May 2019, Véronique Hoffeld – Chair of the FNR Board – and Marc Schiltz, FNR Secretary General, presented the FNR’s Annual Report for 2018.
The year 2018 was marked by the new multi-year agreement 2018-21 signed between the FNR and the Government, but also by the work of redefining national research priorities for which the FNR was mandated by its supervisory ministry. In 2018, the FNR evaluated 735 proposals submitted under its various instruments and granted funding to 260 research projects. The FNR committed 72.1 MEUR to finance the selected projects. 

The FNR and the French Agence National de la Recherche (ANR) have renewed their collaboration agreement in the framework of the FNR’s INTER programme. The agreement enables Luxembourg-based researchers to collaborate with partners in France on bilateral projects.

Monday, 27 May 2019. Lecture:  11:00 – 12:00, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, 4, rue Barblé – Luxembourg, AmphitheatreMeet, Greet & Eat: 12:00 – 13:00, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, 4, rue Barblé – Luxembourg, Foyer. Topic: Dissecting adult and pediatric gliomas by single-cell genomics.

The University of Luxembourg Incubator is organising its 2nd International Summer School on Knowledge-Driven Innovation and Entrepreneurship from 1 – 5 July 2019. Interested participants should register as soon as possible. 

The FNR is pleased to announce the third Call for the PSP-Flagship scheme, a strand of the Promoting Science to the Public (PSP) programme, specifically aimed at supporting long-term science outreach activities with lasting impact. Deadline for applications is Friday, 20 September 2019, 14:00 CET. Interested institutions are invited to contact the FNR well before the submission deadline to discuss their proposal idea and verify that they are eligible for the scheme.

Dr Jenny Renaut, who leads the Environmental Research and Technology platform of the ERIN department at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), has been appointed as the vice-chair of the Scientific Committee of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) association.

Science Europe and the European University Association (EUA) are joining efforts to improve scholarly research assessment methodologies.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 4 of 6 eligible Proof of Concept projects have been accepted in the 2019-1 JUMP Call, an FNR commitment of 818.100 EUR.

In its multi-annual contract with the Government, the FNR has been mandated to review the national research priorities for Luxembourg, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. This follows a recommendation stated in the 2016 OECD report on the Luxembourg innovation system.

The famous German edutainer, science journalist, moderator and scientist Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim (Quarks & Co., schön schlau, maiLab) will give a keynote talk Friday 24 May, 12h30-13h30 @Belval, Halle des poches à Fonte. Join the inspiring talk about why Science and Youtube are a perfect fit and register now!

The FNR is pleased to announce that one young promising researcher from Luxembourg is among the 600 young scientists selected by the Lindau Selection Committee to attend the annual Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. The 2019 Meeting, dedicated to physics, takes place from 30 June – 5 July in Lindau, Germany and will see the gathering of 40 Nobel Prize Laureates in Physics.

The 2019 GRC Annual Meeting took place on 1 – 3 May 2019 in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, with a focus on ‘Addressing Expectations of Societal and Economic Impact’. Over 150 delegates attended the Annual Meeting with over 60 Heads of Research Councils participating from around 50 countries to share good practices and discuss research funding policy issues.

Friday, 17 May 2019. Lecture: 11:30 – 12:30 Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, 4, rue Ernest Barblé, L-1210 Luxembourg, room: Amphitheatre. Meet & Eat: 12:45 – 14:00, LIH, 1A-B, rue Thomas Edison, L-1445 Strassen, room: Curie/Pasteur (3rd floor). Topic: Understanding and intervening on obesity-related health behavior using m-Health approaches

On Friday, 26 April 2019 the 2nd edition of the Pairing Scheme was launched, which saw Luxembourg MPs visit the Belval research campus. The second edition of the scheme features 13 MPs paired with 13 researchers.

Deadline to apply to the 2019 edition of the Falling Walls Lab is Thursday, 16 May 2019. The event takes place on Thursday, 23 May and is hosted by the University of Luxembourg Incubator in cooperation with the Luxembourg National Research Fund, Technoport, and EY.

The FNR seeks to recruit a Science Programme Manager with a strong interest in Research, Science communication and public outreach, and Science Policy. The position is on a permanent full-time contract (CDI) and has an application deadline of Tuesday, 28 May 2019.

The FNR is pleased to announce the second Call for proposals for the FNR Open Access Fund. Deadline for applications is 20 October 2019, 14:00 CET, or the first working day thereafter.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 6 of 7 eligible Pathfinder projects have been accepted in the 2019-1 JUMP Call, an FNR commitment of 222,300 EUR.

Wednesday, 8 May 2019, Hotel Parc Alvisse – Salon “Hollenfels”. Lecture: 10:20 – 11:00 – 13:00. Meet the Speaker lunch: 12:10 – 13:30 (registration required). Topic: ‘Regulatory and angiogenic novel B cell subsets’.

Thursday, 16 May 2019, 18:30. Chambre des Salariés2 – 4 rue Pierre Hentges, Luxembourg. Speaker: Prof Michael Hartmann (Technische Universität Darmstadt).

The 21st European Colloquium on Theoretical and Quantitative Geography (ECTQG) will take place from 5 – 9 September 2019 in Mondorf. The Call for abstracts is open until 30 April 2019.

The 18th International Conference on Ad Hoc Networks and Wireless (AdHoc-Now 2019) will take place in Luxembourg on 1-3 October 2019 and is organised by the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST).

On Tuesday, 7 May 2019, the FNR and Sense about Science are hosting a workshop on the topic ‘How (scientific) evidence should be used in the political decision-making process’, more concretely by Members of the European Parliament. Citizens and researchers who are interested in taking part should register as soon as possible.

Thursday, 18 April 2019, 10:00 – 11:00. University of Luxembourg, Maison de la Biomédecine, Room 15A (ground floor). Topic: ‘Noncoding RNAs in Gamma-Herpesvirus biology and AIDS malignancies’

From 25 to 29 March 2019, the FNR organised the 9th edition of Chercheurs à l’école, which saw 101 researchers speak to 75 classes in 30 schools across the country.

Dr Antoun Al Absi has been awarded a prize for his outstanding PhD thesis by the Strasbourg Society of Biology. Dr Al Absi conducted his PhD project at the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), funded by an FNR AFR grant. 

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 4 of 5 projects have been selected for funding in the 2019-1 RESCOM Call, an FNR commitment of 137,000 EUR. Through RESCOM, the FNR supports communication between researchers to promote scientific outcomes.

The FNR is pleased to announce that 3 of 8 INTER Mobility projects have been selected for funding from the 2019-1 Call, an FNR commitment of 181,000 EUR.

Tuesday, 23 April 2019, 16:30 – 17:20. Maison du Savoir, room 3.040, Campus Belval, 2, avenue de l’Université L-4365 Esch-sur-Alzette. Speaker: Fanny Kassel (CNRS)

Monday, 1 April 2019. Lecture: 11:30 – 12:30, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, 4, rue Ernest Barblé, L-1210 Luxembourg, room: Amphitheatre. Meet & Eat: 12:45 – 14:00 (registration required), LIH, 1A-B, rue Thomas Edison, L-1445 Strassen, room: Curie/Pasteur (3rd floor). Topic: ‘Managing the health care complexity through e-health development’.

Thursday, 11 April 2019. Lecture: 12:00 – 13:00, Lycée Guillaume Kroll Salle de projection audiovisuelle. Meet & Eat: 13:30 – 15:00 (registration required), House of BioHealth, Room Françoise Barré-Sinoussi. Topic: ‘Harnessing natural killer cells against solid tumors’.

Tuesday, 2 April 2019, 17:30. National Museum of Natural History, 25 rue Münster, Luxembourg-Grund. Topic: ‘Water – The critical element to achieve the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’.

Thursday, 21 March 2019. Lecture: 09:00 – 10:00 Lycée Guillaume Kroll Salle de projection audiovisuelle. Meet & Eat: 10:30 – 12:00 (registration required). House of BioHealth, Room Françoise Barré-Sinoussi32 rue Henri Koch, Esch/Alzette 4354, Luxembourg. Speaker: Prof Charles Dinarello.

In order to clarify the most frequently asked questions around requests for budget shifts in FNR-funded projects, we have modified the guidelines for budget shifting.

Thursday, 11 April 2019, 13:00. European Investment Bank 98-100, Bd Konrad Adenauer, Luxembourg. Speaker: Prof Leslie McCall, The Graduate Center, City University of New York.

The FNR is pleased to announce that the second edition of the Science Communicator Networking Event will take place on Thursday, 23 May 2019 at Hotel Novotel Luxembourg Kirchberg.

Wednesday, 27 March 2019, 13:00. European Investment Bank, 98-100, Bd Konrad Adenauer, Luxembourg. Speaker: Prof Tullio Jappelli, Università di Napoli Federico II.

The University of Luxembourg Incubator is hosting a ‘Disciplined Entrepreneurship Masterclass’ on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 March, moderated by the renowned entrepreneurship lecturer and author Bill Aulet. 

FNR ATTRACT Fellow Associate Prof Paul Wilmes from the LCSB at the University of Luxembourg has been elected as full member of the Institut Grand-Ducal, Section des Sciences Naturelles, Physiques et Mathématiques. 

Tuesday, 12 March, 18:30. Kulturfabrik, café Ratelach, Esch-sur-Alzette. Topic: ‘Quelle cohesion sociale dans le future entre le Luxembourg et ses voisins?’

Thursday, 21 March 2019. Lecture: 16:30 – 17:30 / Meet the speaker: 17:30 – 18:15. Maison des Sciences Humaines, 11, Porte des Sciences, Esch-sur-Alzette L-4362. Topic: ‘Identifying druggable genetic dependencies for personalized cancer therapy’

As part of its lecture series on e-health, the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) is organising a lecture on the topic ‘Factors Determining the Success and Failure of Digital Health Interventions’ on Monday, 18 March 2019. Norie Miller Professor of General Practice, Head of General Practice and Primary Care Research, Research Convenor, Institute of Health … Continued

Wednesday, 13 March 2019. European Investment Bank, 98-100, Bd Konrad Adenauer, Luxembourg. Speaker: Dr Christina Fong, Carnegie Mellon University.

The next lecture in the Luxembourg Society for Microbiology’s (LSfM) new lecture series ‘From Single Organisms to Systems Ecology and Evolution’ will take place on Wednesday, 6 March 2019. Topic: ‘European challenges in the control of multidrug-resistant microorganisms’.

As part of a new research seminar series, the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) is hosting a research seminar on ‘Job Vacancies and Immigration: Evidence from Pre- and Post-Mariel Miami’ on Tuesday, 26 February 2019.

As part of its new lecture series ‘New Horizons: Confronting the Digital Turn in the Humanities’, the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH) is organising a lecture on the topic ‘Unframing Infrastructure: The Story of Research Infrastructure in and through the Humanities’ on Wednesday, 6 March 2019.

Science Europe, an the association of public European research funding Organisations and major research performing organisations (RPO) from 27 countries, is recruiting a new Secretary General. Marc Schiltz, the FNR’s Secretary General, is President of the Science Europe Governing Board. Closing date for applications is 15 March 2019.

Thursday, 14 March 2019. Lecture: 11:00 – 12:00, Meet & Eat: 12:30 – 14:00 (registration required). 32 rue Henri Koch, Esch/Alzette 4354, Luxembourg. Topic: ‘The T Cell – phagocyte interface in tissue’

The 10th International Symposium and ADIMAP at Belval Innovation Campus, organized by the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER), the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), with the cooperation of Ecole Nationale d’Administration Publique (ENAP) and in partnership with LuxReal asbl, will take place from 5 to 7 March 2019. 

On Thursday, 31 January, the FNR and Sense about Science hosted a workshop on the topic ‘How (scientific) evidence should be used in the political decision-making process’, more concretely by Members of the European Parliament.

The second seminar in the new conference series ‘Water resources in a changing world’, organised by the Institut Grand-Ducal, Section des Sciences & the National Museum of Natural History (MNHN), will take place on Tuesday, 19 February 2019, on the topic ‘Understanding flood regime changes in Europe’.

Wednesday, 13 February 2019, Campus Belval, Esch-sur-Alzette. Topic: ‘The DisGeNET knowledge management platform for disease genomics’

In 2019, Luxinnovation is launching an action to support Luxembourg organisations to attract researchers with Marie Curie Individual Fellowships (IF) funding.

Space Café Luxembourg returns on Tuesday, 26 February 2019, with the theme ‘Meet the Space Pioneers’. Speaker is Étienne Schneider, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Economy, Minister of Health of Luxembourg.

The FNR is pleased to communicate the opening of the 2019 ERACoSysMed joint transnational Call (JTC-3) for funding multilateral research projects in the domain of Systems Medicine. Deadline for pre-proposals is Friday, 15 March 2019.

The inaugural lecture in the Luxembourg Society for Microbiology’s (LSfM) new lecture series ‘From Single Organisms to Systems Ecology and Evolution’ will take place on Wednesday, 6 February 2019. Nobel Prize winner Prof Jules Hoffmann will give a lecture on the topic ‘Innate Immunity: From Insects to Humans’.  This lecture series is supported by the … Continued

Thursday, 7 February 2019. Lecture: 15:00 – 16:00 (Blackbox Room), University of Luxembourg, Maison des Sciences Humaines, 11, Porte des Sciences, L-4366 Esch/Alzette. Meet the speaker*: 17:00 – 18:00 (Riken Conference Room (ground floor), University of Luxembourg, Biotech 2 Building, 6, avenue du Swing, L-4367 Belvaux. Topic: ‘Modeling the effect of post-translational modifications on interactions in large eukaryotic protein complexes’.

The 2018 Greater Interregional Science Prize was awarded on 15 January, during the the 5th Inter-ministerial Conference of higher education and research in the Greater Region. A project led by FNR PEARL Chair Prof Rejko Krüger scooped the prize for second place.

Wednesday, 6 February 2019, 13:00. European Investment Bank, 98-100, Bd Konrad Adenauer, Luxembourg. Speaker: Prof J. Douglas Willms, University of New Brunswick.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 14 of 17 projects have been retained for funding in the 2018-2 PSP-Classic Call, representing an FNR Commitment of 247,800 EUR.

The FNR is pleased to announce the launch of the FRIPRO Call for joint proposals with the Norwegian Research Council (RCN). Deadline for proposals is Wednesday, 10 April 2019, 13:00 CET. RCN is the lead agency in this Call.

Tuesday, 22 January 2019. University of Luxembourg, Maison du Savoir. Lecture: 11:00 – 12:00, Meet & Eat: 12:30 – 14:00: Room 3.230. Topic: ‘Novel therapeutic options in advanced malignant melanoma’.

The FNR and Fondation Cancer have concluded a collaboration agreement to develop and intensify their cooperation in order to support high-level cancer research projects. In the scope of the FNR’s CORE programme, the FNR and Fondation Cancer are jointly funding a cancer immunotherapy research project at the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH).

In 2018, the FNR committed 10.07 MEUR of funding to 25 bi- and multilateral projects via its INTER scheme to foster international cooperation.

On Monday, 14 January 2019, the FNR will host an information session on multiple 2019 multilateral funding calls in the Biomedical domain, which the FNR supports as part of the INTER programme to foster international collaboration.

Tuesday, 29 January 2019. University of Luxembourg, Maison des Sciences Humaines. Lecture: 16:00 – 17:00, 17:00 – 18:30 (registration required). Topic: ‘Understanding combinatorial signal processing and its failure to age and disease’

The Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) and lunar exploration company ispace this week held a press conference to mark the beginning of their joint endeavour to developing a first mission to prospect for resources on the Moon and, in particular, to detect and analyse water. The FNR supports this partnership with a grant from its innovation programme BRIDGES.

The FNR, in cooperation with the Luxembourgish Parliament, is organising the second edition of the exchange programme “Pairing Scheme”, where researchers and members of the Luxembourgish Parliament meet in their respective working environments. If you are a Principal Investigator and want to take part in this exceptional experience, respond to our call for participation by Monday, 28 January 2019, 10:00.

The FNR is inviting all researchers in Luxembourg to ‘go back to school’ and inspire the next generation of researchers! “Chercheurs à l’école” is your chance to interact and motivate future generations, and share the passion that got you into research in the first place.

As part of its new lecture series ‘New Horizons: Confronting the Digital Turn in the Humanities’, the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH) is organising a lecture on the topic ‘Digital Transformations in the Arts and Humanities’ on Wednesday, 30 January 2019.

What did we learn over the past 30 years and what is our present knowledge on cell signalling involving the key pro-inflammatory cytokine Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF)? A team of Luxembourg researchers, led by FNR ATTRACT Fellow Prof Dr Dirk Brenner, summarises the current knowledge on the topic in an invited review.

To highlight early-career researchers across the world, the FNR is running a social media and website campaign, and is actively looking to hear from PhD or Postdoc researchers with a connection to Luxembourg. This is an opportunity for early-career researchers to showcase their work, and inspire students who may be considering a career in research. Submissions still being accepted!

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 9 of 16 eligible Industrial Fellowship projects have been selected for funding in the 2018-2 Call, representing an FNR commitment of 1.7 MEUR. 

The FNR is pleased to communicate it has retained 36 of 137 eligible research projects for funding in the 2018 CORE Call, an FNR commitment of 21.61 MEUR.

The FNR is pleased to announce that the 12th edition of the Science Festival in Luxembourg will take place from 7 to 10 November 2019. Anyone with an idea for a workshop or show is invited to submit proposals. The deadline has been extended to Friday, 1 March 2019.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 10 of 13 eligible projects have been retained for funding in the 2018-2 BRIDGES Call, representing an FNR commitment of 3.08 MEUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that the joint transnational Call of the European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases (EJP RD) is now open, with a pre-proposal deadline of Friday, 15 February 2019. 

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 7 of 8 eligible Proof of Concept projects have been accepted in the 2018-2 JUMP Call, an FNR commitment of 1.62 MEUR.

Wednesday, 16 January 2019, 13:00. European Investment Bank, 98-100, Bd Konrad Adenauer, Luxembourg. Speaker: Prof Alessandra Casarico, Università Bocconi

The 2019 FNR Calls flyer is now available.

As of December 2018, the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) has signed the DORA declaration, which consists of a set of recommendations to improve the assessment of scientific output. As a signatory of DORA, the FNR fully supports the declaration’s practices in research assessment, and has updated its own peer review guidelines accordingly.

The FNR is pleased to inform that COST has decided to support 40 new Actions in all fields of science and research. COST Actions are networks of researchers all over Europe and abroad. Anyone interested in taking part in an Action should register their interest as soon as possible.

Following the information hosted by the FNR on 11 December to provide information and answer questions regarding the multilateral NORFACE Call on democratic governance, the presentation and Call documents are available for download.

The FNR is seeking to recruit an Administrative Assistant on a 50 – 75% basis on a 12-month temporary (CDD) contract. Deadline to apply is Tuesday, 15 January 2019.

The FNR would like to thank everyone who participated in and visited the 2018 Researchers’ Days – the largest edition so far: Over two days, around 6,500 visitors of all ages streamed to the Rockhal to discover science workshops and science cafés. Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg’s Prime Minister, also visited.

FNR ATTRACT Fellow Prof Dr Dirk Brenner from the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) has been awarded the Science Award 2018 by the Signal Transduction Society (STS), an active society devoted to the scientific exchange around cellular signalling.

NORFACE has launched a multilateral Call for proposals on democratic governance, with a pre-proposal deadline of Tuesday, 19 February 2019. Interested researchers are invited to an information session the FNR is hosting on 11 December regarding this Call.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that both eligible projects submitted to the  2018 PSP Flagship Call have been selected for funding, an FNR commitment of 697,000 EUR.

Following the announcement of Plan S in September 2018, cOAlition S has approved the implementation guidance on making full and immediate Open Access a reality by 2020. The guidance is open for public feedback until 1 February 2019.

On Thursday, 22 November, 2018 the third edition of the National PhD Welcome Day gathered over 110 doctoral candidates from all disciplines who recently started their PhD in Luxembourg on Belval Campus in Esch-sur-Alzette.

Monday, 17 December 2018. 11:30 – 12:30: Lecture – Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg – Centre, 4, rue Ernest Barblé, L-1210 Luxembourg, Room: Amphitheatre. 12:45 – 14:00: Meet the speaker (registration mandatory) – LIH, 1A-B, rue Thomas Edison,  L-1445 Strassen, Room: Curie/Pasteur (3rd floor). Topic: ‘e-Health & e-Epidemiology: how to improve population health in the age of digital and artificial intelligence?’

From 14 – 16 November, OpenAIRE hosted the Open Science Forum, which brought together speakers from Luxembourg and across Europe to discuss various aspects of Open Science. Ahead of the Forum, CEOs and stakeholders also met to discuss a national plan for Open Science.

Wednesday, 12 December, 13:00. European Investment Bank, 98-100, Bd Konrad Adenauer, Luxembourg. Speaker: Prof Andrew Clark, Paris School of Economics, CNRS.

The FNR is pleased to invite the general public to the 2018 edition of Researchers’ Days, taking place on Saturday, 1 December in the Rockhal in Esch/Belval. Visitors can discover more than 30 interactive science workshops and join science cafés discussing science and research. 

The Grand Prix 2018 in biological sciences of the Institut Grand-Ducal, sponsored by the company Cactus, has been awarded to FNR ATTRACT Fellow Associate Professor Paul Wilmes by an international jury consisting of professors and experts in biology. The prize was presented at a ceremony on 17 November 2018 at the Chamber of Commerce of Luxembourg.

Professor Simone Niclou, Deputy Director of the Department of Oncology at the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), has been elected to the Executive Board of the European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO).

The FNR is pleased to communicate that all 14 projects have been selected for funding in the 2018-2 RESCOM Call, an FNR commitment of 417,000 EUR. Through RESCOM, the FNR supports communication between researchers to promote scientific outcomes.

The FNR is pleased to announce that 5 of 7 INTER Mobility projects have been selected for funding from the 2018-2 Call, an FNR commitment of of 327,000 EUR.

Monday, 3 December 2018, Esch/Alzette. Lecture: 16:00 – 17:00, Meet the speaker: 17:00 – 18:30. Topic: ‘Quantitative systems pharmacology of interferon alpha administration: A multi-scale approach’

As part of a research project to better understand the human mind, a research group at the University of Luxembourg, led by FNR ATTRACT Fellow and experimental psychologist Prof Pedro Cardoso-Leite, has developed a game to help children learn to count. The game is a research tool in itself: the goal is to help children learn by understanding how they learn.

Tuesday, 4 December 2018, 16:30 – 17:20, Maison du Savoir, room 3.520, Campus Belval, 2, avenue de l’Université L-4365 Esch-sur-Alzette. Speaker: Nicolas Bergeron, Professor of Mathematics at Sorbonne Université

A team of researchers at the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), including AFR PhD Antoun Al Absi, have uncovered that breast cancer cells use a molecular shield to protect themselves against the immune system, a discovery which could help pave the way for new cancer treatment options.

The FNR is pleased to communicate the results of the 2018 OPEN Call for proposals: 3 of 6 eligible projects have been retained for funding, an FNR commitment of 1.29 MEUR. 

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 10 of 15 eligible Pathfinder projects have been accepted in the 2018-2 JUMP Call, an FNR commitment of 351,600 EUR.

Luxinnovation together with its partners Integrated Biobank of Luxembourg (IBBL), Laboratoire national de santé (LNS), Luxembourg Center for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) and Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) are hosting an international conference and networking event celebrating 10 years of medical breakthrough funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) on Friday, 14 December 2018.

Thursday, 15 November, 13:00. European Investment Bank 98-100, Bd Konrad Adenauer, Luxembourg. Speaker: Prof Michel Beine, University of Luxembourg.

Dr Andreas Husch, Postdoc at the LCSB at the University of Luxembourg, has been awarded the Best VPHi Thesis Award in In Silico Medicine with application in industrial R&D for his AFR PhD thesis, in which he presents innovative, image-based approaches to deep brain stimulation.

Are you interested in the world of research and science? Do you like being in contact with the public, exchanging ideas and working as a team? Then apply to work at the Researchers’ Days!

A small FNR delegation comprising its Secretary General and Science Europe President Dr Marc Schiltz, Dr Helena Burg (Head of International Affairs) and Didier Goossens (Head of Communication) participated in the recent 15th Annual Meeting of the Science and Technology in Society (STS) Forum in Kyoto. Two FNR ATTRACT Fellows also had the opportunity to take part.

Following the 2017/18 FNR ATTRACT Call, Dr Johannes Meiser has been awarded a 1.5 MEUR FNR ATTRACT Starting Grant to set up his own research line in the area of cancer metabolism at the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH).

Following a Call for proposals, two Luxembourg nationals have been awarded prestigious research stay scholarships by the Fulbright Scholar Programme of the USA, co-funded by the FNR.

Following the 2017/18 ATTRACT Call, Associate Prof. Dr. Emma Schymanski has been awarded a 2 MEUR ATTRACT Consolidator Grant for a project aiming to develop methods to identify unknown chemicals and their effects on health and disease at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) at the University of Luxembourg.

Representatives of the renowned Japanese RIKEN Centre for Integrative Medical Sciences (RIKEN-IMS) recently visited Luxembourg to meet government representatives and the directors of the local biomedical research institutions. They presented current and future joint research projects and discussed on how to secure a long-term scientific collaboration between the two countries.

The newly-launched Luxembourg Space Agency is hosting the NewSpace Europe conference on Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 November 2018. The conference is the second annual space conference in Europe to focus solely on the NewSpace industry and the economic opportunity of space.

Friday, 26 October 2018, 12:30 – 18:30. Maison du Savoir, Belval campus, 2, avenue de l’Université, L-4365 Esch-sur-Alzette. Umbrella theme: “Ideas 4.0”. The last 15 tickets for this event will go on sale at 14:30 on Wednesday, 10 October 2018.

From 17 to 20 October 2018, the University of Luxembourg Incubator again offers the possibility to discover entrepreneurship through a hands-on experience with expert support: The Ideation Camp. The 3-day workshop is open to all Bachelor through to PhD-level students from the University of Luxembourg, as well as University staff and PhD students from Luxembourgish research centres.

Thursday, 18 October 2018, 09:30 – 10:30. LISER Conference Room, 1st floor. Maison des Sciences Humaines, 11, Porte des Sciences, L-4366 Esch-sur-Alzette / Belval. Topic: ‘Scattered thoughts about equality of opportunity’

The 2018 National PhD Welcome Day will take place on Thursday, 22 November from 13:00 in Halle des Poches à Fonte (Campus Belval). All new PhD candidates from all over the world who start their doctoral research in Luxembourg are invited. 

Tuesday, 23 October 2018. Lecture: 16:00 – 17:00 (Blackbox Room). Meet the speaker: 17:00 – 18:30 (Room N°0.207) (registration required). University of Luxembourg, Maison des Sciences Humaines, 11, Porte des Sciences, L-4366 Esch/Alzette. Topic: ‘Integrative network-based analysis for subtyping and cancer driver identification’.

Thursday, 18 October 2018, 11:30 – 12:30 (registration required). University of Luxembourg, Maison du Savoir, 2, avenue de l’Université, L-4365 Esch/Alzette, Auditorium: 3.350. Topic: ‘Getting insights into cell biology by network reconstruction and modelling’.

Thursday, 18 October 2018, 9:30 – 10:30 (registration required). University of Luxembourg, Maison du Savoir, 2, avenue de l’Université, Auditorium 3.350. Topic: ‘The impact of the microbial exposome on asthma and allergic information’

Thursday, 25 October 2018, 9:00-12:00. Chamber of Commerce, 7, Rue Alcide de Gasperi, Luxembourg.

Wednesday, 3 October, 13:00. European Investment Bank, 98-100, Bd Konrad Adenauer, Luxembourg.

Researchers and start-ups can apply to pitch their innovative ideas at the fourth edition of Mind & Market, which will take place on Thursday, 13 December in Belval. Deadline for applications to pitch ideas is Wednesday, 31 October 2018. 

As part of the LIST Water Lectures series organised for the fall session 2018, the next event will take place on Tuesday, 9 October 2018 at LIST premises in Belvaux (LU).

The FNR is pleased to announce that Luxembourg researchers may now submit bilateral proposals with partners in the Netherlands as part of the agreement signed in 2017 with the Dutch NWO. The deadline is ongoing.

Katrina Bramstedt has been appointed Secretary General of the Luxembourg Agency for Research Integrity (LARI), having taken up the position as of early September 2018. 

As of 12 September 2018, the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) has officially launched. The goal of the LSA is to promote the further economic development of the Grand Duchy’s space industry by attracting businesses, developing human resources, providing innovative financial solutions and supporting educational and research infrastructure.

Thursday, 27 September 2018, Campus Belval, Esch/Alzette. Lecture: 16:00 – 17:00, Meet the Speaker (registration required): 17.00 – 18.30. Topic: ‘Translating systems biology-based signatures as prognostic cancer biomarkers and stratification tools’.

FNR Secretary General Marc Schiltz and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Economy Etienne Schneider have signed an agreement to develop a programme to support research for the commercial space industry in Luxembourg.

On 4 September, the FNR and 10 other national research funding organisations, with the support of the European Commission (EC) and the European Research Council (ERC), have launched cOAlition S, a joint initiative to make full and immediate Open Access to research publications a reality by 2020. The initiative is promoted by Science Europe, the association of national research funding and research performing organisations in Europe.

Thursday, 20 September 2018 – 17:30 – 19:00. University of Luxembourg Kirchberg Campus.

A few weeks prior the general elections, the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) sent all political parties in Luxembourg a seven-question catalogue on research and innovation. Almost all parties contacted have answered our questions – ADR, CSV, déi gréng, déi Lénk, DP, LSAP, PiD.

In collaboration with the University of Luxembourg and the Chambre of Commerce, the Max Planck Institute Luxembourg (MPI) is organising the conference I’OSCO and the new international financial architecture: What role for IOSCO in the development and implementation of cross-border regulation and equivalence?’ on Friday, 5 October 2018.

Tuesday, 4 September 2018, Esch/Alzette. Lecture: 16:00 – 17:00 (Blackbox room). Meet the Speaker*: 17.00 – 18.30 (Room N°0.206). Topic: ‘Mechanistic models of pathways detect new therapeutic targets and predict the effect of interventions’.

Wednesday, 12 September 2018, 13:00. European Investment Bank 98-100, Bd Konrad Adenauer, Luxembourg. Speaker is Prof Jean-Paul Chavas, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Registration required.

The European Commission has published data on trends for open access to publications, with Luxembourg ranking in 5th place, ahead of countries such as the United Kingdom and Germany. 

The group of Prof Mahesh Desai from the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) has published a review in the journal Nature Reviews Microbiology. The high-profile review sheds more light on the question of how the gut microbiome interacts with our intestinal mucosal barrier, which is the first line of innate defence that protects us from invading microbes.

FNR ATTRACT Fellows Anne Grünewald and Thomas Schmidt have been selected to attend the 2018 STS Forum Future Leaders Program, with their attendance sponsored by the FNR.

From 3 – 5 July, the FNR, represented by its Secretary General Marc Schiltz, attended the founding General Assembly of the International Science Council (ISC), formed after the merger of the International Social Science Council (ISSC) and International Council for Science (ICSU). The Luxembourg National Research Fund is one of the founding members of the ISC and largely supports ISC’s mission to act as a global voice for science.  

The SnT at the University of Luxembourg is seeking to recruit a PayPal-FNR PEARL Chair in Digital Financial Services. The position is supported by Paypal and the FNR’s PEARL programme with a 5 MEUR research grant. Deadline to apply is Saturday, 15 September 2018.