SymbNET Research Exchange Programme – opportunities for collaboration

Rita Valente, a researcher from the Host-Microorganism Interactions Lab at the FCG-IGC, has recently received funding from the SymbNET Research Exchange Programme to visit a research partner at the University of Lausanne (UNIL) in Switzerland. Rita Valente will collaborate with the Engel Lab, where she will develop genetic tools for studying host gut colonization during her 4-week research visit. According to Rita, this funding will contribute to the success of her project in understanding the mechanisms regulating colonization of the Drosophila gut. In her words, “My visit to the Fundamental Microbiology and the Ecology and Evolution departments of UNIL will allow me to collaborate with experts on non-domesticated gut bacteria and strengthen my scientific network.”

The SymbNET Research Exchange Programme funds short-term visits (1-4 weeks) of PhD students and Postdocs to another SymbNET partner institution. These visits consist of collaborative research projects in host-microbe symbioses focusing on genomics and metabolomics and involving at least one group from FCG-IGC or ITQB NOVA and one group from EMBL, UNIL, or CAU. All PhD students and Postdocs from these Institutes can participate, and any group/facility can be a host. SymbNET covers travelling and lodging expenses, plus up to €2000 for research costs.

Know more, and don’t miss the opportunity to apply for this funding here!

The call for proposal submissions is continuous until 31 March 2023.