Joint Artic Research Project Gains Financial Support in Russia ACCESSRU support action is strengthening EU – Russia cooperation in the field of science and technology, this time by supporting researchers in obtaining funds for research in the Russian Arctic. German Institute for Polar and Marine Research together with two Russian universities will continue its efforts on Arctic ecology and biological monitoring. For this purpose, a Joint German-Russian Laboratory for the Investigation of the Environmental Dynamics in the Terrestrial Arctic (Biological Monitoring - BioM) has been established. The project received support from a Russian federal target programme and the German Federal Ministry of Research and Education (BMBF). Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in the Helmholtz Association in Potsdam, Germany, plays a crucial role in climatic and ecological research in the Russian Arctic. Dr. Nazarova has been looking for funds for continuing the Arctic research. Consultation with ACCESSRU team proved to be the fruitful- that is how she learned about the open call for Activity 1.5 of the Federal Target Programme on Research and Scientific-Pedagogical Personnel for Innovative Russia for 2009 to 2013. BioM research activities are focused on past ecological and climatic changes, studying biological and geological proxies from lacustrine and permafrost sediment archives. In addition, the scientists analyze current ecological changes caused by global warming, study Arctic biodiversity, and make plans for ecological examination and forecasts of the future state of the environment. The Russian partner organisations are two universities, the North-East Federal University (NEFU) in Yakutsk and Kazan Volga Federal University (KFU). Activity 1.5 provides for scientific research by groups led by invited researchers. Russian institutions apply for a specialist to work with them in Russia for short periods. The selection criteria are the guest's rating in world science and the quality of the project. Financial support of the federal budget may reach up to two million rubles a year (50,000 euros). In 2011, over 80 research projects were selected for groups led by Russian scientists living abroad. "Activity 1.5 is our big luck and a real gift of fortune," Nazarova says. "This programme makes a great contribution to the enhancement of Russia's positive image, demonstrating that Russian resources can be effectively used for joint projects with Europe." Background information ACCESSRU is a support action aiming at supporting the access of EU researchers to S&T programmes of the Russian Federation. It is co-funded by FP7 Capacities Specific Programme of the European Commission and forms a part of ACCESS4EU initiative. For further information, please look at: http://www.access4.eu/russia/ Countries Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, United Kingdom
