Project description
Training scientists to repair aged tissue
Short of searching for the fountain of youth, scientists are increasingly investigating the underlying biology of aging in the hopes of boosting health and longevity. There is growing interest in the development of drugs to treat the aging process. This is the aim of the EU-funded ARDRE project. It will set up a PhD training network for early career scientists to explore evolutionarily conserved mechanisms of ageing, regeneration and drug research. It will launch the doctoral programme to discover new molecules involved in or potentially counteracting ageing or regeneration, and to unravel molecular mechanisms of ageing and regeneration. The project will organise the recruitment of 12 early-stage researchers in two subsequent calls.
Objective
The main purpose of the Ageing, Regeneration, and Drug Research doctoral programme (ARDRE-DP) consortium is to set up a PhD training network of the highest level possible with regard to recruitment, training and mentoring of early career scientists as laid down in the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. The ARDRE-DP is dedicated to equip the PhD students with the scientific competence and soft skills, including ethical aspects, required to succeed in the contemporary competitive scientific community globally. The students will benefit from the highly productive ARDRE team of scientists, who have complementary expertise and novel research tools available to study cellular mechanisms of ageing and regeneration. ARDRE will explore evolutionarily conserved mechanisms of ageing and regeneration from various phyla across the kingdom of life. The aim is to discover new molecules, including natural compounds involved in, or potentially counteracting ageing or regeneration, and to unravel molecular mechanisms leading to disabilities associated with old age. This is important considering the urgent need to combat the pressing issues related to our ever-increasing segment of elderly people. Recruitment of 12 early stage researchers will be organised in two subsequent calls. Each of the four years' doctoral projects will include up to six months of international secondment activity. The beneficiary, the University of Innsbruck (UIBK), is committed to support research into ageing, stem cell and regeneration biology, and drug discovery, taking advantage of the powerful existing expertise in the Faculty of Biology and the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy. The ARDRE-DP will be complemented by an ancillary network of partner organisations from the academic and non-academic sector, providing further opportunities for international and inter-sectoral training of the PhD students.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Coordinator
6020 Innsbruck
Austria