IRTG 1062
Integrated into the MBML Programme is the International Research Training Group 1062 “Signalling mechanisms in lung physiology and disease“ sponsored by the German Research Foundation, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). This programme sponsors international exchange between the University of Giessen Lung Center, and partner laboratories in the United States of America. You may find detailed information about IRTG1962 here.
International Research Training Group 1062
“Signalling Mechanisms in Lung Physiology and Disease”
“Signalling Mechanisms in Lung Physiology and Disease”
| In an effort to promote excellence in graduate student training and education, the German National Research Foundation funds International Research Training Groups (IRTGs) throughout Germany, spanning a variety of disciplines including biology, medicine, literature, physics, history, mathematics, engineering and agriculture. It is the primary aim of these IRTGs to promote graduate student development by providing salaries for graduate students, funds for student travel to international conferences and worshops, and funds which will support students during a stay in a partner laboratory in the partner country. It is the secondary aim of these IRTGs to foster international collaboration between German centres of excellence with partner centres abroad, which are established leaders in the designated field. Additional funds are provided by the IRTGs to facilitate the exchange of faculty, for short visits, between participating centers. The International Research Training Group 1062: “Signalling Mechanisms in Lung Physiology and Disease” (SMLPD) was established on the 1st January 2005, when it entered its first 4.5-year funding period. The IRTG 1062 is integrated into the International Graduate College “Molecular Biology and Medicine of the Lung” (MBML), which is the graduate college of the University of Giessen Lung Center, in Giessen, Germany, chaired by Professor Werner Seeger. During its first funding cycle, the SMLPD programme was coordinated by Dr Oliver Eickelberg at the University of Giessen Lung Center. Two partner centres in the USA joined the programme, being Columbia University (liaison, Professor Robyn Barst) and Albert Einstein College of Medicine (liaison, Professor Gabriel Haddad). This funding cycle saw the enrollment of over 50 students in the MBML graduate college, 14 of which received sponsorship through the SMLPD programme, including their salaries, travel to conferences, and sponsorship in the partner laboratories in the USA. The second funding period, coordinated by Dr Rory E. Morty at the University of Giessen Lung Center, started on the 1st July 2009. Again, two partner centres in the USA are associated with the programme. Columbia University continues its association with the programme (liaison, Professor Jahar Bhattacharya), and Northwestern University (liaison, Professors Iasha Sznajder and Paul Schumacker) has joined the initiative. The SMLPD programme makes provision for the funding of salaries for all SMLPD-sponsored students, both during their stays at their home laboratory in Germany, as well as in their host laboratory in the USA. These students participate in a research project that is has been designed jointly by SMLPD faculty in Giessen and partner faculty in the USA. It is a requirement of the programme that students spend part of their doctoral training in the partner laboratory in the USA. There is no obligation for faculty who are partnered together in projects to publish their findings jointly. The SMLPD programme also funds the costs of all travel by SMLPD-sponsored students to congresses, to the partner laboratory, and all visa applications. The SMLPD programme does not provide any funds for laboratory consumables and expenses, publication costs, or laboratory equipment. These costs must be covered by the home and host laboratories. The SMLPD programme provides sponsorship to invite participating faculty in the USA to the University of Giessen Lung Center. Participating faculty in the USA are requested to send at their expense, one student from their laboratory to visit the University of Giessen Lung Center, once during the funding cycle, to promote further cross-center student-student interaction. For further information, please do not hesitate to contact the either Speaker (Professor Werner Seeger) or the programme coordinator (Dr Rory Morty) here in Giessen. |
 Werner Seeger, M.D.
Speaker |
 Rory E. Morty, Ph.D.
Coordinator |
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