Start signal sounded for arrival of 90 international researchers in Zuid-Holland

TU Delft, Leiden University and Erasmus University Rotterdam, Leiden University Medical Centre and the Erasmus Medical Centre are set to offer post-doc positions at one of these five knowledge institutions to 90 researchers from across the world who have recently been awarded their doctorates.

On 5 December 2016, the rectors of the three universities and the deans of both medical centres signed the consortium agreement for the LEaDing Fellows post-doc programme.

In 2016, the five knowledge institutions received a joint European grant of € 6.3 million for this from the Marie Curie COFUND programme, which aims to promote international mobility among young academics.

Ondertekening overeenkomst LEaDing Fellows postdoc programma — From left to right: Carel Stolker (rector magnificus, Leiden University), Karel Luyben (rector magnificus, TU Delft), Huibert Pols (rector magnificus, Erasmus University Rotterdam), Jaap Verweij (dean, Erasmus MC) and Jacqueline Ton (research director at LUMC, standing in for dean Pancras Hogendoorn).

Tradition of collaboration

The three universities and their medical centres have a wide range of disciplines to offer the 90 talented researchers. They have been collaborating across various different specialisms for decades, including in the fields of science and technology and at the interface between medicine and technology. Ten years ago, the medical and technical consortium Medical Delta was established, followed by the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus alliance in 2012. The eight Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Centres that form part of the alliance focus on complex issues in society.

Thanks to this long tradition of collaboration, the post-docs will find themselves in a ready-made multidisciplinary setting, in which it is easy to collaborate with research groups from other institutions or find a position in one of the eight Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Centres or Medical Delta.

Zuid-Holland

The five knowledge institutions also work closely together with the business community and government authorities in the province of Zuid-Holland, economically one of Europe's most dynamic regions. The LEaDing Fellows programme offers young academics an outstanding opportunity to take advantage of this environment.

Researchers can apply for a position from 1 February 2017 until 31 March 2017. A total of 20 post-docs will be appointed at that time, and there will be two further rounds of recruitment. The programme runs until February 2022. TU Delft is the beneficiary and coordinating university for the LEaDing Fellows project.