In the course of the event the first Max Planck Indian Fellowships will also be awarded: Over a period of four years, six highly-qualified junior scientists will receive travel funds totaling 3,000 euros per year and will reside for one month of each year at a Max Planck Institute. By 2008, the number of fellowship holders should balance out to approximately 60 per year.

The basis for the new cooperation is an agreement that was signed in October 2004 by Dr. Peter Gruss, President of the Max Planck Society and Professor Dr. V.S. Ramamurthy, State Secretary at the Indian Departments of Science & Technology. According to the agreement, both sides are planning, as a first step in the coming year, to establish four further Max Planck Partner Groups and to bestow around 15 additional Max Planck Indian Fellowships. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society will continue the series of workshops introduced in 2004 at Indian Partner Institutes for German and Indian junior scientists, which affords German participants the opportunity, aside from scientific exchange, to get acquainted with the excellent local research infrastructure.

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Contact: Felix Kahle
kahle@gv.mpg.de
49-892-108-1420
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
15-Dec-2004