Index
22 March 2009
Last call for research exchange applications
RMIT’s exchange fellowships enable researchers to share their knowledge. Image © istockphoto.
Applications are closing soon for the current round of RMIT Foundation International Research Exchange Fellowships, designed to support overseas researchers visiting the University and RMIT staff travelling abroad for collaborative projects.
The RMIT Foundation has allocated $60,000 to support the fellowships this year, with grants of up to $10,000 available under the scheme.
Two researchers from the prestigious Indian Institute of Chemical Technology at Hyderabad will visit RMIT in 2009 thanks to the support of the fellowships, which were awarded in 2008.
Professor Suresh Bhargava, Head of the School of Applied Sciences, said the School’s Industrial Chemistry Group had strong links with IICT-Hyderabad and the research exchange would deepen their collaborative ties.
“By bringing some of the top researchers from IICT-Hyderabad to RMIT, these fellowships will enhance the knowledge base at both institutions,” Professor Bhargava.
“The School is grateful for the support of the RMIT Foundation in enabling us to further develop the linkages between our research labs, which have produced nine joint publications since 2007.
“The International Research Exchange Fellowships are a welcome initiative and offer great opportunities for boosting research in a diverse range of areas, right across RMIT.”
Professor Bhargava has recently initiated the development of a joint RMIT-IICT research laboratory, which is currently under active discussion and planning in Hyderabad.
During his research exchange, IICT-Hyderabad’s Dr Rajiv Trivedi will work in the area of green chemistry, a field that paves the way for the synthesis of various chemicals in environmentally-benign conditions without the creation of hazardous waste.
Dr Trivedi has spent more than eight years investigating and developing green chemical processes using organometallic compounds.
“We hope that the work Dr Trivedi does at RMIT will lead to many more research opportunities between our two countries, opening the possibility for joint research grants within Australia and India,” Professro Bhargava said.
PhD candidate Pottabathula Srinivas will bring a depth of knowledge and expertise in the area of catalysis and product-based chemistry to his research exchange, which is an extension of ongoing collaborative work between IICT-Hyderabad and RMIT.
Mr Srinivas’ research has wide applications for pharmaceutical and other consumer products, such as optical brighteners and sunscreen agents.
Applications for grants for this round of 2009 RMIT Foundation International Research Exchange Fellowships close on 8 April.
Preference will be given to bilateral exchanges, particularly in the area of emerging institutional research linkages, and successful applicants will have until the end of December 2009 to complete their program, with exchange visits expected to last a minimum of two weeks.
Find out more about the RMIT Foundation International Research Exchange Fellowships.
