Recently, the institution signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), which will see a Visiting Chair in Tagore Studies established at the University.
The ICCR will also fund two PhD fellowships dedicated to researching the works of the author, poet and songwriter whose 150th birthday has been celebrated across the world this year.
The University said the signing was a “significant step” towards opening a Scottish Centre for Tagore Studies, which it hopes will also become an international hub for promoting Indian culture, education, philosophy, art and literature.
Tagore was the first non-white Nobel Prize winner for Literature in 1913 for his collection Geetanjali (“The Song Offerings”). He wrote more than 1,000 poems and 2000 songs and his work has been translated into all the major languages of the world.
His connection with Scotland primarily came through his lasting friendship and meeting of minds with Sir Patrick Geddes, the pioneering Scottish town planer. Tagore’s grandfather, the industrialist and entrepreneur Dwarkanath Tagore, was also honoured with the Freedom of the City award by Edinburgh in 1845.
Professor Dame Joan Stringer, Principal & Vice-Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University, said: “The spirit of Rabindranath Tagore continues to inspire the entire world and it is with great honour that we sign this MoU with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
“It represents a significant step towards the opening of Scotland’s first centre for Tagore Studies at Edinburgh Napier, which we hope will attract research interest from both near and far and, in the spirit of the man himself, will be outward looking, inclusive and visionary.”
Suresh Goel, Director General of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), said: “The ICCR considers this collaboration with the University to be of great importance since it will promote an academic exchange between India and Edinburgh Napier.
“It has been the philosophy of the ICCR that this kind of co-operation contributes to the civilisation of dialogue and understanding on a much more durable basis.”
University of Liverpool’s laser research network
University of Liverpool (UK) invites students to be a part of their newly launched International laser research network. A multimillion Euro international research network exploring the latest in laser technology has been launched at the University of Liverpool, and it wants 17 early stage researchers to join the team.
Led by University physicist Dr Carsten Welsch, the LA³-NET consortium seeks to develop laser applications for particle accelerators, as well as bringing together world-leading research centres, universities and industry partners to train the physicists and engineers of tomorrow. It is backed by the EU to the tune of €4.6million, having been selected from more than 900 other proposals to carry out the four year project.
Dr Welsch, who was commissioned following the success of his €4.1m DITANET programme, said, “LA³-NET aims to include really exciting research areas in laser application, such as laser particle beam generation or beam diagnostics. We will be using lasers in very different ways to work with particle beams; to generate them, shape them, accelerate them and also to characterise them. The network will try to push the limits of laser applications for accelerators.”
The success in achieving funding means Dr Welsch and partners at the likes of CERN, CLPU in Salamanca, Spain and Danfysik in Denmark can offer cutting edge training opportunities to 17 early stage researchers. Dr Welsch said: “We want to try and define improved training standards for early stage researchers. We will employ 17 researchers from all parts of the world. We want to provide them with training through research that gives them the ideal base for successful career, wherever they want to continue their work.”
Early stage researchers must be, at the time of recruitment by the host organisation, in the first four years (full-time equivalent) of their research careers and have not yet been awarded a doctoral degree. This is measured from the date when they obtained the degree which would formally entitle them to embark on a doctorate, either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the research training is provided, irrespective of whether or not a doctorate is envisaged.
The trainees will work throughout Europe, in areas such as the Czech Republic, Spain, France and Romania, with two based at the University of Liverpool. Dr Welsch, who studied at the University of Frankfurt and UC Berkeley, said: “I don’t think there are any better training opportunities than this. It is a cutting edge research programme with very broad international links to leading partners.”
The project will focus on delivering the highest quality ion and electron beams and explores how the unprecedented accelerating gradients found in lasers can be used to benefit future particle accelerators.
The deadline to apply for is January 6, 2012. For more information visit: http://www.liv.ac.uk/la3net/vacancies/definitions.html
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