The lack of experts on the taxonomy of most groups of living (and fossil) organisms is a major global concern, as expressed, i.a., by Systematics Agenda 2000 International (http://www.icsu.org/DIVERSITAS/Plan/agenda2000.html) and the Darwin declaration (http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/flora/webpubl/darwinw.htm). The Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities (CETAF) is particularly concerned by the decline of taxonomic expertise in Europe. Since taxonomy was founded by Linnaeus in the 18th century, Europe has been a stronghold of taxonomic expertise but now, Europe is in a situation where many taxonomists are approaching retirement age without a new generation of taxonomists being ready to take their places. It is true that the many newer disciplines of biological research have been, and still are competing with taxonomy, but it is equally true that taxonomy still is a living and much-needed basic research branch. A very large fraction of Earth's living organisms still remains undescribed; these are therefore not amenable to detailed studies of their habits, relationships, ecological significance etc. This applies most dramatically to the tropics (where Europe has a responsibility to be active) and the deep sea but is also true of several groups of organisms in several parts of Europe itself.

CETAF therefore wants to promote the education of a new generation of taxonomists in Europe, as a parallel to the U.S. National Science Foundation programme "Partnerships for Enhancing Expertise in Taxonomy" (PEET) (http://www.nhm.ukans.edu/~peet/).

One step on the way to achieve this goal is to encourage some of Europe's brilliant young ph.d.'s to apply for a Marie Curie individual fellowship under the "Improving human research potential and the socio-economic knowledge base" programme of the Fifth Framework Programme of the European Commission. Please see http://www.cordis.lu/fp5/home.html for the Fifth Framework Programme in general, and http://www.cordis.lu/improving/calls/mcfi_199901.htm for individual Marie Curie fellowships in particular.

According to the "Guide for proposers", Marie Curie individual fellowships are "Fellowships awarded to the best of Europe's young post-doctoral researchers for high level research training in an institution in a country other than their own". The duration of Marie Curie individual fellowships is 12 to 24 months. Applicants from so-called "less-favoured regions" of Europe may in addition apply for a 12 months' return fellowship.

Applicants must be nationals of a Member State or an Associated State of the European Union. Member states are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Associated States are: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Successful applicants are offered a subsistence allowance (salary). The total monthly allowance (which includes the gross monthly rate and the social security contributions of the host institution as employer) varies between countries. Examples: 4.373 euro (Denmark), 3.342 euro (Spain), 4.500 euro (Germany). In addition a monthly mobility allowance of 400 euro is given, as well as a single travel allowance for return travel expenses (examples: United Kingdom-Germany: 600 euro, Spain-Denmark: 1200 euro).

Please consult the guide for proposers for further details.

An application for a Marie Curie individual fellowships contains, in addition to the more administrative parts, three main sections:

1. Description of the research project (to be written by the applicant)
2. Description of the host institution (to be written by the scientist in charge of the project at the host institution)
3. Curriculum vitae of the applicant (to be written by the applicant).

A number of CETAF institutions have provided lists of their specialists who could serve as "mentors" for post-doctoral fellows. These persons can be contacted directly and will help to write up an application.

Click hereto see the list.

Click here for information on CETAF.