(30.07.13) A symposium of the International Research Training Group (IRTG) funded by the DFG took place at the end of June at the Belozersky Institute of Physical and Chemical Biology of Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU). The spokespersons and early career researchers of IRTG Enzymes and Multienzyme Complexes acting on Nucleic Acids invited representatives of the DFG and RFFI to attend the presentation of the results of their ongoing research.

The first German-Russian IRTG, its participants come from the University of Giessen, the University of Marburg, as well as Moscow State University (MSU). The IRTG consists of 13 German and ten Russian groups with two associate partner teams from Poland and Lithuania. The group gives the doctoral researchers the opportunity to gain research experience in an international environment and to prepare their dissertations in close collaboration with the foreign universities.

The early career researchers from Germany, Russia and many other countries presented their projects and reported on their personal experiences in the IRTG. The IRTG has been funded jointly by the DFG and its partner organisation the RFFI, the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, since as early as 2006. The IRTG spokespersons and project leaders held in-depth discussions with the representatives of the DFG and RFFI with regard to further funding by the Russians. To obtain additional third-party funding, the RFFI advised the young researchers to make use of special training programmes for early career researchers offered by the funding organisation.