A Cornerstone of the Academic Path – EAN Research Fellowship

by Nathalie Nasr, EAN Education Committee Chair

To encourage mid-career neurologists to embark on the journey to academia, we – the EAN Board, EAN President Elena Moro, EAN President-Elect Kailash Bhatia, Secretary General Antonio Toscano, and Scientific Committee Chair Gereon Fink – have put together our Academic Path Toolbox. This is a new initiative which showcases new and existing EAN projects that are beneficial for academics or may help set you on the path to an academic career. In this article we highlight the first tool in this Academic Path Toolbox: the EAN Research Fellowship programme.

Research is a major activity for a future academic.

Through the EAN Research Fellowship, the EAN supports this major step in an academic career, to spend time abroad to learn, connect and interact with other departments and neurologists and thus get training and experience in any area of basic, clinical or applied research in neuroscience.

The fellowship enables participants to carry out their research work at a European academic neurology department outside their country of residence, which allows all participants to collect international experience to support their skill development. This experience can then bring added value back to their home departments.

We offer two types of Research Fellowship:

• Research Training Fellowship:

Typically 12 months (minimum 6 months) and aiming to support either the completion of a higher degree, a grant application or peer-reviewed publication.

• Research Experience Fellowship:

Typically 6 months (minimum 3 months), designed for individuals who might otherwise have limited opportunity to get high-quality research experience, but wish to pursue a research career. Applications from more experienced clinicians/researchers requiring training in a specific research methodology or technique not currently available in their own country and of clear value to home department will also be considered.