BSN_powerhouse partners meet virtually: project extension and postponements as the work continues
The COVID-19 outbreak has changed working life for many people around the globe and the Baltic Science Network (BSN) partners are no exception. The crisis has once again reconfirmed the need for science and for researchers to work together and we are determined to continue to deliver on our goals to increase brain circulation in the Baltic Sea Region and to support smaller research institutions leading to scientific outputs that make our region the powerhouse that it is. Our latest virtual meeting discussed the developments and adjustments to our work caused by the corona virus outbreak.
The Monitoring Committee of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme that funds the project has approved project implementation extension by up to 6 months due to obstacles caused by the Corona crisis. Therefore, our event timeline has shifted.
All LaunchPad events seeking to match bigger research institutions with smaller ones in order to build their potential that should have taken place from April 2020 onwards were postponed until after the summer break. The planned Symposium is set to preliminarily take place in September/October in an online format and the Forum later in the year can be expected to proceed as a live event.
The crisis has not stopped ambitious young researchers seeking opportunities to offer and gain experience abroad. We have 108 intern positions available offered by institutions around the Baltic Sea Region while applications for internships remain open until the 3rd of May. With the extension of the BSN_Powerhouse project, BARI internship period has been extended until summer 2021. Application for additional funding for scholarships is under preparation to ensure participation of those Baltic Sea Region countries that are currently not covered by the funding mechanism.
As a consequence of the extended project term the final conference has also been rescheduled from December to spring 2021.
The Baltic Science Day has also been postponed and might be held in autumn in Lithuania that will be holding the Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States at the time. In that case, the Baltic Science Award that is usually presented during the Science Day could be instead presented at the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region Annual Forum this October.
Find more information about the Baltic Science Network here.