The British Council is announcing a call for proposals in 2008 under its initiative to assist researchers in making international connections.

Our Researcher Exchange Programme (RXP) is an initiative aimed at supporting new links between postdoctoral researchers in the UK and in other countries. RXP provides individual researchers with awards covering travel and subsistence costs, and some consumables costs, needed to develop new scientific collaborations and contacts through exchange visits of between two week and three months.

The purpose of RXP is to help develop new research links between higher education institutions and research laboratories in the UK and other countries. It aims to encourage mobility and internationalism among postdoctoral researchers for the exchange of information, ideas and knowledge, and for long-term relationship building.

The Awards
The awards are open to postdoctoral researchers at the beginning of their research careers. The research link can be in any area of research, including science, engineering, technology, social sciences and humanities.

The applicant must have:

• a doctoral qualification and currently hold a research position within an institution, or be within 12 months of obtaining a doctoral qualification and can provide evidence that they are taking up a research position once they have completed their PhD
  
• no more than five years full tenure in a university or research institute.
  
• no more than ten years overall active researcher experience

The duration of the exchange visit will be between two week and three months, and may be for single or multiple visits between December 2008 and December 2009.

The maximum award that can be applied for is £5,000

Please note that more than one researcher from the same sending or receiving institution can apply for an award, but each must submit an individual application.

Darwin RXP awards
To celebrate the forthcoming anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, this year we would also like to invite researchers to apply for our special Darwin RXP awards. If you are a researcher in areas related to evolutionary theory and Darwin 's legacy you can apply for a special RXP award. For example these areas would include research links in:

• Behavioral Ecology 
• Biodiversity
• Comparative Biology
• Systematics
• Developmental Biology and Evolutionary Biology
• Ecology
• Evolutionary Processes
• Paleobiology
• Population & Evolutionary Genetics 

Evolutionary theory has challenged orthodoxy in disciplines across the arts, humanities and the social as well as natural sciences: from evolutionary psychology, ethics, and cognitive neuroscience, to language, aesthetics and social behaviour. Given the pervasive influence of Darwin 's ideas, we would also welcome applications from researchers in these and other areas.

How to Apply
Please see the RXP web site: www.britishcouncil.org/science-rxp for full details and a downloadable application form.

The deadline for applications is 2 July 2008.

For more information on RXP and the exchange awards please contact science@britishcouncil.org.