Dear CETAF members,

It is with great pleasure I share with you this new opening of our association! As agreed in the last Governing Board meeting in Leiden, the Executive Committee has finalised the preparations for the E-SCORE award. The secretariat will announce the opening of the call, as described below, on the CETAF website later tonight or tomorrow. The EC asks you to kindly distribute the information as widely as possible within your institutions and among your networks (it may be a good idea to first check that it is indeed on the website, to avoid confusion).

With my best regards, on behalf of the Executive Committee,

Leif Schulman

Chair of the Governing Board of CETAF

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CETAF E-SCORE Award for young researchers to be awarded for the first time in 2020 – Call for proposals

For the first time since its foundation, the Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities (CETAF) is awarding a prize for scientific excellence in collections-based research for young scientists. The prize intends to foster innovative research and discovery by making use of the natural science collections that are hosted, preserved and curated in research organisations across Europe. By awarding E-SCORE, CETAF wishes to highlight the significance of research in the fight against biodiversity loss and climate change.

To celebrate the United Nations endorsed International Day for Biological Diversity, which commemorates the 1992 adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the prize will be awarded annually on the 22nd of May. To foster the work of young researchers in the domains of bio- and geo-diversity, the prize will be accompanied by:

• A cash prize of 1,000 €;
• Financial support (up to 1,000 €) to facilitate a scientific visit of the Award Winner to one of the CETAF institutes;
• An invitation to the next CETAF Governing Board meeting for a (virtual) presentation of the winning research.

A jury organised by the CETAF Executive Committee will select the award recipients from the pool of nominees whose names are to be received by the CETAF General Secretariat (info@cetaf.org ) by 31 January 2020, 12:00 PM UCT.

This is your opportunity to ensure that innovative research of the next generation of scientists becomes visible! Spread this fantastic news, talk to your colleagues and nominate worthy candidates! We are looking forward to receiving your proposals.

All further information, e.g. regarding eligibility and the nomination process can be found on the CETAF website.

Professor Leif Schulman, PhD

Director, Finnish Museum of Natural History LUOMUS

Director, Finnish Biodiversity Information Facility FinBIF

Chair of the Governing Board, Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities CETAF

Head of Delegation of Finland, Global Biodiversity Information Facility GBIF

P.O.Box 17, 00014 University of Helsinki / Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 13, Helsinki

tel. +358-50-5487692

leif.schulman@helsinki.fi

Skype: leifschulman

Twitter: @Leif_Sch

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1990-2173

www.luomus.fi/en

www.species.fi

Luomus is a Library of Life. We cherish and study the national natural history collections and open them to the public. We work for the good of nature, people and society.