The science journalism initiative is funded by the European Research Council (ERC)
After the positive experience of the first journalism residency that IIT hosted last year , the Institute is set to welcome science journalists interested in participating in the FRONTIERS initiative funded by the European Research Council (ERC). Therefore, IIT is listed among the host institutes of the project.
The first call for residency program proposals opened on December 5th 2023 and will close on 5 of March 2024, at 17:00 (CET). A Q&A session for interested journalists will be held online on January 25th at 18:00 (CET) by the Frontiers’ consortium.
The FRONTIERS residency program is available to science journalists of all nationalities, working with various media formats, and at different career stages. Applicants should submit a detailed project proposal, as well as work samples, recommendation letters and commitment letters from them and the host institution.
The residencies will allow science journalists to spend three to five months in a frontier research team at a host institution in an EU Member State or a country associated with the EU’s Horizon Europe Programme. Selected journalists will have the opportunity to delve into research institutions, pursue independent reporting ideas of frontier research topics across various scientific disciplines, and participate in training sessions. A monthly allowance of up to €6,000 will support the FRONTIERS fellows during the residencies.
Four annual calls for residencies are envisaged between 2023 and 2026. Science journalists who have identified a potential host institution are invited to submit their applications at the FRONTIERS website.
IIT is one of the host institutions that applicants may consider. It serves as an ideal venue for science journalists seeking to explore and immerse themselves in a diverse and international scientific environment, encompassing fields from biology to robotics, new materials to neuroscience, and basic science to technology transfer.
In February 2023, IIT successfully hosted its first one-month science journalism residency with the support of the European Research Council (ERC). The experience engaged 20 researchers who are experts in robotics, new materials, and technologies for life sciences, along with freelance journalist Christine Ro. Ro covers science and the environment for publications including the BBC, Forbes, the British Medical Journal, and Nature.
The consortium of organisations that will run FRONTIERS initiative includes the Centre for Ethics in Science and Journalism (Italy), the NOVA University of Lisbon (Portugal), the Science, Communication and Society Studies Centre of the Pompeu Fabra University (Spain), and Enspire Science (Israel), which coordinates the project.
