CMN International Summer Course with young Mediterranean researchers

The Archaeological Museum of Cehegín hosted the ‘I International meeting of young Mediterranean researchers. A role of research in boosting development and employability in our societies’ from July 22-24. The event is organized by the Mare Nostrum Campus International University and enjoyed the support of the Union for the Mediterranean.

The course aimed to explain the opportunities of a research career in Spain and the funding available form various national and international institutions; to show how to transfer Applied research to Industry; and to focus on areas like Biomedicine, in particular nutrition and cancer, and Molecular Biology and its Applications.

"8 students from different parts of the Region of Murcia, other parts of Spain and from Morocco, Egypt, Algeria and Ukraine. 5 students from Moroccan universities received Campus Mare Nostrum grants to attend.

Speakers on the course were prestigious experts in the matters under discussion from the Universities of Murcia, Oran (Algeria), Qassim (Saudi Arabia), Oxford (United Kingdom), or institutions like the Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Germany, the Aragon Institute of Nanoscience Research, the Murcia Regional Blood Donation Centre and the Centre of Edaphology and Applied Biology of the Segura (CEBAS/CSIC).

The University of Murcia Chancellor José Orihuela, the Mayor of Cehegín, José Soria, the vice-chancellor of Coordination and International Relations, Bernardo Cascales and one of the organizers of the event, Carlos Alberto González Bermúdez opened the proceedings.

Orihuela underlined the importance of initiatives of this nature, which was financed by the 'Mare Nostrum 37/38’ International Campus of Excellence  and which “showcases research and young Mediterranean researchers, attracting students form Morocco, Egypt and Algeria, among others and with its focus on subjects like Biomedicine (nutrition and cancer) and Molecular Biology and its applications”.

Meanwhile, the Mayor, José Soria, expressed his pride and satisfaction that the  town had been selected to host the international course and invited the participants to enjoy the municipality and to feel that they too were a part of its history, and even to take a little part of it back to their own towns and countries. He also reasserted the commitment of year after year the UNIMAR-CMN courses to "bringing the University" to towns like Cehegín", which are not large cities like Murcia, Cartagena or Lorca but which do wish to hold educational sessions throughout the year. Soria also highlighted his Council's commitment to continue running international events organised by the Universidad Internacional del Mar-Campus Mare Nostrum.

Vice-Chancellor for Coordination and Internationalization of the University of Murcia, Bernardo Cascales, insisted on the "need to continue internationalizing these summer courses, by attracting students from partner universities, while being a point of reference for research in our area and in the Mediterranean.” Cascales also thanked the researchers and promoters of the course: Carlos A. González Bermúdez, Rubén López Nicolás, Pascual Pérez-Paredes, Gaspar Ros Berruezo, the Mare Nostrum Campus Office and the International Relations Area.