On May 12, 2021, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Ministry of Investment, and Regional Development and Informatics of the Slovak Republic (MIRRI) held a virtual event marking the establishment of a seed fund for research collaboration and projects. The cooperation originated with a Memorandum of Understanding and Mutual Cooperation was signed by Professor Markus Buehler (MIT), Minister of Investment, Regional Development and Informatization Veronika Remišová. U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Natasha Franceschi attended the virtual event in support of the launch. The memorandum is an agreement to invest $225,000 into cooperative research for the next three years.
“Alumni of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology include nearly 100 Nobel Prize laureates, approximately 30 Turing Prize winners in computer science, 41 astronauts, and 16 Chief Scientists of the U.S. Air Force. This agreement between Slovakia and MIT will link top Slovak scientists with one of the top universities in the world, strengthening cooperation between the best and brightest of both our countries,” said Chargé d’Affaires Natasha Franceschi.
The agreement agrees to fund early-stage collaboration between researchers each year though small grants up to $ 30,000, and provide Slovak scientists a unique opportunity to gain practical experience at the prestigious MIT research institution. This seed fund is established with the goal to kickstart a long-term collaborative relationship between researchers, as well as establish better working relationships between foreign universities and MIT through student exchanges. The announcement of the will be the responsibility of MIT will be responsible for the call for projects and selection process, and the Slovak Ministry of Investment will have an advisory role. The call for applications is expected in mid-September, and will be open for submission through mid-December. The selected projects will be announced on April 1, 2022. Information on the publication of the call will be available on the website of MIT and MIRRI.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranks one of the best universities in the world, specifically in the field of natural, technical fields and in social sciences.
