European Localisation Scholar

1^st ELECT LRC European Localisation Scholar Award

ELECT, the European Localisation Exchange Centre, based in the Localisation Research Centre (LRC) at the University of Limerick announces the first ever Localisation Scholar Award to a postgraduate student entering into research on a localisation related topic in a European third-level institution. The award is sponsored by IBM, and will be presented to a full-time research student entering into the first year of their higher research degree in 2003. The award is based on both the student's outstanding undergraduate track record and the quality and relevance of their research proposal.

IBM's Dublin Software Laboratory has announced that it is delighted to be sponsoring the ELECT European Localisation Scholar Award. The sponsorship is a reflection of IBM's continued interest in strengthening its links with academic and research communities. For over 20 years, the Dublin Software Laboratory has been recognised within the IT industry as a leader in the field of Localisation, Software Research and Development. The winner of the award shall receive an IBM Thinkpad.

Reinhard Schäler, director of the LRC at the University of Limerick said:

"The LRC has always aimed to encourage researchers to address the issues faced by the localisation industry. We are particularly proud that IBM - a long-standing supporter of the LRC - has decided to sponsor this award. Localisation is the enabler of the multilingual information society and a business worth more than 6 billion euro per year. This award has been established within the European ELECT project and will contribute to make localisation one of the items high up on the agenda of young researchers."

SCOPE

The scope of the Research Project need not be confined to a technical area, and applications are also invited from students who are carrying out research into commercial and management aspects of the localisation industry.

Possible areas of research might include:

	Global web design and content management
	Machine Translation and Computer-aided translation
	Terminology databases
	Software quality assurance and localisation
	Software engineering for the international market
	Internationalisation
	Project management and localisation

AWARD Finalists

The top four research students will be invited to the LRC Localisation Conference to present their research proposal and work. This conference is held on an annual basis and in 2003 takes place in Dublin (November 17-19). These presentations will be taken into consideration alongside previously submitted materials for the award and the winner of the ELECT LRC European Localisation Scholar Award will be announced at the conference.

SUBMISSION

To be eligible for consideration, candidates must:-

	Have the proposed supervisor submit a one-page description of the research project to be conducted at any European third level institution
	Be EU graduates who have been or will soon be accepted to pursue a higher degree by research
	Submit official transcripts of all years of undergraduate exams, a copy of their degree parchment and evidence of their standing within their peer group.
	Provide evidence to support their case, this may include, but is not restricted to, a personal statement from the applicant and supporting material e.g., letters from referees/previous employers, copies of project work, evidence of extra-curricular activities during their undergraduate degrees etc.

Should you wish to submit an entry, please forward the necessary details together with your full contact details to:

Localisation Research Centre - LRC

"EUROPEAN LOCALISATION SCHOLAR AWARD 2003"

Department of Computer Science and Information Systems (CSIS)

University of Limerick - National Technological Park - Limerick - Ireland

(Tel. +353-61-202881, email electonline@ul.ie)

By submitting their work researchers acknowledge the right of the LRC to report on their work should they be awarded the ELECT LRC European Localisation Scholar Award. Partial expenses will be paid for the finalists invited to the LRC conference in Ireland. Expenses will be paid at a fixed rate depending on country of origin.

Closing date for submission is 14 October 2003.