The research-intensive Group of Eight universities is calling for applications for its 2010 European fellowships.

The fellowships are open to early career researchers from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and, for the first time this year, Croatia.

Each fellow will receive benefits worth A$20,000 (US$16,500) to travel to Australia in 2010 and work at a Go8 university for up to six months.

"The Go8 European Fellowships recognise the importance of international contacts for early career researchers and aim to help establish those contacts in Australia for talented young researchers from emerging European economies," said Go8 Chair Professor Alan Robson.

"The scheme has been running for three years and has resulted in the exchange of skills and knowledge of benefit to the individual researchers and to the citizens of Australia and the European countries involved.

Applications close on 30 October 2009. See www.go8.edu.au.