Marie Curie Actions: Inspiring Researchers - Imdea

of Dr Kuntner’s striking photos of nephilid spiders and otherwildlife, as well as a detailed glossary of evolutionary terms.His work has featured in a number of prestigious scientifi cjournals, such as Scientifi c American, and has even caughtthe eye of the wider media.Dr Kuntner comments: ‘Although I cannot judge the relevance ofmy work in the long run, several media seem eager to presentmy research to the public and my lectures worldwide areusually well attended and well received.’I now train students in the Slovenian language. And do notthink that it is impossible to conduct world-class science inyour home town, however small it is,’ he advises.Together with colleagues in other parts of the world, MatjažKuntner is continuing his work, probing the sex lives of nephilidspiders, as well as studying broader aspects of the biologyof the nephilids and related spiders. Who knows what weirdand wonderful mating habits his investigations will uncoverin the future?Dr Kuntner’s Marie Curie grant helped him to secure apermanent position in his native Slovenia and allowed himto establish his own research laboratory at the Scientifi cResearch Centre at the Slovenian Academy of Arts andSciences based in Ljubljana. As well as enabling him tofi t out his new laboratory with high-quality equipment andmaterials, the funding provided Dr Kuntner with the resourcesto embark on two expeditions and travel to conferences.‘The grant facilitated my career in my home country, evenin my home town, which is a rare commodity in science.Project acronymNephilid SpidersFull project titleNephilid spider phylogenetics as a test for antagonisticco-evolution of sexesType of grantInternational Reintegration GrantBudgetEUR 76 651Duration of project15-03-2006 - 15-03-2008Scientific disciplineLife sciencesHost institutionProfessor Dr Oto LutharScientific Research CentreSlovenian Academy of Sciences and ArtsNovi trg 2P.O. Box 306SI-1001 Ljubljana247