Adriana Soto, a researcher and lecturer in the University's Department of Applied Linguistics, recently obtained a Marie Curie grant from the European Union to carry out her post-doctoral research project.

Entitled MultiCat (Multilingual Catalonia), the research project that Soto will undertake aims to research the protection of minority languages, the development of foreign languages and the incorporation of the languages of newly arrived children.

Thanks to the Marie Curie grant, the lecturer will have the opportunity to research the development of Catalan, Spanish and English among children in primary school, a key age for language development, since this is when they learn to read and write. This research will also be carried out in a social and educational context where the English language is increasingly used for teaching content.

The Marie Curie grant programme, officially named Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, is part of the European Union's research programme and is open to excellent researchers from all over the world and all disciplines.

The aim of the grants is to provide research professionals with the necessary skills and international experience to develop a successful career, both in the public and private sectors, and thereby strengthen Europe's innovation and research capacity. Also, thanks to this funding programme, the recipients can undertake their research in any country in the European Union or associated countries.

To apply for these grants, it is necessary to have a doctorate or at least four years’ experience in full-time research at the time of the call deadline, which clearly indicates that it is a highly demanding call.

From the University we would like to congratulate lecturer and researcher Adriana Soto for having been awarded one of the most prestigious annual research grants at a European level funded through a competitive call.