ERC Awards €838 Million to 319 Researchers

Recently, the European Research Council (ERC) announced the recipients of its latest Advanced Grant competition. A total of €838 million in funding will be awarded to 319 leading researchers across Europe. The ERC Advanced Grant is one of the most prestigious and competitive research funding schemes in the European Union and its associated countries. It enables established senior researchers to pursue ambitious, curiosity-driven projects with the potential to deliver major scientific breakthroughs. The grants are funded under the EU's Horizon Europe programme.

The newly funded projects span a broad range of disciplines. They include research into why individuals differ in their susceptibility to drug addiction, ways to extend women's fertility and improve reproductive health, and the neural mechanisms underlying stuttering. Other projects aim to develop novel mathematical and algorithmic tools to address the increasing complexity of large-scale networks, ranging from transportation systems to the internet, while another seeks to deepen our understanding of complex systems in mathematics and physics, from magnetic materials to quantum materials.

The new grantees will be hosted by universities and research institutions in 24 EU Member States and associated countries, with the largest numbers based in the United Kingdom (62 grants), Germany (46), Switzerland (32), Spain (29), and France (26). Among the awardees are 52 German, 45 British, and 29 Italian researchers, along with researchers representing 30 other nationalities. The United Kingdom received the highest number of grants of any participating country.

A record 3,329 proposals were submitted to this year's competition, representing a 31% increase over last year's 2,534 applications. Of these, 9.6% were selected for funding. The ERC estimates that the newly awarded grants will create more than 3,000 jobs within the research teams of the successful applicants.

According to official announcements from the respective universities, four senior researchers at the University of Cambridge received ERC Advanced Grants, while LMU Munich secured three grants and Heidelberg University was awarded two grants.

Prof. Maria Leptin, President of the European Research Council, commented:

"The new Advanced Grant projects demonstrate the creativity, ambition, and intellectual boldness that frontier research requires. The ERC's role is to support researchers who are asking difficult scientific questions and are willing to venture into unexplored territory in pursuit of new knowledge. Congratulations to all our new grantees. They represent 33 different nationalities—a testament to Europe's strength as a destination for outstanding scientific talent, regardless of origin. We must increase investment if Europe is to lead in science and innovation."

About the ERC

Established by the European Union in 2007, the European Research Council (ERC) is Europe's leading funding organization for frontier research. It supports outstanding researchers of any nationality and age to carry out investigator-driven research projects at host institutions across Europe. The ERC operates four principal funding schemes: Starting Grants, Consolidator Grants, Advanced Grants, and Synergy Grants. In addition, its Proof of Concept Grants help ERC-funded researchers bridge the gap between pioneering research and the early stages of commercialization.

The ERC is governed by an independent Scientific Council. For the 2021–2027 funding period, the ERC has an overall budget of more than €16 billion under the Horizon Europe programme, which falls under the responsibility of Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation.