The European Research Council, which supports investigator-driven frontier research, announced the award Thursday of 494 starting grants to young scientists and scholars across Europe.
The funding is aimed at helping researchers at the beginning of their careers to launch their own projects, form their teams and pursue their most promising ideas.
The announcement also marks the return of UK researchers to the European fold. “Empowering researchers early on in their careers is at the heart of the mission of the ERC,” said the ERC’s president Prof. Maria Leptin: “I am particularly pleased to welcome UK researchers back to the ERC. They have been sorely missed over the past years. With fifty grants awarded to researchers based in the UK, this influx is good for the research community overall.’
The funding from the ERC – totalling nearly EUR 780 million – will support cutting-edge research in a wide range of fields from life sciences and physics to social sciences and humanities.
A social scientist in the Czech Republic analyses the crucial role of public opinion in military alliances; a biochemist in the UK delves into how viruses change to infect cells; a researcher in Germany explores how robots can learn to perform human-like tasks in the real world; another scientist based in Spain examines whether advanced laser techniques can help us prevent fires; and a psychologist in the Netherlands investigates (dis)information reaching teenagers.
The successful candidates proposed to host their projects at universities and research centres in 24 EU Member States and associated countries, including Germany (98 grants), the Netherlands (51), the UK (50) and France (49). They come from Europe and beyond, with 51 nationalities represented, notably Germans (94 researchers), Italians (61), French (44), and Spaniards (36).
44% of these Starting Grants were awarded to female researchers, compared with 43% in 2023 and 39% in 2022. The Starting Grants calls have attracted nearly 62 000 submissions since 2007. During this time, the number of proposals submitted by women has increased from around 30% to around 40%.
Starting grants amount to €1.5 million per grant for a period of five years. However, additional funds can be made available to cover costs related to moving from a country outside the EU or associated countries, the purchase of major equipment, access to large facilities or major experimental and fieldwork-related costs.
The grants are estimated to create 3,160 jobs within the teams of new grantees.
