Commission grants €450 million for Europe’s long-term frontier research

The Commission announced today the winners of the annual European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grants competition. 185 researchers will receive €450 million, as part of the EU research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020, that will allow them to embark on ground-breaking research and explore the innovative ideas that they proposed in response to last year’s call. In addition to strengthening Europe’s knowledge base, the new research projects are expected to lead to the creation of some 1,800 new jobs for post-doctoral fellows, PhD students and other research staff. Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: “Europe’s future depends on science and research. The crisis we face today reminds us how important it is to listen to scientific advice, and to allow the research community to help us prepare for the challenges of the future. By supporting frontier research, the EU enables our brightest scientists to push the frontiers of knowledge for the long-term benefit of all. We don’t know from where the next scientific breakthroughs may come, how they could be inspired, and what challenges lie ahead of us. That is why we have the European Research Council as a vital component of the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme. Congratulations to all the winners of this latest call for Advanced Grants. We are counting on you!” The new grantees will work on various challenging areas spanning all domains of research in life sciences (e.g., viruses, immunity, cancer research, crop plan protection), physical sciences and engineering (e.g., quantum computing, photonics, climate science), and social sciences and humanities (e.g., violence against women, historical epidemics). They will carry out their projects at universities and research centres across 20 EU Member States and associated countries. More information is available in this ERC press release. Researchers who would like to compete for an ERC Advanced Grant could apply for the next round of funding from 14 May to 26 August 2020. More information about the funding and applications is available here.