Seventeen researchers attached to Belgian universities and research institutes received grants from the European Research Council (ERC), the Council announced on Tuesday.
Ghent University has the highest number of recipients in Belgium (5), followed by KU Leuven (4), Universiteit Antwerpen (3) and ULB (2), while the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Flemish Institute for Biotechnology and UCLouvain each have one grantee.
The ERC, a European Commission institution, offers start-up grants to promising young researchers who have obtained their doctorate two to seven years previously. This funding, part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, will be invested in scientific projects spanning all disciplines of research.
The grants, which amount to up to €1.5 million, are awarded for a period of five years in fields ranging from genetics and physics to the humanities and social sciences. The aim of the funding is to help researchers launch their projects, form their teams and pursue their ideas, the Council explained in a press release.
This year, the ERC has awarded 400 grants totalling €628 million for projects carried out at universities and research centres in 24 different European countries. Germany has the highest number of grantees (87), followed by France (50), the Netherlands (44) , UK (32) and Israel (26).
For example, a geochemist in the Netherlands will study Venus’ atmosphere to better understand habitability beyond Earth; a computer scientist in Germany seeks to make virtual reality more inclusive to physically disabled people; a geneticist in the UK aims to analyse parasites that cause malaria; and a researcher in Israel is set to investigate how algorithms are used at work to supervise employees.
ERC President, Professor Maria Leptin said offering independence to talented people at the start of their careers to pursue their ambitious, curiosity-driven research was part of the ERC mission.
She noted that more women had been awarded grants this year - 43% of the group, compared with 39% in 2022 - and expressed the hope that the number would continue to rise.
For the full provisional list of all successful candidates by country, click here. As regards the UK, the grants are conditional on the adoption of a Protocol, ERC explains. The successful proposals of applicants based in UK will be eligible for funding only if the Horizon Europe association agreement applies by the time of the signature of the grant agreement.
