News archive - 302 top researchers awarded €680 million in EU funding
The European Research Council (ERC) is awarding €680 million to 302 senior research leaders in 24 different countries across Europe, in the latest competition for its prestigious 'Advanced Grants'. With up to €2.5 million per project, the funding allows these scientists to pursue their most ground-breaking ideas at the frontiers of knowledge together with their own teams. The projects selected cover a wide range of topics. A scientist and his team in France will develop new models to explain certain physical phenomena like superconductivity A team based in Latvia will bring together computer science, physics and mathematics to assess the advantages and limits of quantum devices. Another grant goes to a researcher in Italy who will look at how economic actors form and change their beliefs about their environment and about each other, by adding emotional and psychological features to the existing models.
Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn said: "The ERC continues to identify the very best researchers. ERC funding is leading to an increasing number of scientific breakthroughs and discoveries, as well as more publications in recognised scientific journals. Promoting frontier research at the highest level is vital for Europe's competitiveness, and this is why we have proposed to increase the ERC budget as part of our Horizon 2020 programme."
In this Advanced Grant competition, some 2,300 applications were submitted to the ERC, which is a slight rise from that of the last year (4.5%). The call budget of €680 million also saw a minor increase. The number of researchers selected for funding rose slightly, from 294 to 302, while the rate of successful applications remains steady at 13%. Advanced grants are awarded to well-established top researchers of any nationality or age, who are scientifically independent and with a recent research track-record and a profile which identifies them as leaders in their respective field(s).
Source: EC Press Releases RAPID
- Europe
- European Union (EU 27)
- Cross-thematic/Interdisciplinary
Entry created by Danaja Lorencic on January 22, 2013
Modified on January 22, 2013
