Daring ideas to explore the unknown: EU grants €630 million to over 300 top researchers

Today the European Research Council (ERC) awarded Consolidator Grants to over 300 researchers across Europe. On this occasion, Carlos Moedas, Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, said: “The Horizon 2020 programme will be funding 329 new ERC grants with €630 million to boost the EU’s scientific excellence and competitiveness. Such grants contribute to increasing the EU’s attractiveness as a place for research and innovation. I’m also pleased to see that the share of grants attributed to women researchers is growing in ERC competitions. We still have much to do, but it has always been my ambition to deploy all efforts possible to achieve gender equality in the realm of research and innovation.” The new grantees will take on many different challenges at the frontiers of knowledge. They will have the chance to have far-reaching impact on timely scientific questions such as antibiotic resistant bacteria, mechanisms of collective decision-making in a society or forensic practices across Europe. The ERC Consolidator Grants are awarded to outstanding researchers of any nationality and age, with at least seven and up to 12 years of experience after their PhDs, and a scientific track record showing great promise. The ERC, set up by the EU in 2007, is the first European funding organisation for excellent frontier research. More information on today’s announcement is available online: news item, examples of research projects and statistics.