The European Research Council (ERC) hasselected 287 top young researchers for funding under its sixth Starting Grants competition. Scientists will have the opportunity to develop cutting-edge basic research, receiving a total of €400 million in funding, in the form of grants of €2 million each for a maximum of five years.
In this year’s competition, the last one under the 7th Framework Programme for Research (FP7), applications submitted increased by 50% compared to last year, and the percentage of female researchers selected increased from 24% to 30% of all applicants. Future competitions will be held under the new EU Research and Innovation programme Horizon 2020, which foresees a significant increase in funding for the ERC, as competition for these prestigious international grants is constantly increasing.
The selected projects cover a wide range of research topics, such as the design of a unique coastal tsunami protection barrier, the development of high-tech radiotherapy for head and neck cancer patients, the investigation of real-time air pollution monitoring through GPS technology, and the production of new efficient and low-cost photovoltaics.
44% of the candidates selected were from the field of natural and engineering sciences, 38% from the field of life sciences and 18% from the field of social sciences and humanities.
In total, 3,329 proposals were submitted for this year's competition, of which only 95 were selected due to significantly increased competition. Grants were awarded to researchers of 34 different nationalities, working in 162 different institutions across Europe.
Eligible for ERC grants are researchers of any nationality, with 2 to 7 years of research experience after completing their PhD (or equivalent) and a high level of scientific performance. The research must be carried out in a public or private research institution (also known as a host institution) located in an EU Member State or an associated country.
Scientists who received a grant under this year's competition will also have the opportunity to form their own research teams with more than 1,000 postdoctoral and doctoral students affiliated with the ERC. In this way, the ERC contributes to supporting a new generation of leading researchers in Europe.
According to Maire Geoghegan-Quinn, Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, the ERC has managed to change the research landscape for talented young scientists and has strengthened science across Europe. By funding basic research that advances human knowledge, the ERC also develops revolutionary innovations that are future-proof and aim to improve people's everyday lives.
The ERC, established in 2007, is the first pan-European funding body for cutting-edge research and has a total budget of 7.5 billion for the period 2007-2013. As the most recent and innovative component of the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and having now managed to become an established badge of excellence, its prestige will continuously increase within the framework of the Horizon 2020 Programme, as Commissioner Maire Geoghegan-Quinn stressed.
It is noted that the National Documentation Center is the National Contact Point for the IDEES program, providing information and support to Greek research groups for their participation in the program. In September 2012, it published a study on the evaluation of Greek participation in the IDEES Special Program (“5 years of Excellence in the European Research Area, 2007-2011: the case of Greece”), which presents the Greek researchers participating in the program, the absorption of European funds, the geographical distribution of resources, excellence by scientific field, the country's position compared to other European countries, etc. The results of the study are presented in issue 88 of the EKT journal “Innovation, Research and Technology”.
www.ekt.grthe, with information from European Commission
