Young researchers given funding boost from European Research Council
Hundreds of early-career researchers across Europe are set to receive increased financial support from the European Research Council (ERC) as it announces its funding programme for the next five years. As part of the ERC Starting Grant competition, just over EUR 670 million will be awarded to some 480 researchers, with individual grants worth up to EUR 2 million. Now in its fourth year, the competition continues to receive high numbers of applications: this year saw a 42 % increase compared to last year. The estimated total budget for the whole programme has also increased by nearly 15 % from last year. 'ERC grants are now highly coveted in the research community, not least among younger researchers who often struggle to find funding,' comments Research Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn. 'I am committed to ensuring that the ERC can continue funding the ''cream of the crop''. This helps make Europe more competitive on the world stage and contributes to making the Innovation Union a reality.' ERC President Helga Nowotny also comments on the popularity of the competition: 'The marked increase in applications does not come as a surprise. It confirms that demand for ERC funding continues unabatedly and I can confirm that the scientific quality remains extremely high.' The grants awarded will fund a wide variety of projects across many research areas: from the exceptional properties of biological nanomaterials, through the health impact of exposure to traffic noise, to the role of economic media in financial crises. Altogether, 46 % of applicants were selected in 'Physical Sciences and Engineering', 35 % in 'Life Sciences' and 19 % in 'Social Sciences and Humanities'. In demographic terms, the researchers selected are a mixed bag, representing 38 different nationalities. The average age of a selected researcher is 37, and 21 % of the researchers are women. The selected candidates will be based in universities or research institutions situated in 21 countries throughout Europe. 'We need to continue to invest in our brightest talent, notably in these times of economic crisis, as they are key to Europe's future prosperity,' says Professor Helga Nowotny. 'So far, the ERC has supported over 2,200 frontier researchers and their ground-breaking work in Europe, and many of these projects are starting to bear fruit. The focus of our next efforts will be on attracting more top talent from overseas.' In line with this strategy to expand the grant programme to overseas researchers, this year 17 researchers are moving from the United States to Europe with their grant. This group is made up of 14 returning Europeans, 2 Americans and 1 Canadian. Mette Søresen from the Danish Cancer Society in Denmark is one grant recipient. Her QUIET ('Health consequences of noise exposure from road traffic') project will investigate potential links between long-term exposure to traffic noise and health problems such as cardiovascular diseases. Another recipient, Nicola Pugno from the Polytechnic University of Turin in Italy, will work on the BIHSNAM ('Bio-inspired hierarchical super nanomaterials') project; he will tackle the drawbacks of currently used artificial materials by exploring biological nanomaterials with exceptional properties, such as spider silk and bone, in order to test their resistance, strength, toughness or adhesion. The ERC is the first European funding body set up to support investigator-driven frontier research. Its main aim is to stimulate scientific excellence by supporting and encouraging the very best, truly creative scientists, scholars and engineers to be adventurous and take risks in their research. The scientists are encouraged to go beyond established frontiers of knowledge and the boundaries of disciplines by taking an innovative approach. The ERC acts as a complementary body and exists alongside national research funding agencies as well as being a flagship component of the 'Ideas Programme' of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).For more information, please visit: European Research Council (ERC): http://erc.europa.eu/