The European Research Council (ERC) announced the winners of its latest Advanced Grant competition. The funding, worth in total €721 million, will go to 281 leading researchers across Europe.

The Advanced Grant competition is one of the most prestigious and competitive funding schemes in the EU. It gives senior researchers the opportunity to pursue ambitious, curiosity-driven projects that could lead to major scientific breakthroughs. The new grants are part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme.

Projects selected for funding

The new grantees’ work will cover a wide range of subjects; from developing a preventive vaccine for hereditary breast cancer, and investigating how diet and exercise affect brain cells related to ageing, to creating AI digital twins that mirror and enhance human thought and social skills, and exploring the hidden oceans on Jupiter’s and Saturn’s moons.

This competition attracted 2,534 proposals, which were reviewed by panels of internationally renowned researchers. Over eleven percent of proposals were selected for funding. Estimates show that the grants will create approximately 2,700 jobs in the teams of new grantees. 

Original article and photo copyright: ERC backs cutting-edge research with €721 million in funding |ERC