The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded €761 million through its ‘starting grants’ to 478 young scientists at the beginning of their careers. Italy ranks seventh overall with 30 funded projects, while Germany (99), the United Kingdom (60), and the Netherlands (44) lead the ranking.
However, 55 Italian researchers were among the winners, placing them second only to Germany (87). “It gives me hope that Europe is supporting all these brilliant minds,” said ERC President Maria Leptin, “and yet we could do more: only 12% of proposals could be funded, even though many more were excellent.”
“Greater investment in this type of science is necessary for Europe to reach its full potential,” Leptin continued. The starting grants provide each researcher with €1.5 million over five years. Female researchers awarded funding in this round account for 42%, in line with recent years, and these new projects are estimated to create approximately 3,000 new jobs.
“Among the winners of this new round of EU funding are researchers of 51 nationalities,” added European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Iliana Ivanova. “They will push the frontiers of our knowledge in a wide range of fields, from cancer and mental health to quantum science. We see top scientists coming to Europe thanks to these new grants,” emphasized Ivanova, “and many choose to stay because of this support: this demonstrates Europe’s potential to attract and retain the best scientific talents.”
Regarding Italy, the largest number of winners, a total of four, will conduct their projects at Milan’s Bocconi University, while three are at the University of Parma. Following, with two grants each, are the Polytechnic University of Milan, the Polytechnic University of Turin, and the Universities of Padua and Sapienza in Rome.
Other institutions receiving a grant include the National Research Council (CNR), the National Institute of Metrological Research (INRIM) in Turin, and the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Genoa, alongside the Universities of Turin, Palermo, Florence, Bologna, Milan-Bicocca, and Tor Vergata in Rome. Funding was also awarded to Humanitas University and the San Raffaele Vita-Salute University in Milan, the Toscana Life Sciences Foundation, the Scuola Normale Superiore and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa, and the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome.