First analysis of ERC grant applications from older scientists

ERC President Fotis Kafatos: “the relatively low proportion of women applicants is a general problem in European research.”

The key issue for the ERC is that it attracts bids from the best scientists and its President Fotis Kafatos claimed this is the case, saying, “Now, after the first evaluation stage, we can see that the overall quality of the proposals submitted is really excellent.”

Although the applicants represent a wide geography, with scientists of 50 nationalities, linked to host institutions in 36 different countries, only 14 per cent are women. Kafatos acknowledged this under-representation is an issue. “We are aware that the relatively low proportion of women applicants is a general problem in European research, especially in the target group of established researchers. This is a concern which the ERC will continue to address at every level,” he said.

The 2,167 applications are almost 7,000 fewer that the Council received for its Starting Grants Scheme for younger scientists embarking on their careers, but Kafatos said, “This is not a surprise to us as limiting measures were taken after the overwhelming mass of applications received for the first ERC call.”

The average age of applicants is 52 years, which reflects the target group of the ERC Advanced Grant scheme, which is open to already established research leaders.  

Of the 2,167 proposals submitted 766 are in Life Sciences and Medicine, 997 in Physical Sciences and Engineering and 404 in Social Science and Humanities.

The top applicant is Italy, with almost 15 per cent of the applications, followed by the UK, France and Germany – together, the four countries account for 46 per cent of the applications. The fifth placed country is Israel at just over 6 per cent of the total.