On 14 January 2014, the European Research Council announced the winners of the Consolidator Grants competition. Out of a total number of 3,673 applicants, 312 mid-career scientists received grants with a total value of €575 million and an average worth of €1.84 million per grant.
The increasing popularity of these grants is highlighted by 2013 statistics which show an application increase of 46 per cent. The ERC Consolidator Grants are specially created to support the work of talented scientists that are looking to consolidate their own research programmes. These grants are offered to researchers of all nationalities that have seven to twelve years of experience since the completion of PhD.
The current round of selected projects covers a very diverse range of topics, from the role of genetic factors in embryo brain wiring to the use of geochemical clocks in the prediction of volcanic eruptions. Most grants were awarded to projects in the field of Life Sciences, and Physical Sciences and Engineering, while only 18.9 per cent of the grants were awarded to projects in the Social Sciences and Humanities.
Professor Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, who is now facing the challenges imposed by his new role as president of the ERC, was very impressed by the quality of the selected projects: “Judging by the ever increasing demand for ERC grants, especially from early- and mid-career researchers, it is clear that funding of this kind is much needed.”
Researchers can already apply to the 2014 ERC Consolidator Grants competition, which is the first one under Horizon 2020. The deadline for submitting applications is 20 May 2014.
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