European Research Council to support six more projects in Portugal

The European Research Council (ERC) announced today, September 4, the projects selected in Call ERC Starting Grant 2025 Call , which aims to fund projects in all scientific fields led by researchers at the beginning of their careers, allowing them to form their teams and develop their most promising ideas. A total of 478 projects were selected, representing an investment of €761 million. Among these are six projects by researchers working in Portugal, which received around €9.6 million.

With this latest result, research carried out at institutions belonging to the National Science and Technology System (SNCT) has received around €127 million in funding Calls since the start of Horizon Europe, the European framework program for research and innovation funding for the period 2021-2027.

The six projects selected for funding under Call Grant 2025 Call , two in each scientific domain of the ERC, are:

• Joana Pestana Lages, from ISCTE, with the project – “Housing as a Tool for Freedom: A Future Away from Incarceration” (€1.5 million);
• Joaquim Alves da Silva, from the Champalimaud Foundation, with the DisSeCT project – “Disentangling self-paced from cued action initiation in the motor thalamus” (€1.5 million);
• João Ribeiro, from the Telecommunications Institute, with the LESYNCH project – “Limits and Efficiency of Coding Against Synchronization Errors” (€1.5 million);
• Paula Nabais, from NOVA FCT, with the SCARLET project – “Study and interpretation of historical natural dye formulations for modern textile design” (€1.5 million);
• Rúben Pereira, from I3S, with the FibroRevert project – “Modeling and targeting cell-extracellular matrix communication to reverse tissue fibrosis” (€1.5 million);
• Vanessa Coelho-Santos, from the University of Coimbra, with the AngioArchitects project – “Endothelial-microglial communication as a sculptor of brain capillary network architecture” (€2.1 million).

ERC-PT : FCT flagship program to support the preparation of applications

In the context of the announcement of the results of this Call Starting Grant 2025 Call , it should be noted that two winning researchers—Vanessa Coelho-Santos and Rúben Pereira—received support from ERC-PT in the corresponding edition, while a third researcher who has now won—Joana Pestana Lages—benefited from support in advancing to the interview stage in the previous edition.

Still regarding the Calls category, for next year's edition, the ERC-PT support program is currently underway, with the number of applications submitted by national researchers increasing by 77% compared to the previous year. During September, one month before submitting their applications, these researchers will receive reports and will be able to hold meetings with members of ERC-PT Annual College of Reviewers, currently consisting of 84 former ERC evaluators.

The FCT has been developing a set of innovative programs covering all stages of national participation Calls , from the preparation of applications to the stabilization of permanent positions for researchers conducting research abroad (ERC-PT – Attract) and researchers conducting research in Portugal (ERC-PT – Retain). The ERC-Portugal Program includes the following core programs: Pre-Assessment, to support the national scientific community in preparing proposals; ERC A-Projects, to fund top-ranked national applications not selected for ERC funding; and ERC-PT , to attract and retain researchers with ERC projects.