Scientists secure three more prestigious Studentships for Portugal

The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded threeStarting Grants to Portuguese research. Two Portuguese scientists and one Israeli Studentships , conducting research in Portugal, have had their projects recognized with these prestigious Studentships, which provide up to €1.5 million in funding for each project over a period of five years. The results were officially announced by the ERC on December 4.

Vanessa Morais and Cláudio Franco, both FCT researchers, carry out their research projects at the Institute of Molecular Medicine of the University of Lisbon and Noam Shemesh is a researcher at the Champalimaud Center for the Unknown.

Vanessa Morais investigates the quality control and conservation of mitochondria in synapses—the junctions between nerve cells—based on the hypothesis that synaptic mitochondria have acquired specific mechanisms for controlling localized stress and that the disruption of these mechanisms contributes to neurodegeneration. Her study aims to reveal the specific molecular properties of synaptic mitochondria and provide the knowledge needed to better understand their role in neurodegenerative diseases. Vanessa Morais states that “this ERCStarting Grant Studentship provides me with the necessary resources to form my own research team, become a more autonomous researcher, devote myself fully to science, and further my passion for understanding and unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration.”

Cláudio Franco investigates the importance of polarization and movement of cells lining blood vessels in the formation of the hierarchical vascular network of arteries, veins, and capillaries. Given the relevance of the hierarchical structure of the vascular network in human physiology—aneurysms and diabetic retinopathies, for example, result from anomalies in the establishment of the vascular network—this research will enable the definition of bases for the development of new therapies for diseases associated with vascular disorders. For Cláudio Franco, “it is a great honor to be a beneficiary of the ERC Starting Grant, because it guarantees me the means and freedom to develop challenging research projects, with the prospect of having a lasting impact on society.”

The Studentship Starting Grant awarded to Noam Shemesh is due to his contribution to an innovative application of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to the study of neuronal function in states of disease and health. The researcher will continue his work to modify the technique so that it is possible to directly track the activity of nerve cells. With this research, Noam Shemesh aims to answer the question "how does our brain generate behavior?" by studying the relationship between behavior and the underlying neurological circuitry.

In this Call, the European Research Council (ERC) selected 291 projects (from 2,920 applications received), which amounted to a total of €429 million in funding for scientific research in Europe. Since the Calls began in 2007, 56 Studentships have been awarded to researchers based at Portuguese research centers: 33 Starting Grants (for researchers with 2 to 7 years of post-doctoral experience); 13 Consolidator Grants (for researchers with 7 to 12 years of post-doctoral experience) and 10 Advanced Grants (for senior researchers who are internationally established in their field of research).

(Image credits: Institute of Molecular Medicine and Champalimaud Center for the Unknown)