ERC awards €8.3 million to scientists in Portugal

The European Research Council (ERC) announced today the award of 397 Studentships €619 million to early-career scientists (ERC Starting Grants). In this Call , applications from five scientists Call selected for funding. They will develop their ambitious projects in Portugal, in various areas of knowledge, with a total funding volume of around €8.3 million.

The results announced are provisional, with several candidates still on the reserve list, awaiting a final decision shortly. For now, 22 Member States of the European Union and Associated Countries have seen national applications approved under this Horizon Europe program Call .

The projects of the five scientists who will conduct their research at Portuguese R&D institutions cover a wide range of topics/areas: Manuel Souto, University of Aveiro, chemistry and materials; Sérgio Rosa Domingos, University of Coimbra, physical chemistry and molecular machines; Susana Soares, LAQV/REQUIMTE, University of Porto, food biotechnology; Yonatan Gez, ISCTE – Lisbon University Institute, socio-anthropology of development with a focus on East Africa; and Vera Aldeias, University of Algarve, study of human history and archaeology. Calls ERC Starting Grant Calls began in 2007, with Portugal having already Studentships more than fifty Studentships .

This was the first Call Starting Grants Call launched under Horizon Europe for the period 2021-2027. This Studentship early-career scientists funds five-year research projects with an average funding value of €1.5 million, enabling these young scientists to build their research teams and develop their best ideas in all areas of knowledge. In this Call, which opened in 2021, more than 4,000 proposals were submitted, representing a 24% increase compared to Call . In this field, Portugal reached a new high in terms of proposals submitted (2.8% of the total vs. 2.5% in 2014), an increase of around 56% compared to the number of proposals submitted in Call . It should be noted that 51% of proposals from Portugal are led by women (versus 40% of all applications submitted).

According to ERC data, on average, each ERC project generates employment for more than five people, ranging from researchers to science managers, doctoral students, or technicians. It represents international recognition of the research carried out and an important milestone in the scientific independence of these early-career scientists.

The Foundation for Science and Technology, which is part of the PERIN (Portugal in Europe Research and Innovation Network) and coordinates the promotion of ERC activities, will remain committed to raising national participation levels in Calls , in all their different forms, in order to increase the national success rate in this important Horizon Europe instrument.

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