EU allocates 705 million euros to research excellence; Italy ranks second for award‑winning researchers

Brussels – There is a strong Italian presence in research and innovation: the European Research Council (ERC) has announced the winners of the latest Starting Grant call for early-career researchers across Europe. A total of 705 million euros has been allocated to 421 researchers, both men and women, with Italy making its mark: the winners include 84 Germans, 50 Italians, and 30 French researchers; Italy thus secures a place on the podium in terms of grant amounts. Nineteen universities and research centres in Italy will host research programmes across various fields, further showcasing the country’s capabilities.

 For the European Commission, this year’s call for proposals is more than just an Italian success; it is a European success: the ERC’s special programme received a record 4,807 proposals, representing a 22 per cent increase compared with last year’s 3,928 applications.” Interest has also grown amongst researchers from outside Europe. In particular, 169 US researchers submitted applications this year, compared with 116 in the previous call. 

“I am particularly pleased to see that 21 researchers currently based in the United States and Canada plan to relocate to Europe to pursue their work,” said the Commissioner for Research and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva. “Their decision reflects Europe’s growing appeal for frontier research and is an encouraging sign that the EU’s Choose Europe initiative is helping to attract the next generation of scientific talent while reinforcing Europe’s position as a destination of choice for excellent research.”

For non-European talent, the EU contribution to research projects is more substantial due to the incentives provided by “Choose Europe.” Designed to attract and retain talent, the scheme allows researchers who relocate to Europe to apply for up to an additional 2 million euros to set up laboratories or research groups there. The funding does not apply to non-EU partner countries (Israel, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom).

In total, the award-winning researchers represent 48 different nationalities. The European Commission expects that the 705 million euros in funding will create “more than 3,000 jobs in the teams of the new grantees.”