The European Research Council (ERC) invested 653 million euros in innovative projects to support 269 experienced researchers from all across Europe, 8 of which were Belgian. The purpose was to carry out their most creative ideas that could potentially lead to major impacts on science, society and the economy.
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Two of the selected Belgians fall within the field of social sciences and humanities, four within physics and engineering and two in life sciences.
These grants are part of the EU research and innovation programme "Horizon 2020". They will not only allow researchers to advance the frontiers of knowledge, but will also create jobs since nearly 2,000 post-doctoral researchers, doctoral students and others could be employed in the research teams of the beneficiaries.
Created in 2007, the European Research Council is the first European funding agency for frontier research of scientific excellence. Every year, the most brilliant and most creative researchers, regardless of age or nationality, are selected and funded to carry out projects based in Europe.
