Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The European Research Council has announced 494 grants for early-career scientists and academics across Europe. The funding, worth nearly €780 million, supports cutting-edge research in a wide range of fields, from life sciences and physics to social sciences and humanities. It will help early-career researchers launch their own projects, build their teams and pursue their promising ideas. The funding is part of the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme.

“The European Commission is proud to support the curiosity and passion of our talents at the start of their careers through the Horizon Europe programme. The new ERC Starting Grant winners aim to deepen our understanding of the world. Their creativity is essential to finding solutions to some of society’s most pressing challenges. In this call, I am pleased to see one of the highest proportions of women grantees to date, a trend that I hope will continue. Well done everyone!” said Ileana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. According to a European statement issued in Brussels by the executive body of the Union, “44% of the new seed grants were won by women researchers, compared to 43% in 2023 and 39% in 2022. The winners offered to host their projects at universities and research centres in 24 EU Member States and associated countries, including Germany (98 grants), the Netherlands (51), the United Kingdom (50) and France (49). Seed grants are typically worth €1.5 million each and are awarded for five years. Additional funding may be provided to cover costs related to relocation, major equipment and access to large facilities or significant experimental and professional costs. The grants are expected to create an estimated 3,160 jobs among the teams of new beneficiaries.