Two Uppsala researchers win ERC Starting Grants

ERC Starting Grants are for early-career researchers (2–7 years after completing their PhD) seeking to establish themselves as research leaders in Europe. The grants are part of the EU’s research and innovation programme Horizon 2020.

“To answer the most difficult challenges of our age, researchers need the freedom and conditions to follow their curiosity. This is what the EU provides via the European Research Council grants: an opportunity for outstanding scientists to pursue their most daring ideas,” says Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation.

A total of 3,106 applications came in this year and 408 researchers in 24 countries have been awarded funding of up to EUR 2.5 million each over a period of five years. ERC Starting Grants are awarded in three domains: Life Sciences (115 researchers), Physical Sciences and Engineering (178 researchers), and Social Sciences and Humanities (115 researchers).

Two of the 14 grants awarded to Swedish higher education institutions go to researchers at Uppsala University:

• Karin Lind, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, for the project “Multi-dimensional analysis of the metal-poor Galaxy”
• David Wheatcroft, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, for the project “Species discrimination in birds: A behavioural-neurogenomics approach to auditory learning”

About the ERC

The European Research Council, set up by the European Union in 2007, is the premiere European funding organisation for excellent frontier research. Every year, it selects and funds the very best, creative researchers of any nationality. The ERC awards four types of grants: Starting Grants, Consolidator Grants, Advanced Grants and Synergy Grants.