Why do some countries face problems obtaining ERC grants?
A Q A session with Professor Alice Valkárová, Chair of the ERC Working Group on Widening European Participation What does widening mean? The performance in ERC calls for proposals varies widely across European countries. There is a concentration of…
Equal rights, unequal chances
Jacek Kuźnicki, biochemist and former President of the scientific council of the Polish National Science Centre, gives his views on what could be done to improve the success rates of applicants from widening countries. This title “Equal rights,…
Researchers’ experiences with the ERC Visiting Fellowships
Physicist Matej Praprotnik from Slovenia and architectural historian Jasenka Gudelj from Croatia share their experiences during their ERC Visiting Fellowships. Why did you select the particular project team that you did your ERC fellowship with?…
Unlocking the potential of lagging countries with ERC
The European Research Council (ERC) is taking several measures to increase participation in its grant competitions, particularly in countries that historically perform poorly in ERC grant competitions.One such measure is the ERC Visiting Fellowship…
The transformative potential of citizen science
Dorte Riemenschneider, Director of the European Citizen Science Association and Silke Voigt-Heucke, head of the Citizen Science Unit at Berlin’s Museum für Naturkunde, discuss the potential of citizen science to strengthen sustainable development…
Bringing Indigenous and local knowledge to climate change research
"Local Indicators of Climate Change Impacts: the contribution of local knowledge to climate change research” is an ERC - funded project aiming to bring Indigenous and local knowledge to climate change research. Through cutting-edge science, Victoria…
Knowledge is everywhere
Engaging with citizens can help to boost trust in science. But citizen science is also a valid research method, which is underexploited in my view. So, the ERC’s decision to organise an event on citizen science is timely and useful, both in terms of…
Ukrainian researcher finds refuge and work in the EU
Just days after the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the ERC appealed to its grantees to open up their teams to researchers seeking refuge in the EU. One such scientist was Nataliia Petryk, who found temporary employment as a postdoctoral…
Research beyond borders
Yanne K. Chembo, ERC grantee from Cameroon, shares his own experiences and views on international cooperation in research. My academic life has spanned four countries – Cameroon, Spain, France and USA – on three continents. I have undoubtedly been…
