On this occasion, the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Carlos Moedas said: "I'm delighted that the European Commission has re-appointed Professor Jean-Pierre Bourguignon as European Research Council President. He has been vital for the continued success of the ERC. I am confident that he, together with the ERC Scientific Council, will further advance excellent EU-funded frontier research. I look forward to our continued close cooperation."
The Vice Chair of the Scientific Council, the ERC's governing body, and ERC Vice-President Professor Klaus Bock commented: "On behalf of the ERC Scientific Council, I'd like to thank Jean-Pierre Bourguignon for his commitment and strong leadership over the past nearly four years. His re-appointment is excellent news. He is the right person to take this enterprise towards the next framework programme and to ensure that the ERC continues to successfully fulfil its mission for Europe."
Biography of Jean-Pierre Bourguignon
Background
The European Research Council, set up by the European Union and celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, is the first European funding organisation for excellent frontier research. Every year, the ERC selects and funds the most creative researchers of any nationality and age, to run ambitious projects based in Europe. It offers four core grant schemes: Starting Grants (up to €1.5 million each), Consolidator Grants (up to €2 million each), Advanced Grants (up to €2.5 million each), and Synergy Grants (up to €10 million). The ERC also strives to attract top researchers from anywhere in the world to come to Europe. To date, the ERC has funded more than 7,000 top researchers at various stages of their careers. The funding also helped them employ around 40,000 members in their research teams.
The ERC is led by an independent governing body, the Scientific Council, composed of 22 renowned scientists and chaired by ERC President Professor Jean-Pierre Bourguignon. He took office in January 2014, after Professor Helga Nowotny's term (2010 to 2013). The ERC's first President was Professor Fotis Kafatos (2007 to 2010).
With a budget of over €13 billion for the years 2014 to 2020, the ERC is part of the EU research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020, for which European Commissioner Carlos Moedas is responsible.