The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has announced the allocation of an additional budget from the Commission of 500 million euros to develop a new ERC funding instrument.
This announcement follows actions already taken by some countries such as France to attract scientists, especially from the US, following that increasing hardship they are facing with funding being halted, some grants revoked and indirect costs being reduced. Europe wants to offer them a place to continue their research forward where academic freedom remains a priority and upheld.
ERC grants, at their heart, support fundamental and excellent science and offer attractive funding packages. The new grants are expected to follow the same principles. You can visit the ERC website for more info on the existing grants and to read more about the President’s announcement.