On the day in which the European Research Council celebrates the 10 thousandth grant awarded to support excellence in research, the University of Trento is also celebrating for the funding received.
UniTrento in fact has obtained funding from the European Research Council for 31 research projects. This means that it has received three out of a thousand grants awarded throughout Europe from 2007 to today. Grants are awarded based on a competitive selection process, in which the only selection criterion is the scientific excellence of the project and of the researcher presenting it.
The Vice-Rector for Research Francesca Demichelis expresses satisfaction with the performance of UniTrento: "The University of Trento has obtained 31 grants, three per thousand of those awarded by the ERC. An important result for a medium-sized European university. An achievement that confirms the scientific excellence of the work of our researchers, which is also recognized by the National Agency for the Evaluation of the University and Research System and by various national and international rankings".
ERC grants, in fact, are awarded on the basis of a very competitive selection process and give researchers the opportunity to transform their ambitious ideas into concrete research projects. Participation in international funding programs is one of the strengths of the research policy of UniTrento, which supports scientists in all phases of the complex procedures for accessing and managing funds.
ERC grants to UniTrento
UniTrento has received funding for 31 ERC projects, 15 in Horizon 2020 and 16 in the 7th Framework Program, for approximately 41 million euro. Funding was awarded to the University by the European Research Council at the end of a highly competitive evaluation process.
The European ceremony
The award of the 10 thousandth grant since the European Research Council (ERC) was created, in 2007, is a milestone that must be celebrated. Faithful to its initial mission of promoting frontier research, over the years the ERC has become a key driver of the European research and innovation agenda. Today's online celebration was attended by the President of the European Commission Ursula Von Der Leyen, the President of the European Parliament David Sassoli and by policy makers in the fields of innovation, research, culture, education, technology and industry, and was also an opportunity to highlight the fundamental role of research to recover from the crisis caused by the pandemic.
THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH COUNCIL-ERC
The European Research Council is an independent agency that aims to support frontier research in Europe across all fields, from mathematical, physical and natural sciences to engineering and the humanities, and researchers of all nationalities. ERC Grants are awarded to multi-year research projects conducted by internationally renowned researchers, selected on the basis of scientific excellence.
Erc starting grants are designed to support researchers who are starting to develop an independent career. Other types of grants, on the other hand, are designed for scientists who are consolidating their position as independent researchers ("Erc Consolidator Grants") or are already well-established and outstanding researchers in their sector at an international level ("Erc Advanced Grants"). Finally, the Proof of Concept funding scheme is made available to researchers who already have an ERC award to obtain further financial support to facilitate the transition from research to the market.
To apply for funding, researchers much go through the open calls for proposals published on the website of the ERC, and submit a research project to be carried out in a public or private university or research center, in one of the 27 EU member states or in one of the 10 associated countries participating in the European project for research and innovation. To obtain ERC funding, a proposal must be approved by a group of experts in the subject discipline, typically composed of seven to nine scientists.
The list of ERC grants at UniTrento and other information are also available on: https://www.unitn.it/ricerca/95497/progetti-erc-a-unitrento
The European ceremony: https://erc.europa.eu/news/10000grantees