From the Erc 210 million for EU super-research grants

It was 5 May 2025 when EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen launched the 'Choose Europe' programme from the Sorbonne in Paris with the explicit aim of attracting to the Old Continent researchers fleeing the USA because of Donald Trump's restrictive policies on universities and research. A little over a year later came the new Plus Grants from the European research council (Erc), 7 million euro super grants for innovation paid out over four to seven years.

Considering the ceiling of 210 million, the aim is to fund 30 million. And this already gives an idea of the prestige of the initiative, if we consider that every year the Erc gives out a thousand grants. The programme is aimed at exceptional researchers, of any nationality or age, with bold ideas that could not be realised with classic funding. Presenting the measure, Ekaterina Zaharieva, Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, made the objective clear: 'We ensure that Europe not only retains its brightest minds, but also becomes the preferred destination for the best scientific talent from around the world'. Maria Leptin, President of Erc, echoed her: 'Our Scientific Council is looking forward to evaluating this pilot project. This is in line with Erc's international vision and its mission to make top-class science flourish in Europe'.

The new funding is part of a broader EU package for 2025-2027 that has seen - again as part of 'Choose Europe' - increased support for researchers by encouraging them to relocate to Europe. Applicants for Starting Grant, Consolidator Grant and Advanced Grant funding, currently based outside Europe, can apply for up to EUR 2 million in additional funding to relocate their laboratory or research team to an EU Member State or a country associated with the Horizon Europe programme. And there has already been a first result: the most recent Erc funding calls have seen a sharp increase in applications from scholars from overseas. In some calls, the number of US applicants was four times higher than in previous calls.

In parallel, national and regional authorities across Europe are also introducing other initiatives to attract international talent: from scholarships to programmes for visiting researchers to the offer of university professorships or junior group leader roles. It remains to be seen how many of them will then choose Italia for their research, given that as highlighted in the latest Anvur report on higher education (on which see the Sole 24 Ore of 12 April) our country remains fifth in terms of its ability to win competitive research funding and has even been overtaken by the Netherlands. But that is another matter.