ERC Starting Grant

Physics, climate, markets and society: who are the four record-breaking researchers in Milan?

The European Research Council (ERC) announced today the winners of the Starting Grant funding. Milan has four recipients: two at Bocconi, one at Bicocca and one at the University of Milan

3 September 2026

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EURISK - The history of climate risk management in the European Union, M4E - Market-based solutions for environmental challenges, TANGO, Transducer antenna for a noiseless gravitational observatory, UNEQUALGEN - Generations and political inequality in ageing democracies: these are four of the winning projects from the Starting Grant funding programme, which will be developed at universities in Milan.

The announcement was made today, 3 September 2026, by the European Research Council (ERC), Europe’s leading organisation for funding research of excellence. The award is open to researchers of any nationality with up to ten years’ experience since completing their PhD.

For the current year, the ERC has recorded a record number of proposals, reaching almost five thousand. Of these, according to data reported on the Institute’s official website, only 8.8 per cent were awarded funding.
Of the 421 European researchers awarded grants, four are based in Milan: Matteo Borghesi, University of Milan-Bicocca, Grace Ballor and Matthias Rodemeier, Bocconi University, and Mathilde M. Van Ditmars, University of Milan.

Tango

A new generation of gravitational wave detectors, measuring just a few tens of centimetres and capable of operating at temperatures close to absolute zero: this is the aim of the Tango project, designed to detect as yet unexplored cosmic phenomena using an instrument small enough to fit on a table.

Thanks to the ERC Starting Grant, Matteo Borghesi will have €1,499,312 at his disposal to continue his work and set up his own team of researchers.
“This frequency band – that of high-frequency gravitational waves, ranging from 100 kHz to 10 MHz – is particularly interesting because it is relatively quiet: very few known sources are capable of producing gravitational waves at these frequencies and, despite increasing experimental efforts, no signal has yet been observed. – explains the researcher specialising in experimental physics – “the unequivocal detection of a signal in this region would represent a far-reaching discovery, with the potential to transform our understanding of the Universe.”

Eurisk

Researcher Grace Bellor challenges the narrative of climate inaction by demonstrating how European institutions, businesses, insurance companies and the courts have been seeking to anticipate and mitigate the economic consequences of climate change since the 1990s.
Eurisk will present a unique historical framework aimed at reconstructing the developments, definition and contestation of climate costs through, for example, analysing the approaches adopted by supranational institutions to integrate climate risk into decision-making, and the adaptation of business strategies and supply chains to rising climate costs.
In addition, Bellor will work on creating public databases, archival interviews, a monthly podcast and annual policy briefings. The project will be based at Bocconi University’s Dondena Research Centre.

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M4E

M4E stems from a question: ‘What is the role of private markets in sectors with incomplete environmental regulation?’. In his research, Matthias Rodemeier will also examine mitigation markets that prevent pollution, as well as adaptation markets that help market participants adapt to pollution and heatwaves. Both types of market could have a positive impact on environmental policy, but their potential remains untapped in terms of information.
M4E will investigate whether better market design – through information disclosure, monitoring and contract design – can make these private markets more effective for the environment.

The project will involve large-scale field trials, personalised advice using artificial intelligence, and the development of a new algorithmic payment mechanism to compensate workers fairly based on environmental health risks. The various phases focus on studying emissions from carbon offsets.
Rodemeier will be based at Bocconi University’s Baffi Research Centre.

Unequalgen

An investigation into the political implications of an ageing population and generational differences: this is how the project by Van Ditmars is presented.

The political sociologist Mathilde M. Van Ditmars will analyse intergenerational political divisions in seven Western European democracies, including Italia, in relation to public policy. The aim is to examine how ageing societies can strengthen democracy by responding to current social changes.

“My project aims to study inequalities both between and within generations, analysing how these conditions influence political divisions and democratic representation,” explained Van Ditmars. The study will be carried out at the University of Milan.

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