Academics from outside Europe can also apply to the European Research Council (ERC) for a grant. To attract more international top talent, the ERC decided last year to make additional funding available.
On top of a standard ERC grant, researchers from outside the EU can receive an extra two million euros to set up a laboratory or research team in Europe. The scheme is open to academics worldwide, but is primarily aimed at those from the US.
The budget was increased after President Donald Trump launched an attack on academic freedom in the US. Research on diversity, equity and inclusion in particular has come under pressure.As a result, growing numbers of academics are considering continuing their work elsewhere, including in Europe.
‘Sharp increase’
According to the ERC, there has been a ‘sharp increase’ in the number of applications from researchers based in the US. For the ‘starting grants’ for early-career academics, applications rose from 116 last year to 169 this year. For the ‘consolidator grants’ aimed at more established academics, the number increased from 19 to 64. For the ‘advanced grants’, intended for leading researchers, applications jumped from 23 to 114.
Bear in mind that these are applications. It remains to be seen how many US researchers will actually receive funding. A successful application can earn an individual researcher between 1.5 and 2.5 million euros in funding.
Super grant
Last year, the President of the European Commission also announced plans to invest even more in attracting top academics. A new ‘super grant’ was to be introduced, capable of funding seven years of research. It has now been confirmed that the grant will be worth seven million euros.
In response to the Trump administration’s increasingly hostile stance towards science, the Netherlands has also launched a 50-million-euro programme to support threatened academics from the US and other countries. The Dutch Research Council (NWO) expects to announce at the end of June which researchers will receive funding from its ‘Tulip Fund’.