EU Grants Further €7.5 Million to Help 50 Scientists Bring Research Findings to Market
The EU keeps acting to turn Europe’s world-class research into success. The European Research Council (ERC) is awarding 50 ERC grant holders with additional funding of up to €150,000 each to test the commercial or societal potential of their original projects.
Commissioner Carlos Moedas said: “The grants awarded show how we can transform top science into practical innovations that will benefit everyone. Investing in research and innovation means we’re investing in EU’s future. That’s why we’ve proposed to switch our ambition to even higher gear in creating Horizon Europe, EU’s next research and innovation programme, boosting its funding up to an unprecedented EUR 100 billion and completing the European Innovation Council.”
The ERC ‘Proof of Concept’ grants just awarded help researchers explore new business opportunities, prepare patent applications or verify the practical viability of scientific concepts. The grants cover research on a variety of topics.
Rewarded projects include for instance, one uncovering how social media algorithms actually work, developing organoid tests for late stage cancer, and creating low-cost greener batteries. The grants, awarded three times a year, are part of the EU’s research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020.
