Success by the dozen
Twelve professors from ETH Zurich are to receive a prestigious ERC Advanced Grant. As a result, around 33 million Swiss Francs in European research funding will flow into ETH Zurich. It thus shares the top spot with the University of Oxford — no university has received more ERC Advanced Grants to date.
A simulation that should demonstrate how social behavioural patterns develop, new protein capsules that are able to transport medication easily, electrontransfer processes in new dimensions and research on microbial diversity in the soil — the list of ETH Zurich projects funded by the European Research Council (ERC) is long and varied. No fewer than twelve ETH Zurich researchers are to receive an ERC Advanced Grant and thus up to EUR 2.5 million for their projects in the next five years. Never before have so many professors from ETH Zurich been as successful in applying for Advanced Grants as in 2012. With the Advanced Grants, the ERC exclusively supports projects by established top-flight researchers, thus making them a special award. During the 2012 tendering stage, the ERC allocates a total of EUR 680 million to 302 scientists in 24 different countries.
Extraordinary success rate
As the sum of EUR 2.5 — or in exceptional cases 3.5 — million per project is very high, ERC Advanced Grants are highly coveted in the research community. In 2012, 2,300 projects by researchers throughout Europe were submitted. In order to receive one of the grants, however, a project has to undergo a strict selection process. It needs to be innovative, pioneering and based on a group's existing research activities. Consequently, only around 13 per cent of all projects submitted actually go on to receive funding in the end. With an average success rate of 23 per cent, Switzerland clearly stands out from the pack and is one of the most successful countries in the competition for the research funding. Of the projects submitted by ETH Zurich in the last five years, as many as 37 per cent were promoted by the European Research Council.
The last tender in 2012, however, exceeded all expectations: 46 per cent — in other words, practically one in two — of the projects submitted were awarded a grant. "The high success rate underlines the extraordinary quality of our researchers. We motivate and support our professors in submitting their projects, but without pushing them," explains Professor Roland Siegwart, Vice-President of Research and Corporate Relations.
CHF 110 million and top spot in Europe
At the end of 2012, the ERC Advanced Grants were awarded for the fifth time and ETH Zurich can look back on five very fruitful years. ETH Zurich researchers have received around 114 million Swiss Francs for their research projects from the ERC Advanced Grants alone, not to mention around 46 million Swiss Francs in ERC Starting Grants. With a total of 41 ERC Advanced Grants, ETH Zurich joins the University of Oxford (41 ERC Advanced Grants) in top position among European universities.
ERC Grants
As an EU institution, the European Research Council (ERC) finances basic research and has four grant funds at its disposal: the ERC Starting Grants go to young, innovative researchers who are looking to establish a research group, the talented young researchers receiving EUR 1.5 million for their projects. The ERC Advanced Grants are presented to established top-flight researchers and can thus be considered an award. The aim is to support researchers from all scientific disciplines and thus give them more elbowroom for scientific creativity. Up to EUR 3.5 million can be awarded to a single research project over a period of five years. In 2012 the ERC Synergy Grants announced for the second time that they were looking to promote more elaborate, interdisciplinary projects with up to EUR fifteen million over a period of six years. And these are now to be joined by the ERC Consolidator Grants, which are aimed at facilitating the transition from guided research to independent and autonomous research for young scientists. Contributions of up to EUR two million over a period of five years are planned; the deadline for submissions is 21 February 2013.