Twelve ERC Starting Grants for ETH Zurich

The European Research Council has awarded no fewer than a dozen ERC Starting Grants to ETH Zurich in the latest round of awards. Eight grants will go to established researchers at ETH, and four will go to scientists who will come to ETH Zurich now that the relevant ERC projects have been approved.

The projects will each receive an average of CHF 1.78 million in funding, with a total of CHF 21.4 million making its way to ETH Zurich.

First successful bid for architecture

Support will be given to projects in physics, materials science, earth sciences, social sciences and the humanities, mathematics, computer science and biosystems (see project descriptions below). Remarkably, this is the first time that one of the approved ETH project submissions has come from the field of architecture.

In total, 45 ETH researchers submitted applications for Starting Grants, achieving an above-average success rate of 26.7 percent when compared with the European average of 12.7 percent.

Besides the 12 selected projects, three of the submissions received a score of “A”, which means that the European Research Council considers these projects to be eligible for funding but is not in a position to finance them.

Another ERC Starting Grant is coming to ETH by way of a transfer. Biologist Helmuth Gehart was awarded the funding at his previous university in the Netherlands, but has since taken up a position at ETH Zurich and will carry out his ERC project here.

Europe’s central role in research funding

“In these challenging times, we consider ourselves lucky that Europe maintains such a high regard for research and funds it accordingly,” says Detlef Günther, ETH Vice President for Research, adding that this is by no means to be taken for granted.

It is uncertain whether Switzerland will remain associated with the European framework programme for research next year, and thus have the opportunity to participate in the ERC’s calls for proposals. The Horizon 2020 framework programme for research runs out at the end of this year, and participation in the successor programme, Horizon Europe (2021-2027), will require Switzerland and the EU to renew their bilateral research agreement. Horizon Europe will be endowed with EUR 100 billion, which represents a significant increase in the programme’s budget.

Switzerland’s association with the Horizon Europe programme also depends on the Swiss electorate’s decision on the limitation initiative. If this initiative is adopted, it would not only bring an end to the free movement of persons, but also endanger all seven Bilateral I agreements due to the guillotine clauses. For researchers working in Switzerland, this means they would no longer be able to participate directly in European research programmes.

“Adopting this initiative would exclude our researchers from the European research network, which would be a bitter setback to Switzerland’s status as a research location,” says Günther.

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