UAntwerp secures four ERC grants
Young scientists receive prestigious European funding for their research projects
Four young scientists of the University of Antwerp – philosopher Bence Nanay, immunologist Emanuela Pasciuto, sociologist Tijs Laenen and epidemiologist Joseph Nelson Siewe Fodjo – have been awarded funding from the European Research Council for the years ahead. These grants are amongst the most prestigious that can be awarded to a researcher.
Every year, the European Commission frees up large budgets for groundbreaking scientific research. Amongst other things, it awards funding through the European Research Council (ERC). This includes grants for promising postdoctoral researchers, for experienced scientists and for collaboration projects between scientists from different countries. In past years, quite some researchers of the University of Antwerp already received ERC funding.
On 5 September, Europe announced the names of the scientists that secured a Starting Grant. The EU allocated a total of 780 million euros to 494 different research projects. Three scientists at the University of Antwerp have been awarded the grant: immunologist Emanuela Pasciuto, epidemiologist Joseph Nelson Siewe Fodjo and sociologist Tijs Laenen. Each of them is receiving around 1.5 million euros for a five-year research project.
Bridging the gap
Professor Emanuela Pasciuto (VIB-UAntwerp Center for Molecular Neurology) will focus on the impact of the environment on the interaction between the immune system and the brain. Her work could lead to new treatments for neurodevelopmental disorders. Dr Joseph Nelson Siewe Fodjo, postdoctoral researchers at UAntwerp’s Global Health Institute, will conduct research into filariasis, a tropical disease that is mainly spread by mosquitos. Dr Tijs Laenen, postdoctoral researcher at KU Leuven, will conduct research into the concept of the basic income at UAntwerp’s Centre for Social Policy. His focus will be on the conditions under which policymakers respond to public opinion on the basic income.
In addition to the three Starting Grants, there was also good news for Professor Bence Nanay, who’s affiliated to the Centre for Philosophical Psychology at UAntwerp. The philosopher has been awarded a Proof of Concept Grant worth 150,000 euros. These grants are intended to help researchers bridge the gap between their fundamental research and its possible commercialisation. Nanay wants to develop techniques to train blind people’s visual cortexes, which would enable them to move around in a more efficient way.
Champions League
Maarten Weyn, the brand-new Vice-Rector of Research and Impact at the University of Antwerp, is happy with the four new ERC laureates. ‘If you secure a grant like that, you’re playing in the Champions League,’ says Weyn. ‘In recent years, quite some of our researchers managed to snap up this European funding. It’s great that they are now joined by four more researchers. You can’t put a price on the international appeal of these grants.’