Irish University Researchers among awardees from European Research Council 2020 Advanced Grants Programme


Gerry O'Sullivan

Posted: 26 May, 2021

Four Irish researchers, 3 from Trinity College Dublin and 1 from University College Dublin are among 209 awardees under the European Research Council’s 2020 Advanced Grants programme.  Total funding worth €507 million will support research efforts to provide new insights into many subjects, such as the links between obesity and pancreatic cancer, threats from wildlife viruses, brain-inspired neural network computer chips, and new ways for architects to design the buildings of the future.

Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: “The awarding of more than 200 ERC Advanced Grants in key scientific areas will help boost our scientific research and innovation capacity, for the benefit of all EU citizens. We will be able to continue and reinforce investments with the forthcoming Horizon Europe ERC work programmes. I am also pleased to see more women applying for these prestigious grants and winning them.”

Apart from strengthening Europe’s knowledge base, the new research projects, the last under Horizon 2020, will also lead to the creation of some 1,900 new jobs for post-doctoral fellows, PhD students and other research staff. The future grantees will carry out their projects at universities and research centres across 14 EU Member States and associated countries with the UK (51 grants), Germany (40), France (22) and Netherlands (17) hosting the highest number of grants.

For potential applicants

Researchers who would like to compete for an ERC Advanced Grant have from 20 May to 31 August 2021 to apply for the next round of funding.  More information about the funding and applications.

Further Information



ResearcherHigher Education InstitutionAcronymTitlePanel
Jennifer McElwainTrinity College DublinTERRAFORMThe evolution of land plant
functional traits and how
they terraformed Earth		PE10
Daniel KellyTrinity College Dublin4D -BOUNDARIESPrinting spatially and
temporally defined
boundaries to direct the
self-organization of cells
and cellular aggregates to
engineer functional tissues		PE8
Séamus MartinTrinity College DublinDESTRESSDeath Receptors as
Integrators of Stress induced inflammation		LS4
Kathleen James ChakrabortyUniversity College Dublin Expanding AgencyExpanding Agency:
Women, Race and the
Global Dissemination of
Modern Architecture		SH5

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