In a European comparison, the Max Planck Society ranks second
On September 5, 2024, young researchers from Max Planck Institutes secured 16 of the 98 ERC Starting Grants awarded to Germany. These prestigious grants, each averaging €1.5 million, will enable recipients to support their research groups for five years. Additionally, the funding aims to empower them to launch independent projects and lead their own teams, fostering innovative research ideas.
© ERC
In Europe, the Max Planck Society ranks second, just behind France's CNRS, which received 25 grants. The Helmholtz Association follows in third place with 13 grants.
Germany led Europe with 98 grants in total, followed by the Netherlands with 51. Of the 3,474 proposals submitted across Europe, 494 were approved, with a total funding of €780 million. Notably, 44% of this year's Starting Grants went to female researchers, up from 43% in 2023 and 39% in 2022. The ERC Starting Grants are part of the EU's Horizon Europe research and innovation program.
This year's ERC Starting Grant recipients are:
Chemistry, Physics & Technology
Max Gronke - Resolving the Multiscale, Multiphase Universe
MPI for Astrophysics
Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter
Jad Halmeh - Quantum simulation of far-from-equilibrium gauge theories
Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics
MPI for the Science of Light
John Molloy - Illuminating Routes to 3D Organoboron Molecules
Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces
Fritz Haber Institute
Vera Schäfer - Search for physics beyond the standard model with highly charged ions
Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
Libor Šmejkal - Magnetic counterparts of unconventional superconductors for spin-conserved and nondissipative electronics
MPI of Microstructure Physics
Paul Strohmeier - Kinesthetic Displays: Creating Embodied Experiences of Movement Using Vibrotactile Feedback
MPI for Informatics
MPI of Microstructure Physics
Biology & Medicine
MPI for Marine Microbiology
Anna Schröder - Internal state drivers of behavioral flexibility and their underlying neural circuitry in the zona incerta
MPI for Brain Research
Anna Stempel - Brainstem circuits supporting adaptive instinctive behaviours
MPI for Brain Research
Humanities and Social Sciences
MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology
MPI for the Studies of Societies
Charley Wu - Compositional Compression in Cognition and Culture
MPI for Human Development
