The number of early career researchers based outside Europe who have won European Research Council (ERC) grants has almost doubled in a year, with nearly all the overseas academics coming from the US.
A total of 21 non-European researchers were awarded ERC Starting Grants in the latest round, up from 11 last year, with 20 of this year’s winners currently based in the US and one in Canada. The prestigious grants offer individual awards of up to €1.5 million (£1.3 million) over five years for early career researchers.
Academics from the US and Canada accounted for about 5 per cent of all successful applicants compared with 2.3 per cent of overseas researchers last year. The sharp rise comes as the European Commission has stepped up efforts to attract overseas researchers. Policymakers are looking to make Europe a more appealing destination for international researchers as concerns grow over academic freedom and cuts to federal research in the US.
Ekaterina Zaharieva, European commissioner for startups, research and innovation, said she was “particularly pleased” that 21 researchers currently based in the US and Canada planned to relocate to Europe.
“Their decision reflects Europe’s growing appeal for frontier research and is an encouraging sign that the EU’s Choose Europe initiative is helping to attract the next generation of scientific talent,” she added.
