12 Nov 2026
ERC awards €500 million to 48 teams tackling major scientific challenges
The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded €500 million in Synergy Grants to support 48 ambitious research projects. Bringing together 172 leading researchers, the funded teams will combine complementary expertise to tackle scientific challenges that no single researcher could address alone.
The projects span a wide range of frontier research topics, from making infrastructure more sustainable and durable to exploring whether quantum computers can solve highly complex problems. Other teams will investigate how migration shapes language learning in early childhood and whether light-based therapies can help restore sight.
This year’s call attracted 957 proposals, with approximately one in twenty selected for funding. The successful projects will involve universities and research centres in 26 countries across Europe and beyond. The United Kingdom (23), Germany (22), France (14) and the United States (12) have the highest numbers of projects involving their institutions. 5 researchers based in Austrian institutions are involved in 4 successful projects.
The grants also underline the importance of international scientific collaboration: around 35% of the selected projects involve researchers based outside the EU and countries associated with Horizon Europe, most of them in the United States.