European Research Council (ERC)

The European Research Council (ERC) is an institution of the European Commission. It promotes groundbreaking research ideas from outstanding researchers in all fields of research. The decisive evaluation criterion is the scientific excellence of the submitted research project and the applicant, with complete openness to topics. In this way, the ERC supports researchers at various career stages through different funding lines.
Further information on the funding lines can also be found on the website of the European Research Council.
Starting Grant
Mit den ERC Starting Grants (ERC StG) unterstützt die Europäische Kommission die wissenschaftliche Unabhängigkeit exzellenter Nachwuchswissenschaftler*innen zwischen zwei und sieben Jahren nach der Promotion durch den Aufbau eines eigenen Forschungsteams.
Aktuell werden an der UMG die folgenden ERC StG-Projekte gefördert:
ERC Starting Grant: MitoRNA – Dr. Hauke Hillen
Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Hauke Hillen
Project title: Structural studies of the human mitochondrial RNA life cycle
Call: ERC-2023-STG
Duration: 01/2024-12/2028
Department: Department of Cellular Biochemistry
Further information: MitoRNA in CORDIS, Press release UMG
ERC Starting Grant: NeuSoSen – Dr. Jan Clemens
Principal Investigator: Dr. Jan Clemens
Project title: Neural Computations Underlying Social Behavior in Complex Sensory Environments
Call: ERC-2019-STG
Duration: 02/2020-01/2026
Department: European Neuroscience Institute
Further information: NeuSoSen in CORDIS
Consolidator Grant
With the ERC Consolidator Grant (ERC CoG) the European Commision supports excellent researchers who are at the stage of consolidating their own independent research team or programme. It targets researchers who have completed their PhD 7 to 12 years prior to the call deadline.
Currently, the following ERC CoG projects are being funded at the UMG:
ERC Consolidator Grant: cryoNERVE – Prof. Rubén Fernández Busnadiego
Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Rubén Fernández Busnadiego
Project title: In situ structural basis of human axonopathies
Call: ERC-2022-COG
Duration: 10/2023-09/2028
Department: Department of Neuropathology
Further information: Press article 01.02.2023
Advanced Grant
With the ERC Advanced Grants (ERC AdG), the European Commission supports established researchers who have distinguished themselves through an outstanding scientific career and groundbreaking pioneering research.
Currently, the following ERC AdG projects are being supported at the UMG:
ERC Advanced Grant: DynaHear – Prof. Dr. Tobias Moser
Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Tobias Moser
Project title: Solving the dynamic range problem of hearing: deciphering and harnessing cochlear mechanisms of sound intensity coding
Call: ERC-2021-ADG
Duration: 01/2023-12/2027
Department: Department of Auditory Neuroscience
Further information: Press article 26.04.2022
ERC Advanced Grant: MitoCRISTAE – Prof. Dr. Stefan Jakobs
Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Stefan Jakobs
Project title: Mitochondrial Cristae Biogenesis
Call: ERC-2018-ADG
Duration: 10/2019-09/2025
Department: Department of Neurology
Further information: Press release 19.06.2019
ERC Advanced Grant: MiXpress – Prof. Dr. Peter Rehling
Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Peter Rehling
Project title: Mitochondrial gene eXpression
Call: ERC-2021-ADG
Duration: 05/2023-04/2028
Department: Department of Cellular Biochemistry
Further information: Press article 05.10.2022
ERC Advanced Grant: T-Neuron – Prof. Dr. Alexander Flügel
Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Alexander Flügel
Project title: T-cell-induced immune programming and degeneration of the neuronal tissue during chronic autoimmunity
Duration: 09/2021-08/2026
Department: Department of Neuroimmunology and Multiple Sclerosis Research
Further information: T-Neuron in CORDIS
Synergy Grant
With the ERC Synergy Grants (ERC SyG), the European Commission supports particularly ambitious research projects that require the collaboration of multiple researchers.
ERC Synergy Grant: ENSEMBLE – Prof. Dr. Valentin Nägerl
Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Valentin Nägerl
Project title: Structure and functions of the brain extracellular space
Call: ERC-2020-SyG
Duration: 05/2021-04/2027
Department: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology
Further information: ENSEMBLE in CORDIS
ERC Synergy Grant: ULTRARESOLUTION – Prof. Dr. Silvio Rizzoli
Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Silvio Rizzoli
Project title: Beyond super-resolution: ultra-resolution imaging provides solutions for synapse physiology and brain pathology
Call: ERC-2020-SyG
Duration: 06/2021-05/2027
Department: Department of Neuro- and Sensory Physiology
Further information: Press release 05.11.2020
Proof of Concept Grant
With the ERC Proof of Concept Grants (PoC), the European Commission supports the further development of the results of an ongoing or already completed ERC Grant beyond the actual research. In the first step towards transfer, the commercial or societal potential of the ERC project is to be explored.
Currently, no ERC PoC projects are being supported at the UMG.
Former ERC Grants at UMG
ERC Starting Grant: DarkSide – Dr. Daniel Kaganovich
Principal Investigator: Dr. Daniel Kaganovich
Project title: Harnessing the Dark Side of Protein Folding: Manipulating Aggregation for Recombinant Protein Production
Duration: 11/2013-10/2019, thereof 11/2013-08/2017 at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, transfer to UMG 09/2017
Further information: DarkSide in CORDIS
ERC Starting Grant: MicroCyFly – Prof. Dr. Marion Silies
Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Marion Silies
Project title: Microcircuitry of the Drosophila Visual System
Duration: 07/2017 – 03/2023 (01/2019 Transfer to JGU Mainz)
Further information: MicroCyFly in CORDIS
ERC Starting Grant: MitoPexLysoNETWORK – Dr. Nuno Filipe Viegas Das Neves Raimundo
Principal Investigator: Dr. Nuno Filipe Viegas Das Neves Raimundo
Project title: Mitochondria, Peroxisomes and Lysosomes - the ménage à trois of cellular metabolism
Duration: 02/2014-07/2019
Further information: MitoPexLysoNETWORK in CORDIS
ERC Starting Grant: MU Tuning – Prof. Dr. Till Marquardt
Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Till Marquardt
Project title: Fine Tuning the Final Common Pathway: Molecular Determinants of Motor Unit Development and Plasticity
Duration: 11/2012 – 10/2017 (01/2017 Transfer an Universitätsklinikum Aachen)
Further information: MU Tuning in CORDIS
ERC Starting Grant: Nanomap – Prof. Dr. Silvio Rizzoli
Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Silvio Rizzoli
Project title: The Synapse Nanomap
Duration: 09/2008 – 08/2013
Further information: Nanomap in CORDIS
ERC Starting Grant: NovelNMDA – Dr. Brett Carter
Principal Investigator: Dr. Brett Carter
Project title: Novel NMDA receptor signaling in cortical synaptic depression
Duration: 02/2019-01/2025
Further information: NovelNMDA in CORDIS
ERC Starting Grant: RewardedPerception - Dr. Arezoo Pooresmaeili
Principal Investigator: Dr. Arezoo Pooresmaeili
Project title: Functional circuits mediating the effects of reward value on perception within and across sensory modalities
Duration: 02/2017-04/2023
Further information: RewardedPerception in CORDIS
ERC Starting Grant: Syt Activity – Dr. Camin Dean
Principal Investigator: Dr. Camin Dean
Project title: Modulation of synaptic plasticity and circuit function by regulation of neurotrophin exocytosis
Duration: 04/2011 – 03/2016
Further information: Syt Activity in CORDIS
ERC Starting Grant: VarPL – Dr. Caspar M. Schwiedrzik
Principal Investigator: Dr. Caspar M. Schwiedrzik
Project title: Specificity or generalization? Neural mechanisms for perceptual learning with variability
Duration: 02/2019-01/2025
Further information: VarPL in CORDIS
ERC Consolidator Grant: Code4Vision – Prof. Dr. Tim Gollisch
Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Tim Gollisch
Project title: Computational Dissection of Effective Circuitry and Encoding in the Retina for Normal and Restored Vision
Call: ERC-2016-COG
Duration: 06/2017-11/2022
Further information: Code4Vision in CORDIS
ERC Consolidator Grant: NeuroMolAnatomy – Prof. Dr. Silvio Rizzoli
Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Silvio Rizzoli
Project title: The Molecular Anatomy of Neurons
Duration: 04/2014-03/2019
Further information: NeuroMolAnatomy in CORDIS
ERC Advanced Grant: DEMOVE – Prof. Dr. Dario Farina
Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Dario Farina
Project title: Decoding the neural code of human movements for a new generation of man-machine interfaces
Duration: 07/2011-06/2016
Further information: DEMOVE in CORDIS
ERC Advanced Grant: MITRAC – Prof. Dr. Peter Rehling
Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Peter Rehling
Project title: Mitochondrial translational regulation coupled to respiratory chain assembly and protein import
Duration: 02/2014-01/2019
Further information: MITRAC in CORDIS
ERC Advanced Grant: OptoHear – Prof. Dr. Tobias Moser
Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Tobias Moser
Project title: Cochlear Optogenetics for Auditory Research and Prosthetics
Duration: 12/2015-02/2022
Further information: OptoHear in CORDIS
ERC Proof of Concept Grant: OptoWave – Prof. Dr. Tobias Moser
Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Tobias Moser
Project title: Waveguide-based Cochlear Implant for Optogenetic Stimulation
Duration: 03/2023-08/2024
Further information: OptoWave in CORDIS