(c) Fotolia

With 5 Inserm researchers awarded grants under the Starting Grants 2016 call for proposals from the European Research Council (ERC) in life sciences, and 4 grants awarded to researchers working in its joint research units, Inserm is confirmed as the leading biomedical research institution in Europe. In the life sciences, France is in second place, just behind Germany.

The ERC Starting Grants are issued every year by the European Research Council. They are intended for excellent young researchers with 2-7 years’ experience in a European research structure following their PhD. This year, 99 projects were selected by ERC in the life sciences field, including 9 conducted by researchers or lecturer-researchers working at Inserm.

Funding of up to €1.5 million per grant (a total of €485 million for the 325 people awarded grants on foot of this call for proposals) will be disbursed over a period of up to 5 years. It will enable the young researchers to build their team by recruiting post-doctoral fellows and PhD students to carry out their research project.

“I extend my congratulations to all those awarded grants under the ERC ‘Starting Grants’ 2016 call for proposals. They embody the excellence of research at Inserm, and the new generation of researchers that our policy aims to encourage,” emphasises Yves Lévy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Inserm. “Following their success, I invite researchers to submit their ideas for the next ERC ‘Starting Grant’ call for proposals, 2017, which will close on 18 October next.”

Inserm grantees:
Amélie Bonnefond
Mathilde Bonnefond
Nabila Bouatia-Naji
Léon Kautz
Timothy Wai

Grantees working in Inserm joint structures:
Hubert Cochet (University of Bordeaux)
Luc Friboulet (Gustave Roussy Institute)
Harry Sokol (UPMC)
Adam Williamson (Aix Marseille University)