Italian researchers first in the 2020 ranking of the prestigious Consolidator Grants of the European Research Council (ERC).
With 47 winning projects, the Italian researchers precede German (45), French (27), English (24) colleagues, and outdistance the Spanish, the Dutch (21) and the Irish 20. Compared to last year, the Italian winners have doubled (they were 23). Interesting fact of this edition is also the perfect gender distribution of the Italian winners, men and women are equal, while in the other countries men almost always prevail (in total 206 to 121). The Consolidator Grants award awarded researchers up to € 2 million over a period of 5 years. Researchers with 7-12 years of experience since obtaining the PhD can participate in this annual call – by submitting a detailed project. Funds awarded by ERC to winners must be spent in a European research institution or one of the countries associated with the program.
In the ranking of countries that will host the projects, Italy is only 8th: only 17 Italian institutions involved; the other projects of the Italian researchers will take place abroad. Worthy of note is the result of the IIT of Genoa which sees two of its scientists (Barbara Mazzolai and Andrea Toma) on the list of winners. Double is also the recognition that Bocconi University in Milan takes home.
Statistics ERC CG 2020 https://erc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/document/file/erc-2020-cog-statistics.pdf
SOURCE (Innovitalia)