The results of the 2023 European Research Council (ERC) Advancd Grant call (call deadline 23 May 2023) were published. Advanced Grants are open to active researchers who have a track-record of significant research achievements in the last 10 years. The Principal Investigators (PIs) should be exceptional leaders in terms of originality and significance of their research contributions.

Proposals are evaluated in 27 evaluation panels in three research domains (Physical Sciences and Engineering, Social Sciences and Humanities and Life Sciences) composed of top scientists and scholars coming from all over the world and in addition by remote referees with necessary specialised expertise (two to five per proposal).

Of the 1829 submitted proposals 255 researchers with 32 different nationalities received an ERC Advanced Grant: 75 In Life Sciences, 107 in Physical Sciences and Engineering and 73 in Social Sciences and Humanities. In the ERCEA news articles more background on the evaluation results, call statistics and several project examples are highlighted.

However the statistics and list of successful candidates for this call are provisional since the UK will only be formally associated to Horizon Europe as of 1 January 2024 and the association would apply only for award procedures implementing 2024 budget and onwards. For this and other calls from the 2023 Work Programme, the transitional arrangement applies and the recommended for funding UK-based applicants may receive EU funding if they choose to transfer their proposal to an eligible Host Institution.

Among the 255 selected researchers are eight based at Flemish host institutions. The projects of these eight Principal Investigators (PIs) are presented in the news articles of Universiteit Gent, KU Leuven and VIB.

• Tijl De Bie, Universiteit Gent, “VIGILIA VIrtual GuardIan AngeLs for the post-truth Information Age”, panel Physical Sciences and Engineering 6
• Luc De Raedt, KU Leuven, “DeepLog - Deep Probabilistic Logics”, panel Physical Sciences and Engineering 6
• Stefaan Poedts, KU Leuven, “Open SESAME - Open Superior Efficient Solar Atmosphere Model Extension”, panel Physical Sciences and Engineering 9
• Jan Steyaert, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, “Allosteris - Allosteric modulation of immune checkpoint complexes as a new mode of therapeutic intervention in immunotherapy”, panel Life Sciences 6
• Greet Van den Berghe, KU Leuven, “AdrenalWeakness - Concomitant Reversal of Adrenal Insufficiency and Muscle Weakness to Enhance Recovery from Prolonged Critical Illness”, panel Life Sciences 7
• Kevin Van Geem, Universiteit Gent, “e-CRACKER - Revolutionizing Olefin Production with the electric High Mach Steam Cracking Reactor”, panel Physical Sciences and Engineering 8
• Peter Van Nuffelen, Universiteit Gent, “New Polities - New Polities. Political thought in the first millennium”, panel Social Sciences and Humanities 6
• Stijn Vansteelandt, Universiteit Gent, “ACME - Assumption-Lean (Causal) Modelling and Estimation: A Paradigm Shift from Traditional Statistical Modelling”, panel Physical Sciences and Engineering 1