The results of the 2025 European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant call (call deadline 14 January 2025) were published. Consolidator Grants are open to researchers with 7-12 years of experience since completion of PhD (extensions are possible under certain documented circumstances), a scientific track record showing great promise and an excellent research proposal.

Proposals are evaluated in 28 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 3121 submitted proposals 349 researchers with 44 different nationalities received an ERC Consolidator Grant: 93 In Life Sciences, 141 in Physical Sciences and Engineering and 115 in Social Sciences and Humanities. In the ERCEA news articles more background on the evaluation results, call statistics and several project examples are highlighted.

Among the 349 selected researchers are nine based at Flemish host institutions. The projects of these nine Principal Investigators (PIs) are presented in the news articles of Universiteit Gent, KU Leuven, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and imec.

Isabel Beets, KU Leuven, NEUROPEPTALK - Functional Coding of Neuropeptide Signaling Networks in Learning, panel Life Sciences 5

Frederik Dhondt, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, TREATYLAB - The Labyrinth of Treaties, 1712-1763. International Law Behind the Scenes of Early Enlightenment Diplomacy, panel Social Sciences and Humanities 2

Thomas Jagau, KU Leuven, UNBOUND TWO - Theory of nonradiative decay with two or more electrons at play, panel Physical Sciences and Engineering 4

Jonathan Leliaert, Universiteit Gent, THERMAGINE - Engineering thermal (in)stability in heteromagnetic nanostructures, panel Physical Sciences and Engineering 11

Ine Lentacker, Universiteit Gent, My-NANO - Advancing NANOmedicines to rewire tumoral MYeloid cells for next-generation cancer immunotherapies, panel Life Sciences 7

Anton Potocnik, IMEC, SuperQold - Scalable superconducting Qubit readout with millikelvin detection, panel Physical Sciences and Engineering 7

Yentl Swolfs, KU Leuven, CRACKAR - Off-axis crack arrest by harnessing micro- and mesostructural design, panel Physical Sciences and Engineering 11

Nele Vandersickel, Universiteit Gent, TOPOHEART - Topology for understanding the paired nature of cardiac arrhythmia, panel Life Sciences 7

Sarah Verhulst, Universiteit Gent, InSilicoEars - Unlocking bio-inspired machine hearing and accelerating personalized hearing technologies, panel Physical Sciences and Engineering 7