The European Research Council provides funding for frontier science, irrespective of thematic priorities and within all disciplines. The sole evaluation criterion for proposals is scientific excellence. The funding of the ERC is highly prestigious and is open for researchers from all domains and nationalities.
ERC grants are to be taken up in a European host country but are open to researchers of any nationality.
There are currently five types of grants for which the ERC publishes annual calls for proposals.
Acquired ERC Grants
The researchers below have previously received ERC funding for their work at the University of Antwerp:
Synergy Grants
- Sara Bals - Department of Physics
Research Group: Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT)
Project: Handshake Complexes of Chiral Nanoparticles and Proteins (CHIRAL-PRO)
Call: ERC-2024-SyG
Duration: 01/04/2025 – 31/03/2031 - Annemie Bogaerts - Department of Chemistry
Research group: Plasma, Laser Ablation and Surface Modelling - ANTwerp (PLASMANT)
Project: Surface-confined fast-modulated Plasma for Process and Energy Intensification in Small Molecule Conversion (SCOPE)
Call: ERC-2018-SyG
Duration: 01/04/2019 – 31/03/2025
- Ivan Janssens - Department of Biology
Research Group: Plants and Ecosystems (PLECO)
Project: Effect of phosphorous limitations on life, society and the earth system (IMBALANCE-P)
Call: ERC-2013-SyG
Duration: 01/09/2014 – 31/08/2019
Advanced Grants
- Joke Hadermann – Faculty of Science
Research group: Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Project: Resolving Evolving Aspects of Crystal Structure Transformations (REACT)
Call: ERC-2024-AdG
Duration: 01/12/2025 – 30/11/2030 -
Annelies Van Rie – Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Research group: Social Epidemiology & Health Policy (SEHPO) & Global Health Institute (GHI)
Project: Direct on Sputum Sequencing to Interrupt Transmission of Rifampicin Resistant Tuberculosis (DiSrupT RR-TB)
Call: ERC-2024-AdG
Duration: 01/01/2026 – 31/12/2030 - Dirk Van Hulle – Faculty of Arts
Research group: Antwerp Centre for Digital humanities and literary Criticism (ACDC)
Project: Modernist Authors' Reading: Genesis in Authors' Libraries (MARGINAL)
Call: ERC-2024-AdG
Duration: 01/01/2026 – 31/12/2030
- Dimitri Mortelmans – Department of Sociology
Research Group: Centre for Population, Family and Health
Project: Singleton trajectories. Understanding new life course paths of young adults (SINGLETON).
Call: ERC-2021-AdG
Duration: 01/03/2023 - 29/02/2028
- Stefaan Walgrave - Department of Politics
Research Group: Media, Movement and Politics (M2P)
Project: How politicians evaluate public opinion (POLEVPOP)
Call: ERC-2020-AdG
Duration: 01/01/2022 - 31/12/2027
- Robert (Bob) Colebunders - Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Research Group: Epidemiology and Social Medicine (ESOC)
Project: Nodding Syndrome: a trans-disciplinary approach to identify the cause and decrease the incidence of river epilepsy (NSETHIO)
Call: ERC-2014-AdG
Duration: 01/10/2015 – 30/09/2020
- Stefaan Walgrave - Department of Politics
Research Group: Media, Movement and Politics (M2P)
Project: Information-processing by individual political actors. The determinants of exposure, attention and action in a comparative perspective (INFOPOL)
Call: ERC-2011-AdG
Duration: 01/10/2012 – 30/09/2017 - Gustaaf (Staf) Van Tendeloo - Department of Physics
Research Group: Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Project: Counting atoms in nanomaterials (COUNTATOMS)
Call: ERC-2010-AdG
Duration: 01/01/2010 – 31/12/2014 - Reinhart Ceulemans - Department of Biology
Research Group: Plants and Ecosystems (PLECO)
Project: System analysis of a bio-energy plantation: full greenhouse gas balance and energy accounting (POPFULL)
Call: ERC-2008-AdG
Duration: 01/03/2009 – 31/10/2014
Consolidator Grants
- Elisabetta Costa - Department of Communication Studies
Research Group: Visual and Digital Cultures Research Center (ViDi)
Project: Remote Work and Social Change: An Anthropological Approach (ReWorkChange)
Call: ERC-2024-CoG
Duration: 01/05/2025 – 30/04/2030
- Ben Jeurissen – Faculty of Sciences
Research Group: Vision lab
Project: A Data-driven Approach to Microstructural Imaging (ADAMI)
Call: ERC-2023-CoG
Duration: 01/05/2024 – 30/04/2029 - Tom Breugelmans– Faculty of Applied Engineering
Research Group: Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)
Project: In-depth understanding of multiphase mass transfer in CO2 electrolyzers through application of engineered, ordered reactor components (TRANSCEND)
Call: ERC-2022-CoG
Duration: 01/04/2024 – 31/03/2029 - Wendy Lowen - Department of Mathematics & Computer Science
Research Group: Fundamental Mathematics
Project: Foundations for Higher and Curved Noncommutative Algebraic Geometry (FHiCuNCAG)
Call: ERC-2018-COG
Duration: 01/06/2019 – 31/05/2024
- Sara Bals - Department of Physics
Research Group: Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT)
Project: 3D Structure of Nanomaterials under Realistic Conditions (REALNANO)
Call: ERC-2018-COG
Duration: 01/05/2019 – 30/04/2024
- Sandra Van Aert - Faculty of Sciences
Research Group: Electron Microscopy for Material Science (EMAT)
Project: Picometer metrology for light-element nanostructures: making every electron count (PICOMETRICS)
Call: ERC-2017-COG
Duration: 01/05/2018 – 30/04/2023 - Bart Loeys - Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Research Group: Medical Genetics (MEDGEN)
Project: Genomic Modifiers of Inherited Aortapathy (GENOMIA)
Call: ERC-2017-COG
Duration: 01/01/2019 – 31/12/2023
- Bence Nanay - Faculty of Arts
Research Group: Centre for Philosophical Pshychology
Project: Seeing things you don’t see: Unifying the philosophy, psychology and neuroscience of multimodal mental imagery (STYDS)
Call: ERC-2016-COG
Duration: 01/09/2017 – 31/08/2022
- Niel Hens - Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Research Group: Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO)
Project: Translational and Transdisciplinary research in Modeling Infectious Diseases” (TransMID)
Call: ERC-2015-COG
Duration: 01/10/2016 – 30/09/2021
- Jan Beyers - Department of Political Sciences
Research Group: Antwerp Centre for Institutions and Multi-Level Politics (ACIM)
Project: Understanding contemporary interest group politics: mobilization and strategies in multi-layered systems (iBias)
Call: ERC-2013-COG
Duration: 01/09/2014 – 31/08/2019
Starting Grants
- Sebastiaan De Schepper – Faculteit Farmaceutische, Biomedische en Diergeneeskundige Wetenschappen
Onderzoeksgroep: VIB Centrum voor Moleculaire Neurologie – Laboratorium voor Immunologisch Onderzoek naar de Darm-Brein-As
Project: Breaking Barriers: Peripheral Immune Mechanisms in Early Parkinson's Disease (PRIME-PD)
Oproep: ERC-2025-StG
Looptijd: 01/01/2026 – 31/12/2030
- Julie Sevenans – Faculty of Social Sciences
Research group: Media, Movements, and Politics (M²P)
Project: How The Emotions of Politicians Explain their Representative Behavior (TEMPER)
Call: ERC-2025-StG
Duration: 01/01/2026 – 31/12/2030
- Emanuela Pasciuto - Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences
Research group: VIB Center for Molecular Neurology – Neuroimmunology
Project: Immune mechanisms of experience induced brain plasticity: the contribution of brain resident T cells (ENRICH T-BRAIN)
Call: ERC-2024-StG
Duration: 01/01/2025 – 31/12/2029
- Maurits Meijers – Faculty of Social Sciences
Research group: Media, Movements, and Politics (M²P)
Project: Deception in Democracy: Political Lying Accusations and Their Effects on Democratic Citizenship (DEMO-LIES)
Call: ERC-2024-StG
Duration: 01/08/2025 – 31/07/2030
- Lisa Suckert – Faculty of Social Sciences
Research group: Centre for Research on Environmental and Social Change (CRESC)
Project: Understanding the Role of Economic Imagination for Advancing Decarbonization in Europe (REIMAGINE)
Call: ERC-2024-StG
Duration: 01/04/2025 – 31/03/2030
- Joseph Nelson Siewe Fodjo – Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Research Group: Global Health Institute (GHI)
Project: Investigating virus-induced morbidity in filarial infections (VILARIA)
Call: ERC-2024-StG
Duration: 01/02/2025 – 31/01/2030
- Tijs Laenen – Faculty of Social Sciences
Research group: Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy (CSB)
Project: Unravelling the Politics of Basic Income: How Responsive Are Policymakers to Public Opinion? (BI-RESPONS)
Call: ERC-2024-StG
Duration: 01/02/2025 – 31/01/2030
- Aline Verstraeten– Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Research Group: Medical Genetics (MEDGEN)
Project: Pushing Boundaries in Pre-clinical Aortopathy Research (BREAK-OUT)
Call: ERC-2023-StG
Duration: 01/09/2024 – 31/08/2029 - Gamze Erdem Türkelli– Faculty of Law
Research Group: Law & Development
Project: GovErning humaN rights through partnErShIpS: investigating the normative and operational interface of international law and multistakeholder governance (GENESIS)
Call: ERC-2023-StG
Duration: 01/01/2024 – 31/12/2028 - Jonas Hereijgers – Faculty of Applied Engineering
Research Group: Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)
Project: Redox flow batteries charging tomorrow’s world through the in-depth understanding and enhanced control over battery hydrodynamics (RECHARGE)
Call: ERC-2023-StG
Duration: 01/01/2024 – 31/12/2028 - Renzo Mancuso – Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences
Research group: VIB Center for Molecular Neurology - Microglia and Inflammation in Neurological Disorders (MIND) lab
Project: Deciphering the microglia-neuron interactions in human Alzheimer's disease (XenoMicrogliaAD)
Call: ERC-2022-StG
Duration: 01/01/2023 – 31/12/2027 - Moisés Kopper - Institute of Development Policy (IOB)
Research Group: Development processes, actors and policies
Project: Informational Citizenship: Toward a Global Ethnography of Practices and Infrastructures of Datafication in the Global South (InfoCitizen)
Call: ERC-2022-StG
Duration: 01/07/2023 – 30/06/2028 - Alex Vorsters – Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences
Research Group: Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute
Project: Disease and vaccine monitoring based on non-invasive genital tract liquid biopsy sampling (URISAMP)
Call: ERC-2021-StG
Duration: 01/05/2022 – 30/04/2027 - Nele Wynants – Faculty of Arts
Research Group: Antwerp Research Institute for the Arts (ARIA)
Project: Science at the Fair: Performing Knowledge and Technology in Western Europe, 1850-1914 (SciFair)
Call: ERC-2020-StG
Duration: 01/10/2021 – 30/09/2026 - Sarah Lebeer - Department of Biochemical Engineering
Research Group: Environmental Ecology & Applied Microbiology (ENdEMIC)
Project: Advancing Lactobacillus’ beneficial potential (Lacto-Be)
Call: ERC-2019-StG
Duration: 01/03/2020 – 28/02/2025 - Benson Ogunjimi - Department of Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO)
Research Group: Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV)
Project: Celluloepidemiology: a novel paradigm for modeling T-cell responses on a population level (CELLULO-EPI)
Call: ERC-2019-StG
Duration: 01/03/2020 – 28/02/2025 - Jeroen Puttevils - Department of History
Research Group: Centre for Urban History
Project: Back to the Future: Future expectations and actions in late medieval and early modern Europe, c.1400-c.1830 (Back2theFuture)
Call: ERC-2019-StG
Duration: 01/02/2020 – 31/01/2025 - Timothy Pennycook - Department of Physics
Research Group: Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Project: High Definition Electron Microscopy: Greater clarity via multidimensionality (HDEM)
Call: ERC-2018-STG
Duration: 01/03/2019 – 29/02/2024 - Kristien Hens - Department of Philosophy
Research Group: Center for Ethics
Project: Epigenetics, Experience and Responsibility: Implications for Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NEUROEPIGENETHICS)
Call: ERC-2018-STG
Duration: 01/01/2019 – 31/12/2024 - Vanessa Joosen - Department of Literature
Research Group: Antwerp Centre for Digital humanities and literary Criticism (ACDC)
Project: Constructing Age for Young Readers (CAFYR)
Call: ERC-2018-STG
Duration: 01/02/2019 – 31/01/2024 - Matteo Campioli - Department of Biology
Research Group: Plants and Ecosystem (PLECO)
Project: What makes leaves fall in autumn? A new process description for the timing of leaf senescence in temperate and boreal trees (LEAF-FALL)
Call: ERC-2016-STG
Duration: 01/02/2017 – 31/01/2022 - Sofie Cambré- Department of Physics
Research Group: Experimental condensed matter physics (ECM)
Project: Order in one dimension: Functional hybrids of chiralitysorted carbon nanotubes (ORDERin1D)
Call: ERC-2015-STG
Duration: 01/05/2016 – 30/04/2021 - Tine Van Osselaer - Faculty of Arts
Research Group: Ruusbroec Institute
Project: Between saints and celebrities. The devotion and promotion of stigmatics in Europe, c.1800-1950 (STIGMATICS)
Call: ERC-2014-STG
Duration: 01/04/2015 – 31/03/2019 - Peter Petré - Departement of Linguistics
Research Group: Grammar and Pragmatics (GAP)
Project: The dynamics of correlated multiple grammatical changes in Early Modern English writers (MindBendingGrammars)
Call: ERC-2014-STG
Duration: 01/09/2015 – 31/08/2020 - Sara Bals - Department of Physics
Research Group: Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Project: Colouring Atoms in 3 Dimensions (COLOURATOM)
Call: ERC-2013-STG
Duration: 01/12/2013 – 30/11/2018 - Bart Loeys - Medical Genetics
Research Group: Medical Genetics (MEDGEN)
Project: Bicuspid Related Aortopathy, a Vibrant Exploration (BRAVE)
Call: ERC-2013-STG
Duration: 01/05/2013 – 30/04/2018 - Dirk Van Hulle - Departement of Linguistics
Research Group: Antwerp Centre for Digital humanities and literary Criticism (ACDC)
Project: Creative Undoing and Textual Scholarship: A Rapprochement Between Genetic Criticism and Scholarly Editing (CUTS)
Call: ERC-2012-STG
Duration: 01/01/2013 – 31/12/2017 - Johan Verbeeck - Department of Physics
Research Group: Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Project: Exploring electron vortex beams (VORTEX)
Call: ERC-2011-STG
Duration: 01/01/2012 – 31/12/2016 - Wendy Lowen - Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
Research Group: Fundamental Mathematics
Project: Hochschild cohomology, non-commutative deformations and mirror symmetry (HHNCDMIR)
Call: ERC-2010-STG
Duration: 01/10/2010 – 30/09/2016
Proof of Concept Grants
- Bence Nanay – Faculty of Arts Research group: Centre for Philosophical Psychology
Project: Cortical Training to Improve Navigation for the Visually Impaired (CorTrINVI)
Call: ERC-2024-PoC
Duration: 01/09/2025 – 28/02/2027
- Sarah Lebeer – Faculty of Science
Research group: Laboratory of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (LAMB)
Project: Valorization of Lactobacilli and their Antimicrobial Peptides for Reproductive and Intimate Health Enhancement (VALERIE)
Call: ERC-2024-PoC
Duration: 01/05/2025 – 01/11/2026
- Benson Ogunjimi – Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Research Group: Centre for Health Economics Research and Modelling Infectious Diseases (CHERMID)
Project: Modeling how pre-existing TCR clones affect vaccine-induced T-cell responses (CELLULO-EPI-BASE)
Call: ERC-2023-POC Duration: 01/12/2023 – 31/05/2025 - Sara Bals – Faculty of Science
Research Group: Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT)
Project: High-Quality Graphene Supports for Microspectroscopic Techniques (HYPERGRAPH)
Call: ERC-2022-POC Duration: 01/08/2023 – 31/01/2025 - Annemie Bogaerts - Faculty of Science
Research group: Plasma, Laser Ablation and Surface Modelling - ANTwerp (PLASMANT)
Project: Plasma Reactors for Efficient Fertilizer Production Applied in a Real Environment (PREPARE)
Call: ERC-2022-POC Duration: 01/11/2022 – 30/04/2024
- Johan Verbeeck - Faculty of Sciences
Research Group: Electron microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT)
Project: Adaptive transmission electron microscopy: development of a programmable phase plate (ADAPTEM)
Call: ERC-2017-PoCG
Duration: 01/03/2018 – 31/08/2019 - Robert (Bob) Colebunders - Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Research Group: Epidemiology and Social Medicine (ESOC)
Project: Development of a policy to stop the suffering caused by Nodding Syndrome and Onchocerciasis associated epilepsy (NSstop)
Call: ERC-2017-PoCG
Duration: 01/09/2017 – 28/02/2019