ERC publications

Spotlight on ERC projects

The idea of automated machines that can perform tasks autonomously dates back to ancient times but robotics is a relatively new research domain – less than 60 years old. Today, this broad, interdisciplinary scientific field combines mechanical and electrical engineering, computational studies, communication engineering, but also neurosciences and cognitive sciences. From the big industrial robots that assist production in factories, to the robotic sensors in navigation systems and the nanorobots that might be injected in our cells for therapeutic purposes, researchers in robotics do not have to look too far for a scientific challenge or room for progress. The European Research Council (ERC) aims at supporting top researchers with these challenges by funding their best scientific ideas. Around 60 robotics-related projects have been funded by the ERC since its creation, representing more than €104 million invested in research areas such as human-robot interactions, robot tasks and abilities with various industrial or service applications (e.g. health, care, safety and domestic). This brochure showcases a few examples of these projects.

Annual report on the ERC activities and achievements in 2014

Every year, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) organises the world’s largest general scientific meeting which brings together thousands of scientists, policy makers, educators, journalists and students. This year’s AAAS Annual Meeting takes place from 12 to 16 February in San Jose, California, and focuses on the theme of Innovations, Information, and Imaging. The objective is to debate the impact on science and technology of the novel ways used nowadays to collect and explore information and data.

Examples of ERC projects at ESOF 2014

The projects presented in this brochure are investigating: how to model urban agglomerations; the development of “smart cities”; how the urban environment could affect cardiovascular health; energy poverty; anxiety, consumer culture and food safety and the role of space in policy making.

Cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide, accounting for 8.2 million deaths in 2012 according to the World Health Organization. According to the same source, it is expected that annual cancer cases will rise from 14 million in 2012 to 22 million by 2030. Research on cancer development, treatment and prevention, as well as basic research in this area, is essential to reduce the burden of this disease. Research specialisms in the field of cancer funded by the European Research Council (ERC) include diverse topics ranging from cancer metabolism, microenvironment, metastasis, epigenetics, angiogenesis, drug resistance, immunity to treatment and epidemiology, amongst others. More than 100 proposals on cancer research have been funded so far, and even more projects in the Life Sciences have a strong cancer component. To date, the ERC has invested over €200 million in cancer research.

Annual report on the ERC activities and achievements in 2013

This folder gathers examples of projects from all three domains funded by the ERC: life sciences; physical sciences and engineering; and social sciences and humanities.

Many ERC projects in cell biology address key societal challenges. The projects presented in this brochure are investigating: the role of the cortex in cellular morphogenesis; the role of integrins in the development of cancer cells; the transition from single to multi-cellular organisms at the interface between physics, fluid dynamics and cell biology; the role of mitosis in chromosome formation; why some people age earlier than others, and why they develop cancer and how the endodermis helps plants grow in stressful situations such as an adverse climate.