The ERC: a flagship adrift?

Recent shocks involving the European Research Council raise serious questions for the funder

Since the European Research Council was established in 2007, its strategy-shaping Scientific Council has helped it become globally recognised as the EU’s flagship funder of basic research. But this year, headline-grabbing developments have raised questions about whether the ERC’s setup is still fit for purpose.

First came the explosive and recriminatory April resignation of president Mauro Ferrari after just over three months in the role. Ferrari and the Scientific Council said they could not agree on, among other things, his desire for the ERC to dedicate funding to Covid-19, which would have been against its remit to fund bottom-up research.