Risk management

ERC’s changed motto may be a canny pitch to cautious politicians

Last month, deep within a report detailing changes to the European Research Council’s project evaluation processes, was an eye-catching extra insight. The ERC’s president, Maria Leptin, set out why the funder no longer intends to describe itself as supporting “high-risk, high-gain” research.

The phrase had been used to discourage the panels of researchers the ERC pulls together to evaluate project proposals from “conservatism” in their choices, Leptin explained, but is now seen as “not fit for purpose”.