ERC Annual Report 2024 Published

In May, the ERC Annual Report 2024 was published, outlining the key activities of the past year, highlighting the ERC’s role in supporting groundbreaking frontier research across all scientific disciplines, and emphasising the importance of academic excellence and cutting-edge innovation for Europe. The report concludes on a positive note, noting, among other things, rising application numbers — with approximately 8,321 individual proposals submitted — as well as increased engagement with ERC web platforms and social media channels. Special attention is given to patents resulting from ERC-funded research and their subsequent use. An ERC-Study shows that ERC grantees display a greater willingness to actively exploit their patents, including through the creation of start-ups. However, the report stresses the need to further support this trend and to facilitate market entry for these young companies. Additionally, the report summarises findings from a recent study on the importance of frontier research for the green transition, underlining the substantial contribution ERC funding is making in this area.

Overall, the report describes 2024 as a positive year for the ERC. Additional thematic prompts and all detailed contents of the report can be accessed here.