Direção de Projectos (DP)

Portugal has secured three newProof of Concept (PoC) Studentships awarded by the European Research Council (ERC), each worth 150,000 euros. This funding is intended to support excellent researchers taking the first steps towards the commercialization or social application of the results of their frontier research.

The projects by researchers affiliated to entities in the National Science and Technology System (SNCT) are part of a group of 150 projects, corresponding to an investment of 22.5 million euros. With a success rate of approximately 31%, the projects will be carried out in 21 European countries.

It should be noted that the projects funded under the Proof of Concept have the specific aim of transferring knowledge and introducing directionality to basic research and the initial stages of innovation. As this Call is restricted to ERC Grantees (researchers with an ERC Studentship ), with active or recently completed projects, it allows the ideas funded by the ERC to now begin a path to the market or to the creation of solutions with a direct impact on society.

The three projects that will be developed in Portugal are:

• “A Framework for Auditing Recommendation Engines under the DSA” [FARE_DSA]: led by Joana Gonçalves-Sá, from LIP, it represents the second Proof of Concept project associated with the 2019 Starting Grant, with the theme of disinformation, fake news, and how the architecture of social networks facilitates its sharing.
• “AI-Enhanced Zebrafish Screening: A Low-Cost Solution for High-Throughput Biomedical Research” [Megabouts]: coordinated by Michael Orger, from the Champalimaud Foundation, related to the recently concluded Consolidator Grant 2017, where he sought to unravel the process that transforms what we see into a decision or action of movement.
• “Porous sensors for real-time monitoring of water quality risks” [PROTEGE]: led by Paulo Rocha, from CFE-University of Coimbra, under the Starting Grant 2020, aims to transform algae into a high-performance energy source.

The next round of applications for the Studentships PoC is now open, with a submission deadline of September 18, 2025. With the recent approval of the ERC’s 2026 work program, researchers may also have the opportunity to submit proposals in March and September 2026.

During the previous European funding framework program for research and innovation, Horizon 2020 (2014-2020), 15 projects were funded in Portugal in the context of ERC Proof of Concept. As the second half of Horizon Europe begins, Portugal has now reached the milestone of 19 ERC Proof of Concept projects. It’s worth noting that Paulo Rocha’s project is the first of its kind from the University of Coimbra, broadening the universe of institutions benefiting from this funding.

FCT coordinates national representation and participation in the European Research Council and, as announced at the 1st ERC Portugal Meeting, has been developing a series of programs covering the various cycles of national participation in ERC Calls . These include ERC-PT Pre-Assessment, ERC-PT A-Projects and ERC-PT Careers.

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