The European Research Council (ERC) has unveiled the results of its final round of the 2025 Proof of Concept Grants – helping the transition from scientific ideas and discoveries into concrete products and solutions – awarding 136 projects a grant of €150,000 each. The funding will help to bridge the gap between groundbreaking discoveries and their practical or commercial use in everyday life, contributing to boost growth and investment. These grants bring the total count under the ERC 2025 programme to an impressive 300, backed by a €45 million budget from Horizon Europe, the EU’s framework for research and innovation.
In 2025, these grants supported a diverse array of projects, showing how cutting-edge science can pave the way for innovation. Highlights include harnessing satellite images and artificial intelligence to evaluate wartime damage, pioneering ultrasound techniques for real-time visualisation of the tiniest blood vessels in a human kidney and developing cost-effective methods to safeguard buildings against earthquakes in susceptible regions. Additionally, current projects investigate regenerative treatments inspired by the unique biology of the naked mole-rat to repair damaged hearts, and innovative approaches to reduce machine friction and wear by forming protective carbon layers during regular use.
This year’s ERC programme featured two rounds of calls, assessing a total of 879 proposals. The 300 new grantees hail from 23 EU Member States and associated countries, with the highest concentration of projects taking place in Germany (51 grants), Spain (42), Italy (33), and the United Kingdom (31). This shows how incentive to research in attracting talent from all over Europe.
More information is available online.