Proposal from the European Research Council (ERC)

The European Research Council (ERC) has appealed to its grantees to provide temporary employment to refugee researchers and support staff, such as technicians and lab managers, from Ukraine. The ERC has contacted all its 5,600 current grantees and is collecting information on possible job opportunities.

This data is compiled and progressively published on the ERC website and other channels.

The initiative follows the ERC Scientific Council’s statement in support of Ukraine and its research community.

In addition to this specific initiative for scientists, scholars, and research staff from Ukraine, the Scientific Council had already prepared a proposal earlier this year to include a special provision in the ERC Work Programme 2023 on researchers who seek asylum more broadly. The aim is to facilitate grant applications from refugee researchers also from other countries and war zones. See also the https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/stronger-europe-world/eu-solidarity-ukraine_en .

The ERC is led by an independent governing body, the Scientific Council. Since 1 November 2021, Maria Leptin is the President of the ERC. The overall ERC budget from 2021 to 2027 is more than €16 billion, as part of the Horizon Europe program, under the responsibility of the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel.