Funding success for Life Science Research in Vienna

Grants from the European Research Council (ERC) are in high demand among scientists. Securing one of them means that a project receives between 1.5 and 2.5 Million Euro of funding over a period of five years.

Applications undergo a rigorous evaluation procedure and success rates in the life sciences are typically around ten percent. The IMP and IMBA, two basic research institutes in Vienna, have received approval for all seven proposals they submitted in 2013, earning them a top score in last year’s statistics of grant distribution.

Young investigators in Europe face the problem of insufficient opportunities for an important transition: The step from working under supervision to becoming an independent researcher. ERC Starting Grants from the European Union support promising scientists at this stage in their career and encourage them to stay in Europe. ERC Consolidator Grants help researchers at a more advanced phase of their career to consolidate their own independent research team or program. ERC Advanced Grants allow established research leaders to pursue ground-breaking, high risk projects and ensure financial support of their work. Proposals for all three funding schemes are evaluated by international peer reviewers on the basis of excellence as the sole criterion.

At the IMP, applications for three ERC starting Grants were submitted in 2013. Its partner-institute IMBA applied for a total of four ERC grants – one Advanced Grant, two Starting Grants and one Consolidator Grant. All proposals of the two institutes were accepted. The grantees are:

• Luisa Cochella, IMP (ERC Starting Grant)
• David Keays, IMP (ERC Starting Grant)
• Johannes Zuber, IMP (ERC Starting Grant)
• Stefan Ameres, IMBA (ERC Starting Grant)
• Kikue Tachibana-Konwalski, IMBA (ERC Starting Grant)
• Fumiyo Ikeda, IMBA (ERC Consolidator Grant)
• Josef Penninger, IMBA (ERC Advanced Grant)
In total, 9860 grants were submitted to the ERC in 2013. Out of these, 896 proposals were selected for funding – equivalent to an overall success rate of 9 percent. With an acceptance rate of 100 percent, the scientists at the IMP and IMBA strengthen Vienna`s position as one of Europe’s top places for research in the biological sciences. This status is further supported by the fact that all life science Starting Grants awarded to Austrian institutions in 2013 went to the Campus Vienna Biocenter, where IMP and IMBA are located.
About IMP
The Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna is a basic biomedical research institute largely sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. With over 200 scientists from 36 nations, the IMP is committed to scientific discovery of fundamental molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying complex biological phenomena. Research areas include cell and molecular biology, neurobiology, disease mechanisms and computational biology.
About IMBA
The Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) combines fundamental and applied research in the field of biomedicine. Interdisciplinary research groups address functional genetic questions, particularly those related to the origin of disease. IMBA is a subsidiary of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the leading organization promoting non-university academic basic research in Austria. IMBA was voted second best international workplace for postdoctoral researchers by readers of the US magazine “The Scientist”.
Press Contact IMP
Dr. Heidemarie Hurtl
IMP Communications
Tel. +43 (0)1 79730-3625
E-mail: hurtl@imp.ac.at

Press Contact IMBA
Elena Bertolini, MA
IMBA Communications
Tel. +43 (0)1 79730-3824
E-mail: elena.bertolini@imba.oeaw.ac.at