The European Commission's Deputy Director-General for Research and Innovation, Signe Ratso, and Australia's Ambassador to the European Union, Justin Brown, signed the deal in Brussels on Wednesday 13 February. Australia's chief scientist Dr Alan Finkel was also in attendance.

The initiative, the 13th of its kind, opens more opportunities for Australian researchers to join ERC-funded teams in Europe and to stimulate cooperation and scientific exchange across the world. In October 2018, a similar agreement was concluded with the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. Read more here.

Prof. Anne Kelso, NHMRC CEO and Michael Pulch, Ambassador of the European Union to Australia in 2018.

Background

The ERC, set up by the EU in 2007, is the premiere European funding organisation for excellent frontier research. It is currently part of the EU's Horizon 2020 programme.

The ERC offers long-term grants in Europe to excellent scientists of any nationality and in any field. To date, the ERC has funded around 9,000 top researchers at various stages of their careers. 48 Australian researchers based in Europe have been awarded ERC grants, of which 41 are early- to mid-career researchers.

Read the ERC Press Release here

Meet award-winning Australian physicist and European Research Council grantee Jeremy O'Brien: