Cambridge researchers awarded Advanced Grants from the European Research Council - 2026

The successful Cambridge grantees’ work covers a wide range of research areas, including the development of energy efficient electronics; the application of mineral magnetism to solve Earth Science problems; designing ‘cages’ to transport cargoes of molecules, with diverse applications including in medicine; and discovering how the chemistry of the ocean has evolved over Earth history.

The ERC is awarding €838 million in total to 319 leading researchers across Europe. The Advanced Grant competition is one of the most prestigious and competitive funding schemes in the EU and associated countries, including the UK. It gives senior researchers the opportunity to pursue ambitious, curiosity-driven projects that could lead to major scientific breakthroughs. The grants are part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme. The UK agreed a deal to associate to Horizon Europe in September 2023.

This competition attracted a record 3,329 proposals - up 31% from last year - which were reviewed by panels of internationally renowned researchers. Around 9.6 % of proposals were selected for funding. Estimates show that the grants will create an estimated 3,000 jobs in the teams of new grantees. The new grantees will be based at universities and research centres in 24 EU Member States and associated countries, notably in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, France, Netherlands and Italy. The UK has received the highest number of awards of any country.

“Many congratulations to our Cambridge colleagues on these prestigious ERC funding awards,” said Professor Sir John Aston, Cambridge’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research. 

“We are so fortunate at Cambridge to have so many world-leading researchers right across the University, and this type of long-term funding is invaluable, allowing senior researchers the time and space to develop potential solutions for some of biggest challenges the world faces. I very much look forward to seeing the outcomes of their work.”

The Cambridge recipients of 2026 Advanced Grants are:

Professor Manish Chhowalla (Dept. of Materials Science & Metallurgy) for ‘Topological semi-metals as interconnects for 3D integrated energy efficient electronics’.

Professor Richard Harrison (Dept. of Earth Sciences / St Catharine’s College) for ‘Magnetic Interactions, Natural Geometries and Landscapes of Energy’.

Professor Jonathan Nitschke (Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry) for ‘Large, Dynamic Capsules for Biomolecular Cargoes’.

Professor Alexandra Turchyn (Dept. of Earth Sciences / Trinity Hall) for ‘Submarine BASalt Weathering and regulation of the global CARBon cycle over Earth history’.

Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research, and Innovation, said:

"My congratulations to all the 319 new ERC Advanced Grant winners and a warm welcome to the researchers from Australia, Canada and the United States who have chosen Europe to carry out their research. These projects embody the spirit of scientific exploration that drives progress. The increase in applications from researchers based outside Europe shows that initiatives such as ‘Choose Europe’, aimed at attracting and keeping talent, are helping to reinforce Europe's appeal to top scientific talent worldwide." 

President of the European Research Council, Professor Maria Leptin, said:

"The new Advanced Grant projects demonstrate the creativity, ambition, and intellectual boldness that frontier research requires. The ERC’s role is to support researchers who are asking difficult scientific questions and want to venture into unexplored territory in pursuit of new knowledge. Congratulations to all our new grantees. They are of 33 different nationalities - testament to Europe's strength as a destination for outstanding scientific talent, regardless of origin. We need to step up investment for Europe to lead in science and innovation."