The European Research Council (ERC) has called for stronger action to close a “performance gap” between Europe’s research powerhouses and countries that lag behind in receiving funding, warning that structural barriers continue to limit opportunities for talented scientists.

In a  the ERC says what it calls “widening countries” form roughly a quarter of the European Union’s population but researchers based in these countries secure only around one-20th of ERC grants. Researchers typically achieve success rates of just 1 to 7 per cent, which is far below the average of about 11 per cent. 

Widening countries are European Union (EU) member states with below average research and innovation performance. They include Greece, Portugal and the 13 member states that have joined the EU since 2004.

“This persistent imbalance is not a mere regional footnote but a symptom of a deeper divide that diminishes the continent’s collective scientific strength,” the report says.

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“Europe cannot afford a research landscape divided into two tiers. If these gaps persist, they will weaken Europe’s overall scientific strength,” said Leszek Kaczmarek, chair of the ERC working group on widening European participation and member of the ERC Scientific Council. 

“At the same time, any measures to address them must fully preserve the ERC’s core principle: projects are selected solely on the basis of scientific excellence. This principle underpins the ERC’s international reputation and must remain unchanged.”

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The paper concludes that uneven distribution of grants reflects “deeper structural barriers” such as less favourable academic environments, lower national investment in research and development, limited access to international scientific networks, and weaker support systems for preparing competitive grant proposals. Language, cultural and psychological barriers can also discourage researchers from applying.

The report also says there are signs of improvement among widening countries over the past decade. More than 15 countries have support schemes, including programmes that give national funding for highly ranked ERC proposals that were not funded at European level.

“Even modest gains can have significant positive impact. ERC grantees in widening countries can act as catalysts for stronger research environments, attracting talent from abroad and encouraging more excellent scientists to apply in the future,” it says. 

The ERC also points to measures introduced at the EU level to support such researchers, including “more inclusive” research assessment criteria, the ERC Visiting Research Fellow programmes, the ERC Mentoring Initiative, support for National Contact Points and the Ambassadors for the ERC network. 

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“The white paper stresses that progress will require action from multiple sides. Member states are encouraged to increase national investments in frontier research, reform academic systems where necessary, and create stronger synergies between national funding instruments and EU Cohesion Funds,” the ERC says. 

seher.asaf@timeshighereducation.com