Six SNSF Consolidator Grants awarded to EPFL researchers

The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) awarded six "SNSF Consolidator Grants" to EPFL researchers. This transitional measure replaces the ERC Consolidator Grants.

Congratulations to Andrea Ablasser (SV), Bruno Correia (STI), Ulrich Lorenz (SB), Jeremy Luterbacher (SB), Julia Schmale (ENAC) and Lijing Xin (CIBM) for winning an SNSF Consolidator Grant each!

Due to Switzerland’s status as a non-associated third country in the Horizon Europe programme, the federal government mandated the SNSF to launch the funding scheme "SNSF Consolidator Grant". This transitional measure replaces the ERC Consolidator Grants, that Swiss Institutions are currently not eligible to apply to, due to Switzerland’s current non-association status to Horizon Europe. The programme is open to researchers with a PhD or MD-PhD awarded >7 and ≤12 years at the time of submission, who have already achieved scientific independence and contributed to science without the participation of their PhD supervisor. It offers up to CHF 1.75 million for a period of up to 5 years.

A total of 182 researchers applied to the 2022 SNSF Consolidator Grant call; 30 were awarded a grant for a total of approximately 54 million francs. The overall success rate was 17%.

Six of these grants have gone to EPFL researchers:

• Andrea Ablasser – DEciphering COntrol Mechanisms of DNA-induced Innate Immunity (DECODE Immunity)– Full Professor Andrea Ablasser is head of the Ablasser Lab – Innate Immunity in the School of Life Sciences (SV).

• Bruno Correia – Computational design of protein components for synthetic immunology using surface-fingerprints – Associate Professor Bruno Correia is head of the Laboratory of Protein Design & Immunoengineering in the School of Engineering (STI).

• Ulrich Lorenz – Microsecond Time-Resolved Cryo-Electron Microscopy – Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Ulrich Lorenz is head of the Laboratory of Molecular Nanodynamics in the School of Basic Sciences (SB).

• Jeremy Luterbacher – CARBOCORE: A new class of renewable chemicals and polymers based on a functionalized carbohydrate core – Associate Professor Jeremy Luterbacher is head of the Laboratory of Sustainable and Catalytic Processing in the School of Basic Sciences (SB).

• Julia Schmale – ORigin of Antarctic CLoud particles and their Effects on the Surface radiation budget (ORACLES) – Tenure-track assistant professor Julia Schmale is head of the Extreme Environments Research Laboratory - Ingvar Kamprad Chair in the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC).

• Lijing Xin – The neurometabolic connectome: a new window on brain disease– Lijing will take on the position of Research and Training Associate at the Biomedical imaging research centre (CIBM).

The SERI is currently evaluating a possible call for Consolidator Grants 2023. The Research Office will keep the EPFL community informed as soon as we receive any further information.