Three researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) have each been awarded a European ERC Starting Grant, worth one and a half million euros per project. Bioengineer Doris Vandeputte, literary scholar Cedric Van Dijck, and criminologist Diete Humblet will not only be able to conduct five years of research but will also join Europe’s scientific elite. These grants are part of Europe’s effort to support groundbreaking research across various scientific fields, from bio and natural sciences to social and human sciences.
The ERC Starting Grants are designed to fund pioneering projects that advance knowledge and address major societal challenges. The awards offer not only significant financial support but also recognition within Europe’s top scientific circles.
Doris Vandeputte will use her grant for her project CoRe Defense: fortifying the resident gut microbiota’s colonisation resistance to combat intestinal bacterial infections. Her research focuses on a revolutionary approach to combat potentially life-threatening intestinal bacterial infections. According to Vandeputte, a fundamental shift is needed in how we deal with these infections. While antibiotics are often the default treatment, she argues that it's crucial to develop methods that strengthen the body's own gut microbiota. The idea is to support the natural bacteria in our intestines so that they can better defend themselves against harmful invaders, reducing the reliance on antibiotics, which can lead to resistance issues.
Cedric Van Dijck will explore the critical role of cultural and political magazines in sub-Saharan Africa during the period 1918-1968 with his project AFROPRESS – Recovering Global Exchanges from Sub-Saharan Africa’s Cultural and Political Magazines in the Age of Black Internationalism 1918-68. He focuses specifically on publications from Congo-Brazzaville, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, South Africa, and Madagascar. According to Van Dijck, these media outlets have long been overlooked as historical sources, yet they offer a unique insight into the cultural and political exchanges within the region and across the world during the era of Black Internationalism. Many of these documents are at risk of being lost, but the recent digitisation of several sources opens new possibilities for in-depth research. Van Dijck will work with an interdisciplinary team of experts, combining interviews with key figures from the period with archival research in both European and sub-Saharan African national and private collections. His project has both scholarly value and contributes to the preservation and appreciation of African historical heritage.
(Foto © VUB CRIS)
Diete Humblet received her ERC Grant for the project CAGED – Ageing in the Carceral Environment: The Existential Dimensions. This research addresses a highly relevant and pressing social issue: how can people in prison age meaningfully, and what conditions are necessary to make this possible? Humblet aims to bridge the gap between two academic disciplines that are rarely studied together: gerontology, the multidisciplinary study of ageing, and penology, the field focused on punishment and detention. She will investigate the existential dimensions of ageing in prison, looking not only at the physical but also the emotional and psychological challenges that prisoners face. Through interviews, case studies, and theoretical research, Humblet hopes to contribute to the humane treatment of prisoners, particularly in relation to the growing ageing population within the prison system.
European Research Council
The European Research Council (ERC) is the first pan-European organisation for funding groundbreaking research. ERC Grants are part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, aimed at promoting scientific excellence across Europe by supporting the very best and most creative researchers.
In addition to ERC Starting Grants for early-career researchers, the ERC also offers the following funding schemes: ERC Advanced Grants for senior research leaders, ERC Consolidator Grants for independent, excellent scientists, ERC Synergy Grants for multiple outstanding researchers working together with a synergistic effect, and ERC Proof of Concept Grants to take the first steps towards the potential commercialisation of ERC-funded projects.
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