The European Research Council is among the most prestigious sources of project funding for universities.

An information day on this important source of funding, during which ERC project winners and research managers discussed their experiences, was held at the University of Siena on Tuesday 20 February 2024.

This event, as Dr. Donata Franzi, Head of the Research and Technology Transfer Division, explained while introducing the proceedings, was also the first lecture in the “Training on Research & Technology Transfer” training course for which members of the University of Siena’s scientific community can register and obtain an open badge.

The meeting, which began with greetings from Rector Roberto Di Pietra, was introduced by Prof Michelangelo Vasta, the Rector’s Delegate for Research, who spoke about the new perspectives of ERC calls in the current transition phase.

Prof. Cosima Baldari (Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena) and Prof. Francesco Berna (Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University (Canada) then spoke about their success stories, whereas Dr. Marco Ferraro (APRE Agency for the Promotion of European Research) discussed the criteria and rules for submitting an application in response to an ERC call.

Concluding remarks have been  delivered by Dr. Guido Badalamenti, head of research, libraries, internationalization and third mission area.

The speakers’ presentations are available on the USiena integra platform (access is limited for those enrolled in the course). People not enrolled in the course can write to research.eu@unisi.it.