ERC Advanced Grants 2024: University of Padua ranks first in Italy for funded projects
17.06.2025
The European Research Council (ERC) today announced the winners of the 2024 Advanced Grants call, one of the most prestigious and competitive funding schemes for research at the international level. Since 2007, the European Union has supported frontier research through the ERC, promoting innovative and high-impact projects.
With approximately €11 million awarded to four Principal Investigators (PIs) affiliated with the University of Padua, the institution ranks first in Italy for the number of projects selected in this edition, once again confirming its position of excellence in the national research landscape.
Two of the winning PIs from the University of Padua, Lucia Gemma Delogu and Fabrizio Nestola, work in the field of Physical Sciences and Engineering, while the other two, Marco Sandri and Ildikò Szabò, are active in the Life Sciences.
This is an outstanding result, confirming both the quality and originality of the research carried out at the University and the ongoing commitment of its academic staff to pioneering work capable of competing successfully on a European scale.
In total, 25 projects will be carried out at Italian institutions, while 37 have been awarded to Italian nationals when including those working abroad. Italy, therefore, ranks an excellent third in terms of the number of grants awarded, and Italian PIs are the second most numerous by nationality, after German researchers and ahead of those from the United Kingdom.
“This result is a source of great pride for the entire University of Padua community, which once again confirms itself as a national and international reference point for frontier research,” stated Daniela Mapelli, Rector of the University of Padua. “I want to extend my congratulations to Lucia Gemma Delogu, Fabrizio Nestola, Marco Sandri, and Ildikò Szabò, who, with skill and vision, have secured one of the most prestigious and competitive recognitions in European research. The success of our researchers is the outcome of a long-standing commitment, driven by the freedom to ask new questions, the ambition to go beyond traditional boundaries of knowledge, and a strong interdisciplinary spirit within the University. Each winning project represents not only a personal achievement of excellence but also a tangible contribution to the role our University aims to play in society: generating knowledge that can transform the world. From materials engineering to mineralogy, from muscle physiology to cellular biology, the themes at the heart of these projects clearly demonstrate how strategic it is to continue investing in free and rigorous research,” Mapelli continued. “Europe has made this commitment, and the University of Padua is fully up to the challenge. Excellence in research is not a privilege for the few, but a collective good — a driver of sustainable, cultural, and human development. Now, more than ever, it is our duty to defend, support, and enhance it.”
“This result consolidates and strengthens the very positive trajectory of the University of Padua within the Excellence Pillar of Horizon Europe, of which the ERC calls are a central component,” added Fabio Zwirner, Vice-Rector for Research. “In this highly competitive context, achieving the milestone of 37 funded projects confirms our University’s strong commitment to cutting-edge research.”
Further information on the 2024 ERC Advanced Grants call results is available on the European Research Council Executive Agency website.
