2023 ERC Synergy Grants: Two Institut Pasteur scientists selected

ERC Synergy Grants, introduced in 2022, are highly competitive grants aimed at teams of 2 to 4 researchers from EU Member States or associated countries who want to launch ambitious research programs at the frontiers of knowledge. The grants provide up to €10 million in funding for a period of 6 years. They are designed to give scientists the opportunity to tackle scientific questions that are too complex to be treated on their own, by adopting a collective and interdisciplinary approach.

The results of the 2023 ERC Synergy Grants call for proposals were published on October 26. A total of 37 projects were selected, out of 395 proposals, involving 135 researchers. The grant winners include two Institut Pasteur scientists:

Thomas Gregor, Head of the Physics of Biological Functions Unit, received funding for the project "DynaTrans – Transcription in 4D: the dynamic interplay between chromatin architecture and gene expression in developing pseudo-embryos." The project will be carried out in collaboration with Denis Duboul (Collège de France) and Gasper Tkacik (Institute of Science and Technology Austria). The goal of this collaborative project will be to address one of the fundamental questions in biology today: how are the key genes involved in the early development of mammals and in orchestrating the emergence of embryonic forms controlled?

Roberto Toro, Head of the Applied and Theoretical Neuroanatomy five-year unit, received funding for the project "UNFOLD – Unfolding the dynamic interplay of mechanical and molecular processes in brain folding." The project will be carried out in collaboration with Victor Borrell (Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Spain), Laurent Nguyen (University of Liège, Belgium) and Kristian Franze (University of Erlangen-Nüremberg (FAU), Germany). The project aims to explore the mechanisms of folding in the cerebral cortex from every angle, with a particular emphasis on understanding the complexity of folding with the aim of shedding light on brain development and formation.

To find out more, read the press release on the ERC website

See the list of selected projects for 2023