Seven projects by researchers from Charles University in Prague have been awarded European Research Council (ERC) grants in the ERC call for 2024, worth a total of 14.6 million euros, the university announced yesterday.
Katerina Capkova from the Faculty of Arts won an Advanced Grant of 2.5 million euros to explore the history of five Eastern European countries from the mid-19th century to the present through the eyes of Roma, Jews and people with disabilities. She said they wanted to present an inclusive view of the history of Czech, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Ukraine from the perspective of three often marginalized groups.
Michal Smetana from the Faculty of Social Sciences received a Starting Grant.
The Consolidator Grant was awarded to Tomas Dumbrovsky from the Faculty of Law, Klara Hlouchova from the Faculty of Science, Ondrej Pejcha and Martin Setvin from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, and Jaroslav Svelch from the Faculty of Social Sciences.
“In the last year, an unprecedented number of ERC grants have come to our country. I’m really happy about that,” said Zdenek Strakos from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, a former chair of the ERC review panel.
The European Research Council was established in 2007 to fund scientific and technological research. ERC grants are considered very prestigious worldwide, and most of the projects funded have led to major discoveries. In the long term, the Czech Republic has achieved below-average results in obtaining ERC grants compared to other countries.
