ERC awards Warwick researchers with prestigious next-generation funding
Dr Hannes Houck (Chemistry) and Dr João Monteiro (Life Sciences) have been awarded €1.5 million starting grants by the European Research Council (ERC). This funding, part of a €761 million initiative, empowers visionary talents to establish independent teams and pursue groundbreaking research across Europe.
Dr Hannes Houck
Dr Hannes Houck’s prestigious ERC award builds on a series of competitive funding successes, including a Royal Society University Research Fellowship and a EUTOPIA Science and Innovation Fellowship, co-funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme. Dr Houck is also recognised as a member of the EUTOPIA Young Leaders Academy, reflecting his growing influence in the European research landscape.
Dr Hannes Houck said: “It is a great honor receiving this prestigious ERC grant and I am very much looking forward to the enormous boost that this gives to our Photochemistry for Materials research team. With the DeCoDER project, we want to make impactful contributions to the chemistry that drives light-based additive manufacturing.
“I arrived at Warwick four years ago as a postdoc and it has been a steep upwards trajectory since. This success wouldn’t have been possible without the support of so many people at Warwick, including past and present team members, and my close academic colleagues and mentors. But this award also reflects the excellent early career development opportunities provided by the Institute of Advanced Study (IAS) that I was so fortunate to engage with as one of the 1stcohort EUTOPIA-SIF fellows and now as a EUTOPIA-YLA.”
Dr João Monteiro
Dr João Monteiro’s work ‘ImmunoSynergy - Shining a light on molecular mechanisms that potentiate phagocytosis of bacteria.’ is a 5 year research project that will explore how certain bacteria manage to survive inside immune cells — and how to stop them.
Innate immune cells such as macrophages efficiently eliminate bacteria via phagocytosis, however some pathogens can survive and persist within the host cell. Inside the host, bacteria are shielded from many antibiotics and the macrophage acts as a reservoir and a vehicle, transporting pathogens to new infection sites.
Using super-resolution microscopy, the team will uncover how these pathogens adapt their cell cycle to survive in the host. At the same time they will develop ways to modulate the macrophage to accelerate phagocytosis and enhance clearance of bacteria. The goal is to combine antibiotics and immunomodulators into powerful treatments for reincident and chronic infections.
Dr João Monteiro said: “I've always been fascinated by the adaptability of bacteria to different environments. Some of the most persistent infections start within our own immune cells - which act as trojan horses. WithImmunoSynergy, we’re taking a dual approach: understanding how bacteria survive inside the host, and finding ways to help the immune system fight back. At Warwick I'll have the ideal environment for this work, with a thriving microbiology and immunology community and a strong culture of collaboration and mentorship.”
The backing will help 478 researchers across Europe at the beginning of their careers to launch their own projects, build research teams and pursue their most promising ideas.
President of the European Research Council Prof. Maria Leptin said: “All these bright minds and the plethora of brilliant ideas that they will go after really inspire me, and so does their scientific creativity. It also gives hope that Europe empowers them and backs them. Yet, we could do more! More investment in this type of science is needed for Europe to reach its full potential.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
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About the University of Warwick
Founded in 1965, the University of Warwick is a world-leading institution known for its commitment to era-defining innovation across research and education. A connected ecosystem of staff, students and alumni, the University fosters transformative learning, interdisciplinary collaboration and bold industry partnerships across state-of-the-art facilities in the UK and global satellite hubs. Here, spirited thinkers push boundaries, experiment and challenge convention to create a better world.
About the European Research Council
The ERC, set up by the European Union in 2007, is the premier European funding organisation for excellent frontier research. It funds creative researchers of any nationality and age, to run projects based across Europe.
The ERC offers four core grant schemes: Starting Grants, Consolidator Grants, Advanced Grants and Synergy Grants. With its additional Proof of Concept Grant scheme, the ERC helps grantees to bridge the gap between their pioneering research and early phases of its commercialisation. The ERC is led by an independent governing body, the Scientific Council. Maria Leptin has been the President of the ERC since November 2021.
The overall ERC budget from 2021 to 2027 is more than €16 billion, as part of the Horizon Europe programme, which is under the responsibility of Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation.