ERC Advanced Grants for four Utrecht researchers

The European Research Council (ERC) awards four ERC Advanced Grants to Professors Albert Heck, Petra de Jongh (both Faculty of Science), Jos Malda (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine/UMC Utrecht) and Walter Immerzeel (Faculty of Geosciences). The research grants are awarded each year to exceptional senior researchers. This makes it one of the most prestigious individual research grants.

In total, ERC awards a total of €652 million to 255 laureates. The grant, which is part of the Horizon Europe programme, gives the four Utrecht researchers a chance to shape major projects that could lead to scientific breakthroughs.

About the laureates and projects

Being awarded an ERC Advanced Grant opens up many possibilities for our team.

REVisiting Antibody structures and repertoires through advances in Mass spectrometry and Proteomics (REVAMP)

Distinguished Faculty of Science Professor Albert Heck has been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant. The €2.5 million grant enables Heck’s team to develop cutting-edge techniques to gain a fundamentally deeper understanding of our immune system. His team focuses on developing mass spectrometry and proteomics techniques to delve into the molecular intricacies of human antibodies.

This will enable the monitoring of individual antibody repertoires, as present in our blood. Their aim is to investigate how antibody repertoires vary from person to person, and how they change upon specific disease states or therapeutic treatments. Heck aims to expand our knowledge beyond just one type of antibody to understand the full range present in our body.

“Being awarded an ERC Advanced Grant opens up many possibilities for our team”, says Heck. “This is fantastic! But it’s not just the funding that matters. It’s also an acknowledgment by our peers that the research line we initiated a few years back has a huge impact, with the potential to lead to many more fundamental discoveries soon and, ultimately, more effective therapies.”

We want to understand how the properties of the metal surface of the catalyst change when you add a chemical element

How a pinch of Salt makes all the Difference for Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals - The Role of Promoters to Catalyse the Production of Low Carbon Fuels (PromSusCat)

Petra de Jongh, professor at the Debye Institute at Utrecht University, receives an ERC Advanced Grant of €3.5 million for fundamental research into the operation of catalysts. This includes €1 million for instruments. The research could lead to accelerating the energy transition, for example by developing catalysts for the efficient conversion of CO₂ and hydrogen into sustainable fuels. The research project will run for five years.

With the ERC grant, De Jongh and her team will uncover how the complex interaction between a promoter and catalyst occurs. They will specifically focus on polar salts because, acting as promoters, they seem to have an exceptional effect. This research literally takes place at the intersection of chemistry and physics. "We want to understand how the properties of the metal surface of the catalyst change when you add a chemical element”, says De Jongh.

I have been collecting cartilage from joints of various mammals for over fifteen years.

Restoring the structural collagen network in the regeneration of cartilage (Re-COLL)

In our aging society, healing joint problems is becoming increasingly important. To do this, cartilage damage must become repairable. But so far it has proven impossible to recreate the intricate internal structure of cartilage. Professor Jos Malda has now received an ERC Advanced grant of €2.5 million to crack that code. He works at the intersection of veterinary and human medicine. Each animal is a puzzle piece.

The grant that Jos Malda is now receiving from the European Research Council, the largest individual grant in Europe, is intended to find out once and for all how these cartilage arches arise, and how we can recreate it for regenerative treatments. 'The great thing about this ERC Advanced grant is that it gives a lot of freedom. We have a thorough plan, but if the results show that we need to adjust our approach, then we can,” Jos beams.

I want to understand how the extreme topography, land use changes and moisture recycling together determine mountain precipitation patterns.

DRivers and Origins of high-altitude Precipitation on the Third Pole (DROP)

The mountain ranges of Asia are the world’s most important water towers, often referred to as the planet’s Third Pole. Precipitation in these mountains feeds glaciers, snow fields and rivers. Extreme precipitation also triggers floods, landslides and avalanches, which cause enormous human and economic losses. However, we do not know what controls the distribution of precipitation and how it changes over time.

"In this project, of which €2.5 million has been awarded from the ERC Advanced Grant, I want to understand how the extreme topography, land use changes and moisture recycling together determine mountain precipitation patterns. We will do this by combining field observations at extreme altitude, state-of-the-art atmospheric modelling and remote sensing. This is a long-awaited scientific step forward in a region where this is of vital importance for water security and disaster risk reduction for millions of people".