European Research Council awards prestigious ERC Advanced Grants and ERC Proof of Concept Grants to top-level researchers at the Rhine-Main Universities
From top left to bottom right: Professor Edward Lemke, Professor Andreas Walther, Professor Thomas Burg, Professor Leo Kurian, Professor Leopoldo Molina-Luna, Professor Ahmad-Reza Sadeghi
The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded two ERC Advanced Grants and four ERC Proof of Concept Grants to researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and Technical University of Darmstadt.
An ERC Advanced Grant was awarded to:
- Professor Edward Lemke of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz for his project “MshapeM: Molecular Shape Microscopy”. It is designed to achieve real-time nanometer-resolution imaging of protein conformational dynamics inside the living cell. By capturing "molecular action movies" of proteins at work, MShapeM will blend the boundaries between structural and live-cell imaging, affording unprecedented visual acuity on protein function in its native environment.
- Professor Andreas Walther of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz for his project “ProtoEco: Protoecologies between Artificial Cells and Mammalian Cells”. He addresses the question of whether artificial materials can one day coexist with natural cells and in doing so form something almost like a small ecology. The aim is no longer to view artificial cells merely as isolated miniature systems, but to develop them so that they can interact with natural cells, influence them, and in turn be influenced by them.
The ERC Advanced Grant is one of the ERC's most highly endowed funding schemes. It is aimed at established leading researchers with an outstanding scientific track record who seek to open up new fields of research.
An ERC Proof of Concept Grant was awarded to:
- Professor Thomas Burg of TU Darmstadt for his project “Cryo-iLM: A High-NA ryoimmersion Microscopy Platform for Nanometre Imaging”. It investigate the innovative potential of a novel microscopy technology and could provide new insights into the complex interior of cells and significantly improve medical diagnostics.
- Professor Leo Kurian of Goethe University Frankfurt for his project “TRANSLATE: Translation-Guided RNA engineering Platform for Cardiac Haploinsufficiency” in which he explores basic molecular mechanisms through which a cell maintains its identity and function.
- Prof. Dr. Leopoldo Molina-Luna of TU Darmstadt for his project “CALIBRATE: Chip-based Accurate eLectron Intensity Beam Readout for Advanced TEM Experiments”. The project aims to establish a new calibration standard for transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
- ProfessorAhmad-Reza Sadeghi von der TU Darmstadt für sein Projekt „MIRAGE: An LLM-Resilient Tool for Safe RTL Sharing“, das darauf abzielt, bei der Entwicklung von Computerchips wertvollen Code schon auf der Ebene des Design-Austauschs zu schützen.
The ERC Proof of Concept Grant is awarded exclusively to researchers who have already received an ERC Grant. The aim is to assess the economic and societal innovation potential of scientific findings and to transfer research results into practical application.
