The European Research Council @ 10: Whither Hopes and Fears?

Abstract

While ten years is too early to draw broad conclusions, the European Research Council does seem to have succeeded in promoting excellent and basic research in Europe, both through its own projects and by affecting standards and aspirations more broadly. It has affected widely shared conceptions of scholarly excellence and introduced new measures of academic esteem with more attention to rigorous peer review – also in the social sciences and the humanities. One concern is that the portability of grants may have fueled the clustering of research talent and reputation toward some institutions and some states, away from others. The benefits of the ERC in promoting research quality across Europe in the longer term may be at risk unless some parties take steps to correct the imbalance.