Prof. Justyna Olko, former NCN Council member (2018-2022) and Prof. Michał Tomza, NCN Award winner, are among 32 Ambassadors for the European Research Council (ERC).
This joint initiative of the ERC and the Association of ERC Grantees aims to promote investment in frontier research and highlight the importance of research by explaining how it benefits the economy and society.
Prof. Justyna Olko, historian, sociolinguist and ethnologist, heads the Centre for Research and Practice in Culture Continuity at the Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, University of Warsaw. She is an ERC Starting Grant recipient (2012) and Consolidator Grant recipient (2020), as well as former NCN Council member.
Prof. Michał Tomza specialises in the quantum description of matter at ultralow temperatures, including interactions and collisions between ultracold atoms, ions and molecules. He works at the Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw. Prof. Tomza is a former NCN Award winner (2020) and ERC Starting Grant recipient (2022).
The two scientists have pursued NCN-funded projects.
Promote Research and Enhance ERC Presence
The ERC project initiators aim to enhance ERC presence in Europe and beyond, promote importance of basic and frontier research, and explain how they impact the technology, economy and society.
The Ambassadors will also promote better understanding of how science can prevent global threats, such as climate change, threats to demography or public health. The initiative fosters communication with the public, countering misinformation, and strengthening the quality of research evaluation and transparency of research funding.
“We wish to increase Polish researchers’ ERC grant funding success, provide more efficient support for the application and project implementation processes, and identify barriers that continue to impede the process. The ERC expects their Ambassadors to be actively supported by their universities, National Contact Points, science ministries and other institutions in their Member States,” emphasize the Polish Ambassadors.
European Representation
The newly appointed Ambassadors include 17 women and 15 men from 21 Member States as well as five associated countries (Israel, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK). They work across various domains, from life sciences to social sciences and humanities, to physical sciences and engineering.
“This network has great potential to advocate effectively for frontier research across Europe. Together, we must keep reminding our fellow citizens why funding frontier research is not optional, and why it is essential for Europe's long-term health and prosperity,” said Maria Leptin, President of the ERC at the launch of the initiative.
ERC Ambassadors, photo ERC
News on the ERC website.