Professor Leszek Kaczmarek, member of the NCN Council in 2010-2016, has just been appointed to the Scientific Council of the European Research Council. Composed of 22 eminent scientists, the Scientific Council is the most important body of the agency.
Professor Kaczmarek is a molecular biologist affiliated at the M. Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, PAS. He heads BRAINCITY, a Centre of Excellence dedicated to the study of neuroplasticity and brain disease, set up as an International Research Agenda of the Foundation for Polish Science. Professor Kaczmarek is also a fellow of the Polish Academy of Sciences, European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) and Academia Europea. In 2010-2016, he also sat on the NCN Council.
Founded in 2007 by the European Commission, the ERC is a leading European organisation established for the purpose of funding pioneering research.
Members of the ERC Scientific Council are appointed by the European Commission for a four-year term on the recommendations of an independent Identification Committee. One of the committee members is Professor Michał Karoński from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, one of the founders of the NCN and the President of the NCN Council in 2010-2016.
The President of the Scientific Council of the ERC is Professor Maria Leptin, and Professor Andrzej Jajszczyk, the NCN Director in 2010-2015, serves as one of its three Vice-Presidents.
The new Council members will begin their term on 1 January 2023. Alongside Professor Kaczmarek, these will include: Prof. Harriet Bulkeley (Durham University), Prof. Thomas Henzinger (Institute of Science and Technology, ISTA), Prof. Luke O’Neill (Trinity College), Prof. Björn Ottersten (University of Luxembourg).
The press release, along with new member profiles, can be found on the ERC website.
In November, the ERC once again awarded its Starting Grants to young researchers. The winners include four researchers based in Poland, who also carry out NCN grants.