The Synergy Grant is one of Europe’s largest research awards, granted annually to 2-4 principal investigators collaborating on ambitious, cross-border research projects. Each grant is worth up to EUR 10 million over six years.
This year, 66 out of 712 applicants were successful. In Norway, only 21 researchers have previously received an ERC Synergy Grant, three of whom are at UiO. With this year’s three new awards, UiO now holds a total of six.
Read about previous ERC Synergy Grant winners in 2019, 2020 and 2023
One of this year’s grants goes to a project where Andreas K??b at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (MN) is one of the principal investigators, and another to Anna Smajdor at the Faculty of Humanities (HF).?The third winning project is a collaboration where David Wright and Sanne Boessenkool, from MN and HF respectively, are among the principal investigators.
– We can only congratulate and be deeply impressed by what our researchers are achieving. This is world-class research that will have great importance for society. The awards to these two faculties also illustrate the strong academic breadth of UiO, says Rector Ragnhild Hennum.
Grant recipients
Andreas Max K??b
K??b is one of three principal investigators in a collaboration studying current and future changes in snow regimes in extreme environments – high mountains and polar regions – using satellites and artificial intelligence.
– Given how crucial snow is, it is surprising how little it has been studied. For the first time, we can combine several genuinely innovative methods that were not previously possible, says K??b.
- Project: SnowShifts: Current and future shifts of snow regimes in extreme environments
- Amount: EUR 10 million?
Read more about K??b’s research
Anna Smajdor
Smajdor is one of three principal investigators collaborating to explore whether artificial intelligence should be used to create synthetic DNA.
– Researchers are already working to create synthetic human DNA, and it is possible to design and purchase DNA online. However, there is currently no framework addressing the challenges this raises, says Smajdor.
– This is the task we are undertaking, and the outcome will be a report providing recommendations for the future. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work on such an important project, she adds.
- Project: Writing Life: The ethics of AI-enabled synthetic DNA
- Amount: EUR 5.8 million?
Read more about Smajdor’s research
David Wright and Sanne Boessenkool
Wright and Boessenkool are two out of four principal investigators collaborating to study how humans and climate have influenced landscapes and biodiversity.
– This is a fantastic opportunity for us to carry out groundbreaking research on landscapes and climate systems. No one has undertaken research at this scale before, says Wright.
- Project: EcoArch: Ecological Archaeologies of the Afrotropics
- Amount: EUR 12 million?