EU launches “Choose Europe” initiative to attract top scientists

The European Commission is providing EUR 210 million under the Choose Europe initiative, announced by President Ursula von der Leyen at the Sorbonne in Paris in May 2025, for research projects to attract the world's top scientific talent.

Each individual project will be eligible for support of up to EUR 7 million and must be for a period of up to 7 years, CE Report quotes BTA.

Bulgaria's Ekaterina Zaharieva, Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, said:

"Europe has all the ingredients to remain a global leader in science: world-class researchers, strong institutions, and a commitment to academic freedom. With the new ERC Plus Grants initiative, we are ensuring that Europe not only retains its brightest minds, but also becomes the destination of choice for the best scientific talent worldwide."

Researchers whose pioneering ideas can profoundly change the entire field of research will be supported. The EU has funded frontier research in all disciplines over the past 20 years, building on world-class scientific achievements, with more than 15 of the supported researchers winning the Nobel Prize, the Commission said. Many others have won the world's most prestigious scientific awards, and their research has led to over 250,000 publications and over 2,400 patents.

For the 2025-2027 budget, the EU has EUR 874 million available to make Europe more attractive to researchers and to ensure its long-term competitiveness through excellent scientific contributions, the Commission added.

Photo: Wikipedia