What we are talking about here is the holy grail of research funding in Europe – the so-called 'Starting grant' from the ERC. Free funds amounting to millions are available to young, up-and-coming researchers.
Thousands of researchers apply every year. Only a few make it to the second round and the interview stage. Even fewer are awarded the grants in the end.
Associate Professor Olav Vassend has successfully managed the process, and he will be awarded nearly NOK 12 million over four years, according to a press release from the ERC yesterday.
– I am grateful to receive this research funding. I have faith in the project and that we can come up with some interesting ideas, says Vassend.
Will have a significant impact
Olav began at Inland norway University of Applied Sciences (INN University) in 2022. His ERC project is within decision theory.
The aim of Vassend’s project is to develop a theory of which factors influence whether and to what extent what we desire is rational, particularly when the world turns out to be very different from what we might have hoped for, he tells Khrono.
The funds he has now received will allow him to be partially freed from his teaching responsibilities at the university, so he can conduct research nearly full-time.
He also plans to hire a couple of researchers to work alongside him and attend conferences and gatherings around the world.
What has happened is clearly significant for Vassend and his research career. But it is also a feather in the cap for the academic environment in philosophy at INN University, and not least for the university itself.
– This is extremely impressive, and I want to congratulate the community for maintaining such a high academic standard!
These are the words of Pro-Rector for Research at INN University, Marit Sletmoen. She explains that competition for external research funding is fierce nowadays, and the competition and prestige surrounding the ERC starting grants are especially high.
– The fact that we have researchers at the university who succeed in this type of competition is an inspiration and joy for everyone here working in research, says Sletmoen.
– This is fantastic! We see this as a great recognition and validation for the academic environment, the department, and the faculty, says Anstein Gregersen, Vice-Dean for Research at the faculty.
We must also remember that Olav Vassend was not the only one to perform exceptionally well in the competition for these grants. His philosophy colleague, Mattias Skipper, who also works at INN, reached the interview stage earlier this spring and received the highest possible score on his application.
The two were the first in INN’s history to reach the ERC interview stage.
– I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are proud of them, and that we also believe they truly deserve this, Gregersen continues.
Praising the academic environment in philosophy
And the fact that they have a remarkable team of employees in the Philosophy Department is something Olav Vassend fully supports.
He is one of several in the philosophy community who have consciously chosen to come to Lillehammer and the department precisely because of its exceptionally strong academic environment. Olav himself moved here from Singapore, leaving behind a good job there.
– The staff here are receiving prestigious grants, and we publish in the highest-ranked journals in the world within philosophy. I would say that the philosophy department at INN maintains a very high standard by international measures, says Olav.
– That was one of the main reasons I came here in the first place. I was so impressed by the people who interviewed me for this position. It was a long interview with excellent questions and very good critique of my ideas, he continues.
Olav Vassend also received great support from his colleagues while preparing for the ERC grant interview. They held several mock interviews with him in the weeks leading up to it.
– During the actual ERC interview, everything clicked perfectly. I hardly got any questions that I had not already been asked by my colleagues. The preparation I got from my colleagues was absolutely brilliant!
Deliberate work
And it is no coincidence that the Philosophy Department has such high-calibre philosophers, according to Anstein Gregersen.
– We have been recruiting promising researchers with backgrounds from leading academic environments, both nationally and internationally, for a long time. This has given us a strong foundation for the decisions we have made to build the department and strengthen the research culture, he explains.
Alongside this deliberate recruitment, the faculty has systematically worked to improve research support over time, which they believe has been a crucial factor behind this success.
Gregersen believes that Olav Vassend's success in securing an ERC grant is incredibly motivating for them but also should serve as motivation for others at the university.
His view is fully supported by the head of research for the entire university, Marit Sletmoen.
– This shows that it is possible to conduct world-class research, even for researchers in relatively small academic environments, and it provides inspiration for everyone involved in or supporting research at INN, she says.
Starting support
ERC starting grants are designed to support young, early-career researchers at the beginning of their academic journeys.
The ERC website 'Researchers of any nationality with 2-7 years of experience since completion of PhD, a scientific track record showing great promise and an excellent research proposal can apply.'
These research talents can receive up to NOK 17.5 million each over a five-year period if selected.
Since the EU began awarding these grants in 2007, only 77 young Norwegian researchers had received starting grants by last year, according to a tally by Khrono in 2023. Most of the recipients have come from Norway’s largest universities.
There are also congratulations from the EU for those awarded this prestigious grant. EU Research Commissioner Iliana Ivanova states:
"The European Commission is proud to support the curiosity and passion of our early-career talent under our Horizon Europe programme. The new ERC Starting Grants winners aim to deepen our understanding of the world. Their creativity is vital to finding solutions to some of the most pressing societal challenges. In this call, I am happy to see one of the highest shares of female grantees to date, a trend that I hope will continue. Congratulations to all!"
Contact information:
- olav.vassend@inn.no
- Phone
- +47 62 43 01 72