Two UAB Sphere researchers awarded ERC Synergy Grants

Kostas Kostarelos i Diego Blas

Diego Blas, ICREA researcher at the IFAE, and Kostas Kostarelos, ICREA research professor and Severo Ochoa distinguished professor at the ICN2, have been awarded European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grants for the development of research projects under the EU’s Horizon Europe programme.

06/11/2024

The GravNet - A Global Network for the Search for High-Frequency Gravitational Waves project was awarded a ERC Synergy Grant 2024. Led by scientists from four different European institutions, among them ICREA researcher at the Institute of High Energy Physics (IFAE) Diego Blas, the project aims to develop and deploy an innovative experimental platform to detect gravitational waves in the high-frequency range of MHz to GHz. This will be the first dedicated network of high-frequency gravitational waves (HFGW) detectors.

These new detectors combine the latest quantum sensing technologies with resonant cavities in strong magnetic fields. This initiative could revolutionise the study of phenomena such as primordial black hole mergers and ultra-light dark matter, offering answers to some of the most pressing questions about the cosmos.

Kostas Kostarelos, ICREA research professor and Severo Ochoa distinguished professor at the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), has been awarded a European Research Council Synergy Grant 2024 to develop the SKIN2DTRONICS project, which aims to integrate electronic devices based on 2D materials to monitor brain cancer recurrence.

The project aims to advance the large-scale integration of soft and thin electronic devices with more than 1000 transistors on ultra-flexible, skin-like substrates. These devices, based on two-dimensional materials that are one atom thick, are engineered to be readily conformable to different surfaces of aberrant architectures. They will be designed to offer superlative electronic performance, mechanical strength and full biocompatibility.

ERC Synergy Grants 2024

Applicants submitted 548 proposals in the ERC Synergy Grants 2024 call. The 57 winning projects involve 201 researchers who will carry out their projects at 184 universities and research centres in 24 countries across Europe and beyond.

The winning projects will receive a total of €571 million to address some of the most complex scientific problems, covering a wide range of disciplines. The ERC Synergy Grants foster collaboration between outstanding researchers, enabling them to combine their expertise, knowledge and resources to push the boundaries of scientific discovery. This funding is part of the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme.