The Aix-Marseille site has three new ERC POC grants
The European Research Council (ERC) has published the results of the “ERC Proof of Concept Grant” call for proposals for 2026. Among the recipients are three researchers from our site:
- Sophie BONNET (IRD),Research Director at the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanology (CNRS-IRD-amU), has been awarded funding for her SMART-OCEAN project, “Sustainable Marine Autonomous Real-Time Platform Technology”
- Sandro Heuke (CNRS), a researcher at the Fresnel Institute (CNRS-amU), has been awarded a grant for his project Ampli-sCISsoRS: “amplified backscattering coherent Stokes Raman scattering for real-time cancer diagnostics”
- Benjamin Morillon (Inserm), a researcher at the Institute of Systems Neuroscience (amU-Inserm), is being recognized for his SPEEDY-Clinic project: “Standardized patient-friendly computational language mapping to guide epilepsy surgery”
The ERC Proof of Concept program aims to support scientists who are already ERC grant recipients during the early stages of translating their research findings into practical applications. It enables them to explore the potential for innovation—whether commercial, technological, or societal—based on cutting-edge work stemming from basic research.
Each selected project receives funding of up to 150,000 euros over a maximum period of 18 months. This support is intended to transform a scientific breakthrough into a concrete solution by supporting project development, proof of concept, and initial steps toward technology transfer.
This recognition confirms the dynamism of the Aix-Marseille campus in fostering the transition from research to innovation, and highlights the ability of its teams to develop solutions based on outstanding scientific work. It is also further proof of the importance of the support provided by CERCle—the ERC Club of the Aix-Marseille site, supported by the Amidex Foundation.
