[Takeoff #4] Winning a European Research Council (ERC) grant

Sara Cavaliere is a researcher in the Materials Chemistry Department at the Institut Charles Gerhardt in Montpellier. She was awarded a European Research Council (ERC) grant for scientific excellence, enabling her Spinam project to get off the ground. She tells us all about it in the video series "Décollage" (Take-off) proposed by the Direction de l'innovation et des partenariats (Dipa) of the University of Montpellier.

It was in 2011 that Sara Cavaliere first applied for an ERC, European Research Council, with her Spinam project on electrochemical devices for hydrogen energy conversion and storage, such as combustion cells. For this application, Sara Cavaliere benefited from DIPA's support from the moment she submitted her application, " in particular in drawing up the budget ", as she recalls, right through to the proof-reading stage. " DIPA also helped me to highlight the truly innovative part of my project, which is not always easy to do".

If the first attempt was a failure, the second in 2012 would be the right one. Sara Cavaliere was awarded an ERC in 2012. A grant that propelled her to greater international visibility. " It also opened up a number of academic and industrial partnerships, enabling me to develop my career ".