Events focused on European research in Montpellier

[Press Release] - Published on March 19, 2025 in Press Room, Science and Society

On Monday, March 31, 2025 a day dedicated to the ERC schemes of the European Union’s Horizon Europe Framework Program for Research and Innovation will be held at the Institute of Botany from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Organized by the University of Montpellier, in partnership with the CNRS, INSERM, and IRD, with support from the ANR and France 2030 as part of the Moment-UM project, this event titled “Horizons ERC in Montpellier: European Research Meetingsé”” réwill bring together figures éprominent figures from the European CounciléResearch Council as well as laureateséawards and laureateséwho will share theirexperiencesand theirénssessionssessionsessions, roundtables, and workshops.

Research Excellence in Montpellier

The essence of the ERC program is to support ambitious projects in basic research. The University of Montpellier, in collaboration with its partners, is committed to creating an environment conducive to these ambitions and to fostering the success of our researchers at the European and international levels in order to promote exploratory research and bold scientific breakthroughs. This event will highlight the projects led by the European Research Council’s Montpellier site awardees.

A day to bring new, ambitious projects to life.

The "ERC Horizons in Montpellier" event will bring together leading figures from the European Research Council, including:

• Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, President of the European Research Council from 2014 to 2019 and acting president from 2019 to 2021,
• Monique Smaihi, Head of the Call Coordination Unit at the ERC Executive Agency,
• Genevière Almouzni, member of the ERC’s Scientific Council.

ERC grant recipients will share their stories and experiences during plenary sessions, roundtables, and workshops. The ERC NCP will also lead a workshop.

The full schedule for the day

The UM is leading a collective effort on European projects

For the past seven years, the University of Montpellier and its local partners have made supporting scientific ambition and excellence a priority by offering the scientific community a support system dedicated to the ERC program. This support has been further expanded since December 2023, thanks to funding from the ANR, which supports our integration into the European Research Area through Moment-UM, selected under the ASDESR call for proposals.