Two ERC Starting Grants for Politecnico di Milano
Politecnico di Milano has been awarded two ERC Starting Grants by the European Research Council, confirming its role among the leading research institutions in Europe. Claudio Conci (Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”) and Emanuele Riva (Department of Mechanical Engineering) will receive a total of €3 million over five years to carry out their projects.
The LUMEN – Leaky-wave focused Ultrasound through Metamaterial Engineering project, led by Emanuele Riva, introduces an innovative approach to brain stimulation through transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS), with the aim of improving accessibility and effectiveness in treating disorders such as essential tremor and Parkinson’s-related tremor. By developing acoustic metasurfaces and biocompatible implants, the project seeks to make ultrasound targeting more precise and open new opportunities for treating millions of patients affected by movement disorders and chronic pain.
The ALFRED – Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy for Revealing and Quantifying Inflammation and Endothelial Diseases project, coordinated by Claudio Conci, investigates a groundbreaking solution for the early diagnosis of inflammatory processes, often linked to cardiovascular, oncological, and neurodegenerative diseases. Using Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy (PAS), a particle physics technique, the project aims to detect microscopic biological changes in a timely and non-invasive way, paving the path for new prevention strategies.
With these two grants, Politecnico di Milano has now reached a total of 39 ERC projects funded under the Horizon Europe 2021–2027 programme, for an overall value exceeding €41 million. The university also confirms its leading position among Italian universities, with 362 funded projects amounting to over €175 million.
The ERC Starting Grants are designed for researchers who obtained their PhD at least two and up to seven years ago, with the goal of fostering scientific excellence and supporting pioneering ideas capable of addressing global challenges.