The European Research Council (ERC) operates the world and wants to be known outside of Europe. By keeping agreements with 14 universities in Brazil, the Brazil Institute of European Studies (IBE) will act as a national point of the Council (ERC) in Brazil. The partnership was sealed during a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in May this year. On this occasion the secretary general of the ERC, Don Dingwell, reported on a campaign to make the Council known in other continents. The coordinator of IBE, a professor at the institute Moacyr Martucci placed at the disposal of the board for such a mission and gave gifts accepted unanimously.
The ERC was created five years ago as part of the seventh. Framework Programme of the European Union and supports individual researchers, based on excellence and no thematic priorities. The Council is under the responsibility of Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn. The ERC has a budget of 7.5 billion euros for 2007-2011, representing about 1.1 billion euros per year, accounting for 15% of the budget of the 7th. Framework Programme. In the next Framework Programme (Horizon 2020) this budget should be doubled.
Since its inception, the ERC has supported about three thousand projects. The approval rate is 12% and researchers from all over the world can participate. The only requirement is that the coordinator pass at least 50% of the time in Europe.