President of the European Research Council (ERC), Professor Maria Leptin, has visited Dublin for a series of engagements with research and political leaders.
Prof Leptin delivered a keynote address at an ERC Impact Forum hosted by Research Ireland.
She also held meetings with Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless as well as with leaders from Ireland's higher education institutions.
Established by the European Union in 2007, the ERC is Europe’s main funding organisation for excellent frontier research, with an overall budget for 2021-2027 of over €16 billion.
Some 200 ERC grants have been awarded to scientists in Ireland to date, worth over €350 million.
During her visit, the ERC president highlighted the importance of frontier research and also stressed the need to take a long-term view and invest in curiosity-driven research.
"I am very pleased to be in Ireland and discover first-hand some of the science and impact of the many ERC grantees based here, and to engage with the Irish Government at the highest level, as well as the wider scientific community," Prof Leptin said.
