Andres Metspalu elected as member of ERC Identification Committee

The renewal of the ERC Scientific Council is part of the preparations for the next period (2028–2034) of Horizon Europe, the European Union’s programme for research and innovation.

In addition to Andres Metspalu, the newly appointed ERC Identification Committee includes Martin Vetterli (Switzerland) as the chair, and Paula Eerola (Finland), Heino Falcke (Netherlands), Katerina Harvati (Germany) and Maria Rescigno (Austria) as members. Their mandate runs until April 2027.

As a member of the working group of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI), Andres Metspalu was involved in discussions on the creation of the ERC. From 2008 to 2013, he served on the ERC evaluation panel for life sciences. “Becoming a member of the Identification Committee is, of course, a great honour, but also a responsibility – to seek out and assess new members for the ERC Scientific Council, who will, to a significant extent, determine what direction European top-level research will take, and how it will develop over the next decade,” said Andres Metspalu.

According to Mart Saarma, President of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, the appointment of Andres Metspalu to the committee is very important for Estonia, as the committee’s task is to identify members of the ERC Scientific Council, which strategically steers and governs the ERC. “ERC has become the central funder of European top-level research, envied even by researchers in the United States. The Proof of Concept funding programme, created by the ERC Scientific Council, has been highly successful in translating the results of frontier research into practice,” Saarma said.

Professor Mari Moora, Vice Rector for Research at the University of Tartu, added that this is a major recognition of Andres Metspalu’s scientific work and also attests to his outstanding international research-administrative expertise.

Andres Metspalu is one of Estonia’s most prominent researchers at both the national and international levels, and also one of the founders of Estonian genetics. Under his leadership, the Estonian Biobank was established, together with the legal framework required for its operation.

At the Estonian Academy of Sciences, he chairs the Committee on Medical Science and Healthcare Innovation, and actively works to develop Estonia’s healthcare system and make it more prevention-oriented.

The ERC Identification Committee is an independent, six-member body composed of leading European scientists. Its main task is to assist in selecting members of the ERC Scientific Council. The committee both identifies new members as part of the gradual renewal of the Scientific Council and manages a list of candidates for future needs. Based on the committee’s recommendations, the European Commission makes the final decision on appointments.

ERC, founded in 2007, supports scientific excellence in Europe by awarding grants to researchers in all fields of research. The ERC’s 22-member Scientific Council defines the ERC’s research funding strategy and methodology.

Previously, the only Estonian researcher to have served on the ERC Identification Committee was Academician Jüri Engelbrecht, who served as a member of the first Identification Committee.

Read more on the European Commission website.

Source: Estonian Academy of Sciences