First ERC Synergy Grant for KU Leuven

The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded its Synergy Grants. Neuroscientist Rufin Vogels is the first researcher at KU Leuven to receive one. Together with colleagues in Tübingen and Maastricht, he has secured over € 8 million. ERC Synergy Grants provide funding to teams of two to four Principal Investigators (PIs). The grants are awarded for a period of five to six years and may be worth up to € 10 million. The main assessment criterion for the grant applications is the excellence of both the project and the researcher. Another criterion is the synergy between the different teams, which is assessed by means of an interview, among other things. The applications that pass the quality threshold are ranked on the basis of their score, and only the highest-ranked proposals get funding. RUFIN VOGELS: BODY LANGUAGE AND OUR BRAIN . Congratulations on your ERC Synergy Grant! How did you react to the news?  Rufin Vogels: "I wasn't expecting it at all! When you apply for this type of grant, the competition is fierce and success rates are low, so I'm thrilled that our project was selected. It's wonderful news."  You will receive over € 8 million. What is the project going to be about?  Vogels: "We want to find out how the brain interprets body signals for non-verbal communication, which may be used to express emotions, among other things. Facial expressions are the most obvious example of this type of communication, but our focus will be on body posture and actions. Are you leaning towards someone or rather recoiling?