New Head of ERC Announced

Not sure of the transparency of the process with this, but the Vice-President of the ERC and Vice-Chair of the Scientific Council has been 'elected unanimously' by the self same Scientific Council to be the next President of the ERC. Professor Nowotny (for it is she) is Professor Emeritus of Social Sciences at ETH Zurich, and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of Vienna University. She replaces Professor Fotis Kafatos, who will remain as a member of the Scientific Council. And, faster than you can say 'nepotistic', Prof Kafatos has been proposed as Honorary President of the ERC.

Whoever said the EC was all about jobs for the boys? It's jobs for the girls too!

Head of the ERC Steps Down

The European Research Council (ERC) has announced that Prof Fotis Kafatos, President of the organisation since its inception three years ago, has stepped down. In his resignation letter Prof Kafatos stated that 'it is now appropriate for me to focus on the continuity of the ERC, and to pass on the leadership of this outstanding organisation to another member of the Scientific Council.'

In a press release, Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for Science and Research, commented that 'under his leadership the European Research Council has grown into a fully-fledged funding body, known and respected not just by European scientists but throughout the world. I am pleased that he has decided to continue as a member of the Scientific Council. I thank him for his outstanding commitment and achievements which will be the foundations for the ERC's success well into the future.'

It's understood that Prof Kafatos wishes to spend more time on his research at Imperial, where he is based.