Four scientists from the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) will be awarded one of Europe's most prestigious research grants this year: the Starting Grants from the European Research Council (ERC). With funding of up to €1.5 million each, Marjolein D. Bosch, Torsten Zache, André Rendeiro and Reinier Langelaar will be able to advance their ambitious projects in the fields of humanities, archaeology, quantum physics and cell biology.

Tibetan myths as a cultural foundation

Between the 11th and 14th centuries, a literary foundation was established on the Tibetan plateau that continues to shape culture, religion and politics to this day. Reinier Langelaar from the Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia at the OeAW) – the youngest principal investigator among all recipients of the ERC Starting Grant 2025 – reconstructs the emergence of such a ‘national founding myth’ in his research project. Using previously unknown manuscripts, he sheds light on how central texts shaped the relationships between religion, political rule and collective identity in Tibet – and what influence neighbouring Buddhist regions had on them.

How climate extremes shaped life during the Ice Age

Extreme climate change posed major challenges for hunter-gatherer groups during the last Ice Age. Marjolein D. Bosch from the Austrian Archaeological Institute of the OeAW – one of the first Seal of Excellence awardees at the Academy – is investigating how people in Central Europe responded to these environmental conditions. Her starting point is the Grub-Kranawetberg I and II sites, which offer exceptionally well-preserved remains from the period leading up to the Last Glacial Maximum. Using state-of-the-art methods – from isotope analysis to DNA – Bosch reconstructs which resources were used and which strategies were developed to survive in an extreme climate.

Quantum computers for fundamental physics

Simulating complex physical systems is one of the greatest challenges facing modern research. Theoretical physicist Torsten Zache is developing new approaches at the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information Innsbruck of the OeAW to explore so-called lattice gauge theories using quantum computers. His goal is to calculate the dynamics of systems that exhibit phenomena such as quark confinement – something that has only been possible to a limited extent with classical computers. The quantum algorithms developed in the process could not only deepen our understanding of fundamental forces, but also enable new applications in quantum chemistry and materials research.

How tissue ageing affects diseases

Ageing is a complex biological process that manifests itself at all levels, from molecules and cells to organs. In the case of age-related diseases in particular, it often remains unclear how minute changes at the cellular level lead to functional losses in tissues. To close this gap, André Rendeiro from the CeMM Research Centre for Molecular Medicine of the OeAW combines large-scale tissue imaging with modern computer-assisted analyses. This allows patterns and deviations that occur during ageing to be recognised and signals that precede the onset of disease to be identified. The project enables a new understanding of ageing as an interplay of tissue architecture.

About the ERC Starting Grant

The ERC Starting Grants are awarded annually by the European Research Council and support outstanding scientists in establishing their own research groups. With the four new grants, the number of ERC awards granted to OeAW researchers since 2007 rises to a total of 92 grants, supplemented by 8 Proof of Concept Grants. In addition, the Austrian Academy of Sciences has been involved in a further 19 ERC grants. This makes the Austrian Academy of Sciences one of the most successful Austrian research institutions in attracting these prestigious European research awards.

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