Welcome to our Newest Member: AERG, the Association of ERC Grantees

We are delighted to welcome the Association of ERC Grantees (AERG) as a member of ESF. This decision was formally approved by the ESF Executive Board on 3 June 2025, following a year of constructive dialogue and collaboration. 

AERG is an independent, non-profit organisation that brings together and supports recipients of European Research Council (ERC) grants across disciplines. It plays a vital role in demonstrating the wider societal benefits of fundamental research societies and advocating excellence-based, bottom-up, frontier science funding in Europe, as exemplified by the European Research Council. 

Since 2023, ESF has provided operational support to AERG in implementing its workplan. With AERG’s membership, we look forward to deepening this collaboration and working together more closely to support Europe’s research ecosystem. 

This new partnership is fully aligned with ESF’s Strategy 2024–2028, which lines of action places a strong emphasis on: 

  • Connecting research communities, disciplines, stakeholder groups, and geographies 
  • Implementing the full spectrum of science management services 
  • Promoting excellence and inclusion in European research 

Together with AERG, we are committed to building bridges across the scientific community and strengthening the voice of researchers in shaping Europe’s research agenda. 

About ESF Membership 

ESF fosters cooperation in research and science policy through a wide network of institutional partnerships. With over 80 active collaborations through hosted platforms, coordinated projects and service provision agreements, ESF continues to expand its reach and impact across Europe. 

AERG becomes the tenth Member alongside: 

  • Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (Bulgaria) 
  • Fonds National de la Recherche (FNR) (Luxembourg) 
  • Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS) – Belgium 
  • Core Technologies for Life Sciences (CTLS) – France 
  • French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (Ifremer) – France 
  • Hungarian Academy of Sciences – Hungary 
  • National Council for Scientific Research – Romania 
  • Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts – Serbia 
  • TÜBITAK – Turkey 

We warmly welcome AERG to the ESF community and look forward to a productive collaboration in support of scientific excellence, responsible research, and inclusive science policy in Europe. 

Learn more about AERG: https://aerg.eu 
Learn more about ESF’s strategy: https://www.esf.org/fileadmin/user_upload/esf/ESF_Strategy_2024.pdf