17 June 2025
In Portugal, the winning scientists are Megan Carey, neuroscientist at the Champalimaud Foundation and Mónica Sousa, neurobiologist at i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto, who will each receive €2.5M for the development of research projects over the next five years.
The results of the most recent European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grants have been announced today (June 17th). In Portugal, the ERC selected two new projects in the area of life sciences, which in total will receive 5M€.
The ERC funding, worth in total €721M, will go to 281 leading researchers across Europe. In the case of life sciences, 732 proposals were submitted and 83 were selected for funding, which represents a success rate of approximately 11%.
In Portugal, the winning scientists are Megan Carey, neuroscientist at the Champalimaud Foundation and Mónica Sousa, neurobiologist at i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto, who will each receive €2.5M for the development of research projects over the next five years.
Sculpting cerebellar activity across timescales
We all know the phrase “like riding a bike” - it describes something you never forget. That’s because motor memories, like riding a bike or playing an instrument, become deeply ingrained in the brain over time. While researchers understand a lot about how we store facts and experiences (known as declarative memory), much less is known about how motor memories are formed and retained.
A key player in this process is the cerebellum, a part of the brain traditionally seen as a processor of movement, taking in sensory information and turning it into motor commands. But new research suggests the cerebellum is far more dynamic than previously thought. It's not only active when we're learning or performing movements, it's also busy behind the scenes, during periods of rest and in between practice sessions.
This project will explore how the cerebellum helps lock in motor memories and adapt to new challenges. Using cutting-edge tools that allow us to precisely observe and manipulate activity in specific brain cells, this project aims to answer several key questions, including: (1) How does cerebellar activity during rest help solidify motor memories?; (2) How does it contribute to learning that takes place on different time scales, from minutes, to days?, and (3) What role do specific cerebellar cell types play in guiding what the brain learns and remembers over time?
By uncovering how the cerebellum works not just during movement, but during rest and across timescales, this research could lead to new ways of enhancing or restoring learning and memory.
“I’m thrilled and deeply honored to be awarded an ERC Advanced Grant. It’s an important recognition of the daring and creative work that my extremely talented students and postdocs have done over the past 15 years. This grant will allow us to move in bold new directions that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise, and I couldn’t be more excited.”
Awardee Bio
Megan R. Carey is a Senior Group Leader in the Neuroscience Program at the Champalimaud Foundation (CF) in Lisbon, Portugal. She received her PhD in 2005 from the University of California, San Francisco and was a postdoc at Harvard Medical School before starting her independent laboratory at the CF 2010. The Carey Lab combines quantitative behavioral analysis, genetics, and physiology to understand how the brain controls learned and coordinated movements. Dr. Carey was elected as a member of EMBO (European Molecular Biology Organization) in 2024. Her work has been funded by various national and international funding bodies including FCT, ERC, and HHMI. From 2015-2019 she served as a high-level policy advisor to the European Commissioner for Research & Innovation.
CORDheal: Pioneering Research into Spinal Cord Regeneration
Unlike humans and most other mammals, the spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus) possesses a remarkable ability to spontaneously regenerate its spinal cord following injury — avoiding the formation of scarring that typically hinders functional recovery. This breakthrough, led by Mónica Sousa’s team at i3S – Institute for Research and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, challenges long-held scientific paradigms and positions Acomys as a unique model for studying the regeneration of the central nervous system (CNS). The discovery underpins the CORDheal project, now funded by the European Research Council (ERC).
Spinal cord injury disrupts communication between the brain and body, often resulting in permanent paralysis. This is largely due to the inability of axons — the long extensions of nerve cells responsible for transmitting information — to traverse the scar tissue that forms after injury, preventing the re-establishment of neural connections. Defying this conventional understanding, Mónica Sousa’s research has shown that Acomys can regenerate its spinal cord effectively and restore function, forming pro-regenerative tissue rather than inhibitory scar tissue. This promotes structural continuity and enables the reconnection of neural circuits, supporting the recovery of both motor and sensory functions.
To uncover the cellular and molecular mechanisms driving this unique regenerative response, the CORDheal team will conduct advanced single-cell analyses, comparing injured spinal cord tissue from Acomys with that of Mus musculus — the common laboratory mouse, which lacks regenerative capacity. These comparisons aim to identify the specific cell populations and molecular pathways responsible for the regenerative process in Acomys. Ultimately, the project seeks to lay the groundwork for novel therapeutic strategies to treat spinal cord injuries in humans.
The team will further investigate whether the regenerative process in Acomys mimics aspects of embryonic development; identify genes — potentially novel — that underpin this regenerative capacity; and trace the evolutionary origins of regeneration. Comparative studies with related species will help determine when this ability emerged in the evolutionary timeline of mammals.
With its highly innovative and multidisciplinary scientific approach, the CORDheal project promises to push the frontiers of current knowledge and provide critical insights into the adaptive cellular mechanisms that enable CNS regeneration in mammals.
"I am truly honored to receive an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council. This recognition will enable us to explore bold and exciting scientific questions that we would not be able to address otherwise. It is also a recognition of the dedication and talent of my past and present team members, and underscores to the relevance of our research. While I feel the weight of the award, I am thrilled to take this next step and to continue pushing the boundaries of science."
Awardee Bio
Monica Sousa leads the Nerve Regeneration research group at i3S since 2008, aimed at uncovering mechanisms underlying axon growth and regeneration. Among her group’s major breakthroughs is the discovery that the spiny mouse is the first known mammal capable of spontaneously regenerating its spinal cord — a landmark finding that opened new avenues in regenerative medicine. Monica Sousa holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Porto. During her doctoral studies, she explored the biology of an aggregation-prone protein that drives axon degeneration. She then pursued postdoctoral research at Columbia University in New York, where she investigated signaling pathways implicated in amyloid fibril-induced neurodegeneration. Throughout her career, Monica Sousa has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Pfizer Award for Basic Research and the Melo e Castro Award (2019 and 2022), among others. Her research has been supported by major international funding bodies such as the Wings for Life Foundation and the "la Caixa" Foundation. In addition to her scientific achievements, Monica has extensive experience in leadership, mentorship and science policy. In 2024, her scientific excellence and the impact of her work were recognised with her election as a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).
ERC Research Grants are awarded by the European Research Council. Any researcher can apply, as long as they intend to develop their research in an institution of the European Union. Without quotas by countries, areas or anything else, these grants are awarded based, solely and exclusively, on the merit of the project.
Funding is for the development of projects over a period of five years and is allocated at three main levels, according to the seniority of the proposing researcher: Starting, for researchers with 2 to 7 years after their PhD, in an amount of up to €1.5M; Consolidator, for researchers with 7 to 12 years after their PhD and funding of up to €2M; Advanced, for independent researchers, worth up to €2.5M. To these values can be added initial support, for rehousing or scientific equipment.
