Dr. María Lois (CSIC) has been awarded a 'Proof of Concept' Grant in the latest round of this funding scheme of the European Research Council (ERC). As stated by the ERC, ' 'Proof of Concept' funding helps ERC grant holders to bridge the gap between their existing frontier research and its commercial applications. This top-up funding enables the scientists to cover costs of technical validation, create a start-up to explore business opportunities, or establish intellectual property rights, for example. 

ERC President Prof. Jean-Pierre Bourguignon commented: 'Since its launch three years ago, the ERC Proof of Concept funding scheme has helped almost 300 researchers find a way to get theirERC-funded research results to market and to tackle societal challenges. The demand for this funding is on the rise, showing that the scientific community is open to such an entrepreneurial mind-set. A growing number of ERC grantees are unleashing the potential of their most creative scientific ideas in a broader environment”.

Dr. María Lois project is entitled: 'SUMOblock: Blocking SUMO conjugation as drug discovery strategy.'

Press release by the ERC.