Arri Priimägi selected as Ambassador for the ERC
The European Research Council (ERC) and the Association of ERC Grantees (AERG) have come up with ideas for a new approach for promoting the visibility of high-quality, creative research. The Ambassadors for the ERC spread the message of the importance of research funding and the significance of research for society. Professor Arri Priimägi has been selected as Finland’s Ambassador for the ERC.
There are 32 new Ambassadors for the ERC from every EU member state and five Horizon Europe associated countries. The Ambassadors are researchers who are ERC Grantees and who have been selected from more than 200 applicants based on their applications. The Ambassador serves a term of one year at a time, and may continue serving for a maximum of six years.
Maria Leptin, President of the ERC, said in the launch press release: “I hope the Ambassadors for the ERC will become recognisable faces of ERC-funded research. This network has great potential to advocate effectively for frontier research across Europe. Together, we must keep reminding our fellow citizens why funding frontier research isn’t optional, and why it’s essential for Europe’s long-term health and prosperity.”
Unique ERC funding
Professor Arri Priimägi, selected as the Ambassador for the ERC from Finland, works at Tampere University, researching soft functional materials at, among others, the Research Council of Finland’s Centre of Excellence in Life-Inspired Hybrid Materials (LIBER) and the Finnish Flagship for Photonics Research and Innovation (PREIN). During his career, he has received several grants from the ERC.
What inspired you to become an ERC Ambassador?
“If I have the opportunity to make even a small contribution to research based on curiosity and the desire to produce new information, not to mention underscore the importance of research, I want to strive for that. This approach seemed like the right way to make a difference,” Priimägi said.
“ERC funding is quite unique globally, and something we can be proud of. However, whenever European research funding is interrupted we have to advocate for its existence, and its importance as a funder of researcher-driven research must be justified.”
The appeal of scientific curiosity
Priimägi emphasises the importance of scientific curiosity and new creative knowledge behind advances in science and, in turn, the creation of applications:
“My group’s research falls somewhere between science and applied research. But I see scientific curiosity and the creation of new knowledge as a key driver of high-quality research. In some ways, new research data will also lead to applications, new innovations and practices. This whole thing is meaningful.”
Priimägi points out that a very large number of the applications that are currently changing the world are the product of years and decades of fundamental research:
“Each decision-maker should keep in mind that there’s no way to predict what research will lead to over the next few years. That’s why researchers and research from all disciplines are also needed. The more perspectives we have in different disciplines in society and academic discourse, the better.”
Wide-ranging influence
Priimägi has actively talked about his own team’s research both in the media and on other forums, and he has thus gained a familiarity with communicating about science. As an Ambassador for the ERC, he also hopes that he will be able to discuss the role of science and research in society and future solutions more broadly.
“As an Ambassador, it’s my job to encourage researchers working in Finland to apply for ERC funding more enthusiastically than they do right now. There has been some progress made, but we still aren’t active enough. Even though preparing an application takes some work, it’s worth doing,” Priimägi said, adding that he is happy to help when discussing the opportunities offered by the ERC at universities.
