The ERC Synergy Grant annually finances ambitious and complex scientific projects with an allocation of 10 million euros for six years. Each project brings together between 2 and 4 researchers from Europe and elsewhere and aims to develop unconventional approaches across disciplines. The ultimate goal is to shape tomorrow's research and become a world reference in the field. Under the new Horizon Europe programme, 29 projects were selected out of 360 submitted for a total investment of €295 million under the first ERC Synergy call.

Congratulations to Raphaël Voituriez, winner of the ERC call and member of the Stochastic Dynamics of Reactive and Living Systems team at the Jean Perrin Laboratory, for his cell biology project SHAPINCELLFATE!

Cells in tissues can take different shapes by attaching, moving or interacting with other structures. However, the mechanisms underlying this adaptation and the consequences on long-term physiology and pathology remain largely unexplored. It has been found that changes in the shape of cells and organelles can lead to reversible and irreversible changes in their behavior and function. The objective of SHAPINCELLFATE is therefore to study the impact of the shape imposed by physical confinement on the current and future behavior of cells in tissues.