The European Research Council (ERC) has today announced funding totalling €27.3 million for the first-round of 2026 Proof-of-Concept Grants to enable ERC-funded ideas to progress on the path from ground-breaking research towards innovation.
University College Dublin (UCD) researcher Professor Niamh Nowlan, UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, and a fellow of the UCD Conway Institute, is among the 180+ researchers from across Europe, and one of only 4 researchers based in Ireland, who will each receive a Proof-of-Concept grant of €150,000 to explore the commercial or societal potential of their research findings.
Professor Nowlan will lead the GROW-REG project (Identifying physeal cell surface markers for paediatric growth modulation) which is focused on unlocking new treatments for a broad range of paediatric growth disorders.
Growth disorders due to genetic causes, infection or injury are common in children and can lead to limbs of unequal length, crooked bones, abnormal stature, and the associated pain, loss of function, self-consciousness and impacts on self-esteem. Current treatments of growth disorders involve systemic drugs, affecting all cells in the body, or invasive surgeries, which can cause significant side effects or morbidity.
Source: UCD Researcher Awarded ERC Proof of Concept Funding – NovaUCD
