Press Release: Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn to mark European Research Council’s 1000th grant during Munich visit

Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn was in Munich on 24 June 2010 to celebrate the European Research Council's (ERC) 1000th grant, awarded to German immunologist and paediatrician Professor Erika von Mutius. German Research Minister Annette Schavan and ERC President Professor Helga Nowotny also took part in the ceremony at Professor von Mutius's host institution, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU). The ERC was launched in 2007 by the European Commission to fund innovative "blue sky" research throughout Europe. After visiting the Max-Planck Gesellschaft, Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn also signed a "Statement of Intent" with the seven leading inter-governmental research organisations which constitute EIROforum, pledging to work more closely together to develop the European Research Area.