Three ERC grants for faculty researchers
Three researchers from the faculty have been awarded a prestigious ERC grant: Anna Zhelnina, Verena Seibel, and Angelo Moretti. The European Union provides this 鈧1.5 million grant to talented scientists at the beginning of their research careers. Thanks to the grant, they can develop their own research project, assemble a research team, and develop scientific ideas. Utrecht 木瓜福利影视 has received a total of seven of these ERCs.
The research projects

Zhelnina: 鈥淢y project, Care2Act, emphasises the deep interconnectedness between mental health and societal development. It foregrounds people鈥檚 agency: I want to explore how individuals and communities actively manage their mental health and support others in difficult times. This is especially important today, as we face multiple environmental and geopolitical crises. Crises that many people experience as personal, making it difficult to simply stand aside. In addition to generating new theoretical insights, my project aims to support activist communities in their work. In close collaboration with activists and grassroots initiatives, Care2Act will document existing support practices and help share the most effective strategies more widely.鈥

Seibel: 鈥淲hile social networks are often seen as sources of support鈥攖hey offer information, contacts, and resources鈥攚ith SHADOW, I want to investigate how they can also create negative externalities. Effects that undermine the economic security of migrant populations. By revealing both the negative and positive aspects of social support, SHADOW will help policymakers and practitioners design better interventions that strengthen beneficial connections and counteract harmful dynamics. Ultimately, this will improve the economic position of migrants in Europe.鈥

Moretti: 鈥淲ith my research, I aim to produce reliable local-level data that will allow us to accurately track progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals. With this data, I hope to uncover inequalities hidden in national averages or aggregated indicators. By developing innovative methods and using new data sources, we can improve well-being policies across regions and groups. With my research results, I hope to establish a new standard for computing small area composite indicators, with applications across many disciplines.鈥