10/01/2020 (Agence Europe) – The European Commission announced on Friday 10 January that 76 top researchers will receive €11.4 million in grants from the European Research Council (ERC) to explore commercial opportunities, prepare patent applications or verify the practical viability of their scientific results. "The EU is supporting researchers to break new ground and push the frontiers of our knowledge. These new ERC projects put new discoveries into practice", said Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation and Research. According to the Commission, the new grants, which are part of the EU's research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020, will, among other things, help develop safer and cheaper treatment for patients with autoimmune diseases, such as arthritis, and develop a method to measure whether children with autism are getting the expected benefits from educational programmes. (DG)