30/08/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 30 August, the Scientific Council of the European Research Council (ERC), which, within the framework of the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Development, is to select the exploratory research projects financed by the Community budget, chose the future ERC Secretary General. Given the many highly qualified applicants for the post, the scientists chose two who will succeed each other for two two-and-a-half-year mandates. The first secretary general will be German professor of biochemistry at the University of Munich, Ernst Ludwig Winnacker, who created the Gene Centre in Munich and who is currently completing his third mandate at the head of the German Science Foundation. He will hold the post from January 2007 to July 2009. His successor will be Andreu Mas-Colell, from Spain, currently Professor of Economics at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, who is known for his exceptionally successful initiatives as Minister of Universities, Research and the Information Society in Catalonia from 2000 to 2003. He will hold the post until December 2011. Commissioner Janez Potocnik immediately welcomed the appointees.