Four former graduates of the Physics degree course at the University of Genoa, Agnese Seminara (PhD at DIFI), Andrea Toma (PhD at DIFI), Ilaria Testa (PhD at DIFI) and Alessandro Siria have been awarded a grant by participating in the prestigious European ERC call for proposals ("consolidator" call).

The largest number of ERC grants goes to Italian researchers. The ERC also highlights the increase in the number of grants won by female researchers: although there is still a disparity in the number of boys and girls enrolled in science and technology degree courses, the gap is narrowing and Italy is among the countries where the gap is smallest.