“Our grantees can act with considerable freedom”

Professor Leptin, we are currently witnessing an assault on scientific freedom in the USA. Many institutions are apparently under so much pressure that researchers are censoring themselves so as not to risk having their funding cut. Are you alarmed by this development?

Yes, very. We are witnessing not only an assault on scientific freedom but also a very broad-ranging erosion of democratic processes that extends deep into society - including here in Europe. It does not surprise me that this is having a particularly noticeable impact on science, which is all about establishing new patterns of thought and new perspectives. 

Why are people increasingly distrustful of research?

It has been reliably demonstrated that people have a pronounced tendency to stick to established opinions rather than believing facts. What is new is that actors with very great political and economic power are additionally reinforcing this trend. This is extremely alarming.

Is science in Europe capable of withstanding such developments?

Research in Europe is in a strong position. In Germany at least, scientific freedom is enshrined in the Basic Law. We have a funding system that works really well at the European level and spend a lot of money to ensure that frontier research ultimately benefits society. Since the beginning of 2021, we at the European Research Council have had more than 16 billion euros to disburse until 2027. We take the problem of growing scientific scepticism very seriously and are developing measures designed to improve the communication of science to society.

Can you give us an example?

Each year, the European Research Council awards a prize for public engagement with research. It is presented to scientists who involve society in their work. The prize winners in 2024 included a researcher from France who pursued ocean wave research in collaboration with a community in Ireland and was able to provide weather forecasts tailored specifically to local circumstances. And a researcher from Germany who, working with sufferers, developed an interactive research tool to treat mental disorders. Our aim in awarding this prize is to send a clear message: scientists are not members of an aloof elite. They are approachable and create genuine value for society.

The European Research Council (ERC), which you have headed since 2021, is one of the world’s most important research funding organisations. What makes it so successful?

One important element is that we allow researchers to focus on their ideas, with no strings attached. All that counts is scientific excellence. Scientific progress is driven primarily by researchers who want to generate new knowledge to satisfy their own curiosity. Our aim is to support this. A high-calibre international selection panel decides who should receive funding; we operate as it were at Champions League level. This works so well that many of our grantees achieve scientific breakthroughs. This is partly because scientists are able to act with considerable freedom.

What do you mean by that?

Take for example the mRNA vaccine that BioNTech, in collaboration with Pfizer, was able to make available during the coronavirus pandemic. That was only possible because BioNTech cofounder Uğur Şahin had been able years earlier to conduct his basic research into mRNA-based cancer therapy thanks to ERC funding. Without this fairly loosely defined research focus, BioNTech would not have been able to switch later at such record speed to the production of Covid-19 vaccines. 

Europe continues to be a global leader in research but has problems when it comes to applying knowledge in practice. How can this challenge be addressed?

There are a number of European universities that are very determined to turn basic research into practical applications. They might then set up a spin-off company to bring a product to the market. Unfortunately, this has often failed in the past because the approval process for individual countries is too complicated. Until we remove such obstacles, transferring research into widespread application will remain difficult.

Do you believe it is possible that top-level researchers in the USA, because of the developments there, will seek to return to Europe? Max Planck President Patrick Cramer even regards the US as a “new pool of talent” for Germany.

Objectively that may be true, but I take a somewhat different view to Patrick Cramer. Our main objective should be to support scientists and researchers in the USA, who are now really having to work under difficult conditions. I think that’s much more important than the idea of taking advantage of the difficult situation in which our colleagues find themselves in order to strengthen Germany’s position.