Three research projects led by the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) have been selected as winners of the prestigious 2025 European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grants. The projects involve three CEA laboratories: the Institute for Research on Fundamental Laws of the Universe (CEA-IRAMIS), the Institute of Theoretical Physics (IPhT, a joint CEA/CNRS unit), and the Climate and Environmental Sciences Laboratory (LSCE, a joint CEA/UVSQ/CNRS unit).
The funded initiatives aim to tackle major scientific challenges. One project seeks to push the boundaries of quantum electrodynamics. Another will develop new theoretical frameworks to describe the behavior of interacting particle systems when they are driven out of equilibrium. The third project focuses on improving the understanding of northern peatlands and their critical role in the global carbon cycle, with the goal of refining climate change impact predictions.
ERC Synergy Grants are highly competitive, providing substantial long-term funding to small groups of researchers to jointly address ambitious, interdisciplinary problems. This triple award underscores the CEA's leading role in fundamental physics and climate science research within Europe.