An ERC Starting Grant assigned to Dr. Davide Folloni

The European Research Council (ERC) has announced the winners of the Starting Grants 2025: among them Dr. Davide Folloni, who will return from New York to join Vita-Salute San Raffaele University.

The ERC Starting Grants are among the most prestigious and competitive funding opportunities in Europe, designed to empower exceptional early-career researchers who have already shown outstanding promise. These grants support those ready to launch their independent careers and pursue groundbreaking research with the potential to transform their fields.

With the award of an ERC Starting Grant, Dr. Folloni will receive almost €1.5 million over five years to pursue his pioneering project. This milestone highlights the excellence and originality of his work and reflects his vision and capability to lead at the frontiers of scientific discovery.

In 2024 researchers from Ospedale e San Raffaele University received 7 ERC grants (three Consolidator grants, three Starting grants, one Proof of Concept). Within the first round of 2025 grants, with dr. Folloni’s one San Raffaele reaches 36 ERC grants awarded since 2007, the year this European programme was launched.

ERC funding is more than financial support; it is a hallmark of scientific daring and intellectual ambition. The ERC is known for backing high-risk, high-reward ideas that challenge conventional thinking and push the boundaries of knowledge. Securing such a grant places Dr. Folloni among a select group of Europe’s most promising scientific leaders.

Moreover, this achievement strengthens our institute's position as a hub of innovation and excellence in research. It is a powerful reminder that investing in talent and nurturing creativity are essential to addressing the world’s most pressing and complex challenges. These successes are not just personal: they elevate the entire scientific community and pave the way for future breakthroughs.

The sinking feeling when life falls short of our expectations and our mood declines is a common experience. For millions, however, these emotional lows are not fleeting. Depression and related conditions can erode joy, diminish motivation, and disrupt social connection. Despite their prevalence, the exact brain circuits behind these struggles remain largely unknown.

With the UltraDeepMood project financed by ERC, a team led by Dr. Folloni aims to directly uncover how our brains process sadness, hope and well-being. Leveraging advanced neuromodulation techniques, they will examine how deep brain areas processing sadness and happiness are affected by mood changes. By combining cutting-edge brain imaging and mathematical models, Folloni’s team aims to reveal how our minds react to life’s ups and downs, and how we might use technology and brain therapies to heal them and guide them toward well-being.

This research represents a significant step toward a deeper understanding of emotional pain, and ultimately, toward new therapeutic strategies to support the mental health of those who continue to endure its burden in silence.

Dr. Davide Folloni is a neuroscientist pioneering innovative ultrasound brain treatments. Trained at Oxford University, now in New York, he earned top honors from the Wellcome Trust, the US National Institutes of Health and from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Dr. Folloni states:

“Being awarded the ERC Starting Grant is a unique opportunity, especially at this stage of my career. It will allow me to open my own lab and build a team to pursue the scientific vision that has guided my research in Oxford and New York: understanding how the interaction between the brain and reality shapes our mental health. Most importantly, it will enable me to develop novel brain treatments. This grant is not only an investment in science, but in the people who still believe in the promise of new therapies. In recent years, we have all witnessed how science can change lives for the better. As scientists, it is our duty and responsibility to translate our work into accessible opportunities to help others and improve the quality of life for those who need it most”.