Total support to be awarded to altogether 21 postdoctoral, 23 startup and 70 team projects, which will last for up to five years, will be €18,795,640 per year, bringing the total amount of support for the projects' duration to approximately €73 million, spokespeople for the Estonian Research Council told BNS.

Of the projects set to launch next year, 58 are in the field of science, 20 in technology, 14 in medicine and healthcare, four in agriculture and the veterinary field, seven in social sciences, and 11 in the arts and humanities.

The total number of applicants reached a record high of 479 this year.

"It was no easy task for the evaluation committee to choose from such a large number of high-level research projects," said Andres Koppel, chairman of the evaluation committee and director general of the Estonian Research Council. "Our selection was based on scientific superiority and diversity as well as on the project's relevance for Estonia."

In addition to the 114 selected new projects, continued support will be granted to 189 personal and 34 institutional research projects already underway, bringing the total volume of research grants in 2020 to nearly €42.9 million.

Altogether four proof-of-concept projects have likewise been launched, with four more set to begin net year. Total support for these eight projects will reach €760,000. The proof-of-concept grant is aimed at enhancing technology transfer, the application of research outcomes in businesses and in society, as well as strengthen the societal and economic impact of research.

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