Cologne's Professor Bußmann receives 2.9 million euros for Egypt research!

Cologne's Professor Bußmann receives 2.9 million euros for Egypt research!

Professor Dr. Richard Bußmann from the Institute for African Studies and Egyptology University of Cologne has received the prestigious ERC Advanced Grant. This funding award is considered one of the most important in the European research landscape and is awarded to outstanding scientists to support innovative projects that are subject to uncertainty. Financial support amounts to up to 2.9 million euros over a period of five years.

The project led by Bußmann is called “SUBALTERNEGY”. It focuses on the study of the social organization of socially weak and disempowered groups in ancient Egypt. While traditional Egyptology often focuses on privileged social groups, Bußmann wants to create a more comprehensive picture of ancient Egyptian society. The research will focus on the early phase of the ancient Egyptian state between 2700 and 2200 BC. Focus on BC.

Interdisciplinary research approach

For his project, Bußmann is planning an interdisciplinary approach that combines methods from archaeology, anthropology, geophysics, visual sciences and cultural history. The underlying assumption is that people of all social groups strive for a meaningful life and position themselves in social relationships. An international excavation team will document the cemetery of the ancient Egyptian provincial capital Hebenu (today Zawyet Sultan). The bone finds will provide valuable insights into the realities of life in the various social groups.

A crucial element of the project is the analysis of burial culture, which reflects the idealized notion of an “imagined community.” Bußmann's research will also examine how social relationships are represented in burial and material culture. The overall aim is to contribute to rewriting the early history of social inequality in Egypt.

ERC Advanced Grants: An overview

The European Research Council awarded a total of 507 million euros to 209 leading researchers in Europe this year. These grants are intended to provide new insights in a variety of research areas, including topics such as obesity and pancreatic cancer, as well as threats from wildlife viruses. The awarding of grants is extremely competitive - only around 8% of applicants can expect to receive a grant. This shows the quality of the projects submitted.

Mariya Gabriel, EU Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, emphasized the importance of these grants for scientific research and innovation in the EU. The new research projects are estimated to create 1,900 new jobs for postdoctoral researchers, graduate students and other research staff. The ERC not only supports research, but also promotes employment in the science sector.

The ERC Advanced Grant is aimed at established, leading Principal Investigators who make exceptional contributions to research. Applications can be submitted in any research area and are subject to a “bottom-up” approach without predetermined priorities. The next round of applications for these grants took place between May 20 and August 31, 2021, with an increasing proportion of around 22% of applications coming from female researchers in recent years.