Bernd Abel awarded prestigious ERC-CZ grant for astrobiology research
Prof. Dr. Bernd Abel of the Heyrovský Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences has been awarded an ERC-CZ grant 2026 worth 2.32 million EURO within the next 5 years for the project BIOSCOPE (Analysis and Collection of Biosignatures in Limited Ice Particles from a Water World in Space). The project starts in September 2026.
The ERC-CZ program funds excellent proposals from the ERC Advanced Grant competition (EU) with highest ratings but which cannot be funded by EU due to budget limitations in that year. For Czech hosts such proposals can be passed on to the ERC-CZ competition. The now fully funded excellent ERC-Adv. proposal (now within ERC-CZ) focuses on one of the most profound scientific questions: Are we alone in the Universe?
BIOSCOPE will develop new methods to collect and analyze minute ice particles originating from water-rich worlds beyond Earth. These particles, ejected from subsurface oceans on icy moons such as Europa and Enceladus, may contain chemical signatures that reveal biological or prebiotic processes occurring beneath their frozen surfaces.
The research is particularly timely as international space agencies intensify the exploration of ocean worlds in the Solar System. NASA’s Europa Clipper mission is currently investigating Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, while future mission concepts target the water-rich plumes of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. These worlds are considered among the most promising locations beyond Earth for the search for life, making the development of highly sensitive biosignature detection methods an increasingly important scientific priority.
The project aims to push the limits of analytical chemistry and astrobiology by determining how traces of life can be detected in extremely small samples analyzed during future space missions. The research combines expertise in physical chemistry, molecular analysis, and planetary science to create innovative approaches for the identification of biosignatures in extraterrestrial ice particles.
“The possibility that ocean worlds in our Solar System may harbor the conditions necessary for life makes them among the most exciting targets of modern space exploration,” says Bernd Abel. “BIOSCOPE seeks to develop the analytical tools needed to recognize potential signs of life in the tiny samples that future missions may analyze via high resolution mass spectrometry.”
The ERC-CZ award recognizes the scientific excellence of the proposal and strengthens the position of the Heyrovský Institute as a leading center for interdisciplinary research at the interface of chemistry, space science, and astrobiology.
