On April 28, 2026, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) conferred its highest academic distinction — the Doctor Honoris Causa — jointly on Helga Nowotny and Maria Leptin, two of the most influential figures in shaping the European Research Council (ERC). The ceremony took place at the Ciutadella campus auditorium and was presided over by UPF Rector Laia de Nadal.

The recognition carries particular resonance for the DIVERSE project team: the ERC Horizon programme is the very funding body that makes our research possible. Nowotny and Leptin are not only pioneers in research governance — they are the architects of the institution whose grant supports our work on digitalisation, environmental justice, and biocultural diversity.

Why This Matters for DIVERSE: The ERC Connection

The DIVERSE project is funded under the ERC's Horizon programme (grant agreement 101124195). The model of scientific independence, long-term commitment, and interdisciplinary excellence that Nowotny and Leptin championed at the ERC is precisely the framework that allows projects like DIVERSE to exist — investigating questions that may not produce immediate economic returns, but that are essential for understanding how grassroots communities navigate digital transformation in defence of environmental justice and biocultural diversity.

As Rector de Nadal noted in her speech, the work of Leptin and Nowotny is "a fantastic example of how to combat anti-intellectualism" — a challenge that resonates deeply with the politically engaged, community-oriented scholarship at the heart of DIVERSE.

The Ceremony

The investiture drew significant institutional presence, including Núria Montserrat, Catalonia's Minister of Research and Universities, and Montserrat Vendrell, President of UPF's Social Council. Former UPF rectors Josep Joan Moreso and Jaume Casals also attended, alongside members of the wider academic community.

Musical performances by the Brossa Quartet and soprano Marta Valero — featuring works by composers Valerie Coleman, Alma Mahler, Clara Schumann, Carme Karr, and Beethoven — punctuated the ceremony. Artist Quim Moya painted live portraits of both honorees throughout the event, which were unveiled at its close.

Acceptance Speeches: Excellence and Public Responsibility

In her acceptance speech, Helga Nowotny praised science as a collective endeavour that must remain broad and pluridisciplinary — one that is "incomplete" without the social sciences and humanities. She reflected on the ERC's progress in funding women researchers during her tenure, while acknowledging that meaningful equality in scientific leadership remains a work in progress. She called what the ERC had achieved "a miracle" — a moment when the scientific community truly spoke with one voice.

Maria Leptin framed her honorary doctorate not only as a personal honour but as "a recognition of a broader idea of European research: open, rigorous, curious, and closely connected to society." She highlighted UPF's mission statement as a model of what research institutions can aspire to: "Excellence and public responsibility go together. A university must aim for the highest level — intellectually and scientifically — while remaining open to the world around it."

THE HONOREES:

Helga Nowotny

Former ERC President · Sociologist of Science

Born in Vienna (1937), Nowotny is Emeritus Professor at ETH Zurich and the first woman to serve as ERC president. A Columbia University-trained sociologist, she has taught at Harvard, MIT, and Sciences Po. Known for her work on knowledge, uncertainty, and democratic culture, she was named by the Financial Times as one of the most influential women in science in 2011. Recent books include In AI We Trust (2021).

Maria Leptin

Current ERC President · Developmental Biologist

Born in Hamburg (1954), Leptin is a researcher at the University of Cologne's Institute of Genetics and the current ERC president. A specialist in developmental biology — how organisms form their correct shape — she has held positions at Cambridge, UCSF, ENS Paris, and the Wellcome Sanger Institute. She previously directed EMBO. She holds honorary doctorates from EPFL, ETH Zurich, the University of Lisbon, and Cambridge.

Laudationes: Science, Institutions, and Gender

The formal tributes were delivered by Jan Eeckhout (ICREA Research Professor, Department of Economics and Business) and Carla Lancelotti (ICREA Research Professor, Department of Humanities). Both noted that while Nowotny and Leptin have more than sufficient individual scientific achievements to merit the distinction, their lasting legacy lies in what they built together: an institution rooted in scientific independence, long-term vision, and excellence divorced from short-term economic logic.

Lancelotti underscored the significance of gender: "Unfortunately, even in Europe, and in 2026, it remains an exceptional achievement for a woman to reach the levels of power and influence attained by Professors Nowotny and Leptin."

About the European Research Council: Our Funding Institution

Founded in 2007, the ERC is Europe's principal organisation for funding frontier research and innovation. It awards grants to researchers of any nationality for projects carried out in the EU or associated countries, covering five funding streams: Starting Grants, Consolidator Grants, Advanced Grants, Synergy Grants, and Proof of Concept grants.

UPF is a leading institution in Spain for ERC grant capture, having obtained 75 grants totalling nearly €111 million across all calls from 2008 to 2025.

DIVERSE is funded under grant agreement 101124195 (Horizon programme, 2025–2029), led by PI Beatriz Rodríguez-Labajos at UPF's Department of Political and Social Sciences.

The joint investiture of Nowotny and Leptin is a reminder of what independent, curiosity-driven, publicly accountable science can build — and why defending that model matters, especially in times when, as the Rector put it, "anti-intellectualism threatens the value of knowledge."