TU/e researchers win ERC Starting Grants for groundbreaking work in AI gameplay analysis, sustainable green steel, and cardiac regeneration

Max Birk, Yali Tang, and Tommaso Ristori. Photos: Vincent van den Hoogen and Angeline Swinkels

(IN BRIEF) Three researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e)—Max Birk, Yali Tang, and Tommaso Ristori—have each been awarded an ERC Starting Grant of €1.5 million to advance pioneering projects in gaming, sustainable industry, and healthcare. Birk will develop AI-driven methods to analyze gameplay mechanics, providing insights relevant to game design, mental wellbeing, and regulation. Tang’s research focuses on green ironmaking through low-temperature electrolysis, aiming to close knowledge gaps and accelerate decarbonization in the steel sector. Ristori will explore how mechanical stimuli influence cardiac blood vessel regeneration after heart attacks, with potential to transform regenerative medicine. ERC Starting Grants are among Europe’s most competitive research awards, with only 12% of nearly 4,000 proposals funded this year, and the initiative is expected to create thousands of new research jobs across the continent.

(PRESS RELEASE) EINDHOVEN, 5-Sep-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded Starting Grants worth €1.5 million each to three Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) researchers: Max Birk, Yali Tang, and Tommaso Ristori. These highly competitive grants will enable the researchers to establish independent teams and pursue breakthrough ideas with societal impact across gaming, sustainable industry, and healthcare.

Understanding gameplay through AI – Max Birk
Associate Professor Max Birk from the Department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences will use his grant for the project GAMECHAR, which explores how artificial intelligence can be leveraged to analyze and characterize gameplay. With computer games increasingly influencing daily life, Birk aims to bridge a major gap by developing scalable data-driven tools that link game mechanics to player experiences. His research will generate automated gameplay testing, classification models, and a comprehensive data repository to distinguish between beneficial and harmful gameplay. These insights could inform game design, healthcare applications—especially mental wellbeing—and even policymaking.

Green pathways for iron production – Yali Tang
Associate Professor Yali Tang of the Department of Mechanical Engineering will lead the project EcoIron (Electrons to Iron), focusing on sustainable solutions for the iron and steel industry. With the sector valued at more than €1.4 trillion by 2030, Tang’s research addresses the fundamental knowledge gap in low-temperature electrolysis (electrodeposition), a promising method to convert iron ore directly into iron using renewable electricity. Combining experimental research and advanced computer modelling, Tang’s work will reveal the kinetics of oxide-to-iron transformation, aiming to prove the viability of continuous electrolytic iron powder production. This breakthrough could accelerate the decarbonization of steelmaking and contribute to energy storage technologies.

Healing the heart with new blood vessels – Tommaso Ristori
Assistant Professor Tommaso Ristori from the Department of Biomedical Engineering has been awarded funding for the project PRIMA, which tackles one of the biggest challenges in treating heart attack patients: regenerating blood vessels in damaged cardiac tissue. Current therapies fall short in restoring cardiac function due to insufficient microvascular regeneration. Ristori will combine experimental and computational models to study how mechanical stimuli—such as strain and stiffness—affect blood vessel formation after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). His aim is to provide groundbreaking insights that could transform regenerative medicine and lay the foundation for future cardiac interventions.

ERC Starting Grants: fostering the next generation of research leaders
ERC Starting Grants support outstanding early-career researchers as they establish independent groups in Europe. In this call, 3,928 proposals were submitted, with just over 12% awarded funding. A total of 42% of the successful grantees this year are women, maintaining recent trends. Each grant is worth €1.5 million over five years, with additional funds available for major experimental needs or relocation. This round of grants is also expected to generate approximately 3,000 new research jobs across Europe.

About ERC Starting Grant

ERC Starting grants are designed to support outstanding researchers of any nationality who are starting to develop an independent career and intend to establish their own research team or programme in Europe.

This year’s successful candidates plan to carry out their projects at universities and research centres across 25 countries. This competition attracted 3,928 proposals, with just over 12% of the proposals to be funded.

The number of women grantees remain fairly stable with 42% female winners in this year’s Starting Grants, and 44% in 2024, and 43% in 2023.

A Starting Grant amounts to €1.5 million for a period of up to five years. However, additional funds can be made available to cover costs related to moving from a country outside the EU or associated countries, purchasing major equipment or the access to large facilities, or major experimental and fieldwork-related costs.

This round of grants is estimated to create some 3,000 jobs within the teams of the new grantees.

Media Contact:

Barry Fitzgerald
(Press Officer)
+31 40 247 8067
B.Fitzgerald@tue.nl

SOURCE: TU/e