Catherine Bradley, former resident of the IAS in Paris, obtained a 2 million euro "Consolidator" grant from the European Research Council in December 2019, to continue her project "Benedicamus" (Musical and poetic creativity for a unique moment in Western Christian liturgy, around 1000-1500), initiated during a EURIAS stay at the IAS in 2017-2018.

The project focuses on the beginnings of medieval musical and poetic genres and techniques that played a crucial role in the formation of practices that are still relevant today, and reflects on the complex and enduring relationship of music with spirituality, ritual and the sacred.

Only 78 researchers in the humanities and social sciences were awarded an ERC "consolidator" grant in 2019, which aims to support projects of excellence in Europe, as part of the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Thanks to this support, beneficiaries have the opportunity to build their teams and have a significant impact.