ERC Synergy Grant channels over $3M to UBC lab for genomic regulation and cancer research through Europe‑Canada collaboration
The European Research Council awarded a Synergy Grant to a consortium led by the University of Helsinki that includes UBC’s Dr. Carl de Boer. The overall grant totals $16M; de Boer’s lab at UBC will receive more than $3M to develop tools for studying gene regulation and apply them to colorectal, kidney and uterine cancers.
The ERC Synergy Grant supports an international team (Finland, UK, Canada) to create computational and experimental tools to probe molecular switches of gene expression and how they fail in cancer. Dr. Carl de Boer (UBC School of Biomedical Engineering) will receive over $3M for his lab. The report also highlights UBC’s expanding European research ties — joining the Eurolife Network, collaborations with CNRS and the Berlin Institute of Health, and active participation in Horizon Europe — widening research and training pathways for students and researchers.
Read the original story · Université de la Colombie-Britannique — https://news.ubc.ca/2026/11/ubc-research-partnerships-help-build-canadas-future-with-europe/