Prof George Bob-Milliar makes history as first Ghanaian to win ERC Synergy Grant

Professor George Meyiri Bob-Milliar, an academic and lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has made history as the first Ghanaian and only the second African to receive the prestigious European Research Council Synergy Grant.

This update was shared on X by Voice of KNUST on Sunday, November 16, 2025.

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“Prof George Bob-Milliar, a KNUST Associate Professor in the Department of History and Political Studies, becomes the first Ghanaian and second African to win the prestigious Synergy Grant,” the post stated.

Professor Bob-Milliar is one of four researchers selected for a joint project exploring Political Parties in Africa and Democracy.

According to the post, “His team received €10.3 million for research on political parties and democracy.”

The European Research Council (ERC) is one of the most prestigious funding bodies for scientific research in Europe, known for awarding grants based on excellence and innovation.

Its Synergy Grants specifically support collaborative projects between multiple researchers, enabling them to tackle complex, high-impact scientific questions. Winning an ERC Synergy Grant is highly competitive and provides substantial funding, typically around €10 million per project, to support large-scale, frontier research across disciplines.

Here is a brief profile of Prof Bob-Milliar

Prof Bob-Milliar is an Associate Professor of African Studies at KNUST, specializing in politics and history.

His research spans democratization, Ghanaian electoral politics, informal institutions, and the African diaspora. He has published widely in leading journals.

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Internationally, he is an adjunct professor at the University of Copenhagen and a Research Associate at the University of Gothenburg’s GLD Institute.

See the post below :

📍📍JUST IN📍📍

Prof. George Bob-Milliar, a KNUST Associate Professor in the Dept of History and Political Studies becomes the first Ghanaian and second African to win the prestigious Synergy Grant.⭐🧠

His team receives €10.3M for research on political parties and democracy. pic.twitter.com/bpbFuCLp5Q

— 𝐕𝐎𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐊𝐍𝐔𝐒𝐓 (@VOICE_of_KNUST) November 15, 2025