The European Research Council (ERC) provides funding for ambitious frontier research projects by selecting researchers through a globally competitive peer-review process based on the criterion of Scientific Excellence.
Under the ERC 2024 Advanced Grant (AdG) call published within the Horizon Europe framework, Assoc. Prof. İpek Azime ÇELİK RAPPAS from Koç University has been awarded a grant of €2.5 million.
We extend our congratulations to our esteemed researcher and the host institution, and we wish them continued success.
Principle Investigator: Assoc. Prof. İpek Azime ÇELİK RAPPAS Project Acronym: WALLS2BRIDGES Project Title: Media Production of Prison Communities Call: ERC-2024-AdG Panel: SH8 - Studies of Cultures and Arts Host Institution: Koc University Budget: 2.5 Million € Duration: 60 months |
More than 11 million people are incarcerated worldwide, and this number is rapidly increasing. Yet prisons are failing to address the root causes of crime; 50% of former inmates are re-incarcerated within five years. Furthermore, the families of incarcerated individuals face numerous challenges, including financial hardship, childcare responsibilities, and social stigma.
With the ERC project WALS2BRIDGES, Assoc. Prof. İpek Azime ÇELİK RAPPAS highlights the importance of engaging in dialogue with communities most affected by the prison system in efforts to transform justice systems. The WALS2BRIDGES project aims to respond to the global issue of mass incarceration—driven by rising prison populations—through media-based approaches. Due to the challenges of accessing prisons, research in this area often remains limited. This project seeks to overcome such barriers by using media created inside prisons, making visible the voices and narratives of incarcerated individuals, their families, and their supporters.
Assoc. Prof. ÇELİK RAPPAS’s project proposal was supported during the application phase under TÜBİTAK’s ERC Principal Investigator Development Program (EBAG).