ERC Consolidator Grant Awarded to Launch the READ Project

The European Research Council has awarded nearly €2 million to Dr. Carlos Tornero (UAB) to lead the READ project, opening new avenues in the study of animal domestication.

In early 2023, the European Research Council (ERC) announced the results of its prestigious Consolidator Grant competition. Among the selected projects was READ (Revealing Earliest Animal Domestication in the Fertile Crescent), led by Dr. Carlos Tornero, Ramón y Cajal researcher in the Department of Prehistory at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB).

The award brings nearly €1.9 million in funding for the period 2024–2028, allowing Dr. Tornero and his team to develop a pioneering approach to one of prehistory’s most transformative processes: the domestication of animals.

READ’s innovative perspective moves beyond traditional morphological criteria, instead using high-resolution biogeochemical analyses of fossil teeth to capture the earliest management practices of sheep and goats. By investigating changes in reproduction, diet, and seasonal mobility, the project aims to reveal how human communities in the Fertile Crescent first began to reshape the lives of animals and, in turn, their own societies.

The ERC Consolidator Grant is one of Europe’s most competitive funding schemes, awarded to mid-career researchers with outstanding track records and ambitious projects. For UAB and the READ team, this recognition marks a major milestone — not only for advancing archaeological science, but also for strengthening international collaboration with leading institutions in Europe and North America.

With the project now underway, the grant serves as the foundation for READ’s mission: to transform our understanding of the origins of animal domestication through cutting-edge science and global teamwork.

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