 It's necessary to discuss excellence because if our science is really going to move forward then we have to do excellent science, we have to be at the forefront of our knowledge. Professor Lieb Honaker from Orhus University has already advanced the scientific front line in the area of experimental physics since she received an ERC grant in 2008. Her scientific project is to study the interaction of hydrogen and carbonaceous material. The goal is to understand the chemical reactions taking place in the interstellar medium where new stars are being formed. We investigate that in an apparatus like the one you see behind me which is a large ultra-high vacuum setup in which we can put in surfaces that simulate dust grains in the interstellar medium. It's a very challenging research project but according to Professor Honaker that kind of challenge is exactly what drives her and her research group towards excellence. I try to promote excellence in my research group of course by choosing some topics which are challenging and which we all find interesting to work on and then of course also by trying to ensure that we have the right technical equipment to be able to compete so to actually be able to deliver knowledge at the at the forefront of where we are in this research area. So what are you doing now? You're doing just checking the hydrogenation of the carbonaceous material. Okay and did you do any TPDs of that? You have the TPDs of the hydrogenation. And you still have the TPDs? Yes. Yes. So I'll end up buying beer tomorrow is what you're saying. Why did you keep watching? Now that I have a fairly big group I think it's very, I like this dynamic feeling you can get when you are a lot of people who work together on attacking the same goals and you can really feel you're moving forward. Research funding is always challenging when performing expensive research and experimental physics. The ERC grant made it possible for Professor Hornacare and her group to follow new avenues and harnessing the opportunity to have resources to follow the unexpected is absolutely necessary if Europe wants to strengthen excellence in science. Having grants in which you have the freedom to sometimes divert some resources into prominent problems that suddenly arrive grasping some opportunities that suddenly come that's really essential. I think the best thing we can do to promote excellence is to give funding to scientists which is not too tight which allows the freedom of movement, the freedom to grasp opportunities and follow the direction where real promise is.