It looks like a nice Christmas gift, but is a well deserved award that Patrick Maletinsky obtained last week. Indeed the European Research Council decided to support the research activities of his Quantum Sensing Lab with a 2.3MEUR ERC Consolidator grant. Specifically, the funds will serve the study of atomically thin magnetic systems, with the help of novel quantum sensors. Patrick is one amongst the three researchers from Basel University to get such a distinction this year.