European Research Council (ERC) funding schemes are open to top researchers of any nationality who wish to carry out their ground-breaking research in the 28 EU Member States or associated countries.
There are 4 core funding schemes and 1 additional scheme for ERC grant holders:
- ERC Starting Grants
- ERC Consolidator Grants
- ERC Advanced Grants
- ERC Synergy Grants
- ERC Proof of Concept Grants
Calls for proposals are published once a year.
The research must be carried out in a public or private research institution. This may be the institution where the applicant already works, or another institution in one of the EU Member states or associated countries.
The ERC grants are open to all scientific disciplines.
ERC Starting Grants
ERC Starting Grants are designed to encourage promising researchers who have the proven potential to become independent research leaders in their field.
Calls for proposals are published once a year.
- Eligibility:
- Researchers of any nationality with 2-7 years of experience since the completion of their PhD.
- A scientific track record showing great promise and an excellent research proposal.
- Funding per grant: up to € 1.5 million.
- Duration: up to 5 years.
- The sole evaluation criterion is the scientific excellence of both researcher and research proposal.
ERC Consolidator Grants
ERC Consolidator Grants are intended to support researchers who want to establish their research teams and expand upon their successful career in Europe. The scheme also strengthens independent and excellent individual research teams that have been recently created.
- Eligibility:
- Researchers of any nationality with 7-12 years of experience since the completion of their PhD.
- A scientific track record showing scientific talent and an excellent research proposal.
- Total funding: € 583,9 million
- Funding per grant: up to € 2 million
- Duration: up to 5 years
- The sole evaluation criterion is the scientific excellence of both researcher and research proposal
- The current call is open until 12 December 2023.
ERC Advanced Grants
ERC Advanced Grants are intended for active Principal Investigators (PIs) with a proven track record of important scientific achievements for the past 10 years. The PI must be an outstanding research leader, both in terms of originality and exceptional contributions to science.
Calls for proposals are published once a year.
- Eligibility:
- Researchers of any nationality, any age.
- Applicants must be leaders in their respective field(s) of research
- Applicants must demonstrate significant achievement in the last 10 years
- Funding: up to € 2.5 million per grant (lump sum)
- Duration: up to 5 years
- The sole evaluation criterion is the scientific excellence of both researcher and research proposal.
ERC Synergy Grants
ERC Synergy Grants are intended for researchers with an ambitious research plan that can only be realised through collaboration with other leading researchers and research teams.
- Eligibility:
- A minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 researchers of each nationality are eligible.
- Applicants have a promising scientific track record and an excellent research proposal.
- Applicants can show either a track record of early achievements, or a track record over a period of 10 years.
- Funding per project: up to €10 million
- Duration: up to 6 years
- The sole evaluation criterion is the scientific excellence of both researcher and research proposal. In the case of the ERC Synergy Grants, this specifically includes exceptional, intrinsic synergistic effect.
ERC Proof of Concept
ERC Proof of Concept Grants are designed to support researchers that have previously received an ERC grant with the commercial or societal application of the results of their funded research. The goal is to bridge the gap between research and a marketable innovation.
- Eligibility:
- Open for all Principal Investigators benefitting from an ERC Advanced, Synergy, Consolidator, or Starting Grant that is either ongoing, or that has ended less than 12 months before the publication date of an ERC Proof of Concept call.
- The Principal Investigator must be able to demonstrate the relation between the idea that is to be taken to Proof of Concept, and the previous ERC research project.
- Funding: up to € 150.000 per grant.
- Duration: up to 18 months
More than one Proof of Concept Grant may be awarded per ERC-funded research project, however, only one Proof of Concept project may be running at any one time for the same ERC-funded research project.
Calls for proposals are published once a year with two separate deadlines. A Principal Investigator may submit only one eligible application per call.
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