European Research Council

Important Information ERC

ERC guidance

UKRO

UKRO ERC Guidance

Imperial and the ERC

The European Research Council and Imperial

Guidance for Imperial applicants

 

What is for?

The fundamental activity of the ERC is to provide attractive, long-term funding to support excellent investigators (Principal Investigators) and their research teams to pursue ground-breaking and ambitious research. Research funded by the ERC is expected to lead to advances at the frontiers of knowledge and to set a clear and inspirational target for frontier research across Europe. Applications can be made in any field of research without predetermined priorities.

The evaluation of applications is conducted by peer review panels composed of renowned scientists and scholars selected by the ERC Scientific Council. The panels may be assisted by independent external experts working remotely.

Excellence is the sole criterion on the basis of which ERC frontier research grants are awarded. The panels will primarily evaluate: the ground-breaking nature, ambition, and feasibility of the research project. At the same time, the panels will evaluate the intellectual capacity, creativity, and commitment of the Principal Investigator(s), with a focus on the extent to which the Principal Investigator(s) has the required scientific expertise and capacity to successfully execute the project.

Who can apply

Independent researchers of any age, nationality, and career stage who intend to conduct their research activity in any EU Member State or Associated Country can apply. The ERC awards flexible, long-term funding for a period of up to five years for the Starting, Consolidator, and Advanced Grants, and up to six years for the Synergy Grants. The Starting, Consolidator, and Advanced Grants support projects carried out by individual teams, which are headed by a single Principal Investigator. ERC Synergy Grants will support small groups of two to four Principal Investigators and their teams with a designated Corresponding Principal Investigator.

Principal Investigators funded through the main ERC grants must spend a minimum percentage of their working time on the ERC project, and a minimum percentage of their working time in a Member State or Associated Country.

ERC Grant Types

ERC Starting Grant

Support for excellent Principal Investigators at the career stage at which they are starting their own independent research team or programme. Principal Investigators must demonstrate the ground-breaking nature, ambition, and feasibility of their research proposal. A Starting Grant Principal Investigator should have already shown evidence of the potential for research independence, for example by having produced at least one important publication as main author or without the participation of their PhD supervisor. Eligible PIs must have successfully defended their first PhD (or doctoral equivalent) between 2 to 7 years prior to the start of the Work Programme year. Eligibility periods can be extended for properly documented circumstances: Maternity, Paternity, Long-term illness or national service, Clinical training, Natural Disaster, Seeking Asylum.

  • Maximum funding Up to EUR 1 500 000 for a period of 5 years. Additional funding up to EUR 1 000 000.
  • Minimum percentage of the working time of a Principal Investigator that must be spent on the project: 50%
  • Minimum percentage of the working time of a Principal Investigator that must be spent working in a Member State or Associated Country: 50%

ERC Consolidator Grant

Support for excellent Principal Investigators at the career stage at which they may still be consolidating their own independent research team or programme. Principal Investigators must demonstrate the ground-breaking nature, ambition, and feasibility of their research proposal. A Consolidator Grant Principal Investigator should have already shown evidence of research independence. Eligible PIs must have successfully defended their first PhD (or doctoral equivalent) between 7 to 12 years prior to the start of the Work Programme year. Eligibility periods can be extended for properly documented circumstances: Maternity, Paternity, Long-term illness or national service, Clinical training, Natural Disaster, Seeking Asylum.

  • Maximum funding Up to EUR 2 000 000 for a period of 5 years. Additional funding up to EUR 1 000 000
  • Minimum percentage of the working time of a Principal Investigator that must be spent on the project: 40%
  • Minimum percentage of the working time of a Principal Investigator that must be spent working in a Member State or Associated Country: 50%

ERC Advanced Grant

Support for excellent Principal Investigators at the career stage at which they are already established research leaders with a recognised track record of research achievements. Principal Investigators must demonstrate the ground-breaking nature, ambition, and feasibility of their research proposal. An ERC Advanced Grant Principal Investigator is expected to be an active researcher and to have a track record of significant research achievements.

  • Maximum funding Up to EUR 2 500 000 for a period of 5 years. Additional funding up to EUR 1 000 000.
  • Minimum percentage of the working time of a Principal Investigator that must be spent on the project: 30%
  • Minimum percentage of the working time of a Principal Investigator that must be spent working in a Member State or Associated Country: 50%

ERC Synergy Grant

Support for a small group of two to four Principal Investigators to jointly address ambitious research problems that could not be addressed by the individual Principal Investigators and their teams working alone. Synergy projects should enable substantial advances at the frontiers of knowledge, stemming, for example, from the cross fertilisation of scientific fields, from new productive lines of enquiry, or new methods and techniques, including unconventional approaches and investigations at the interface between established disciplines. The transformative research funded by Synergy Grants should have the potential of becoming a benchmark on a global scale. Principal Investigators of any career stage are welcome and must demonstrate the ground-breaking nature, ambition, and feasibility of their research proposal. Principal Investigators must also demonstrate that their group can successfully bring together the scientific elements necessary to address the scope and complexity of the proposed research question. Applications must be submitted by a group of a minimum of two and a maximum of four innovative and active Principal Investigators, referred to as the 'Synergy Grant Group', with competitive track records as appropriate to their career stage. Synergy Grant Groups are expected to demonstrate that they can successfully bring together those elements – such as skills, knowledge, experience, expertise, disciplines, methods, approaches, teams, access to infrastructures – necessary to address the scope and complexity of the proposed research question. Applicants are expected to describe the contribution of each PI, their team, and the resources to achieve the objectives proposed.

  • Maximum Funding Up to EUR 10 000 000 for a period of 6 years. Additional funding up to EUR 4 000 000.
  • Minimum percentage of the working time of a Principal Investigator that must be spent on the project: 30%
  • Minimum percentage of the working time of a Principal Investigator that must be spent working in a Member State or Associated Country: 50% for each Principal Investigator engaged and hosted by an institution in the EU or Associated Countries

Host Institution obligations

An ERC grant is awarded to a Host Institution that engages and hosts the Principal Investigator(s) with the explicit commitment that this institution offers appropriate conditions for the Principal Investigator(s) to independently manage the ERC funded research. The Host Institution must engage the Principal Investigator for at least the duration of the grant. The Host Institution must ensure that the Principal Investigator is able to:

  • apply for funding independently;
  • manage the research and the funding for the project, and make appropriate resource allocation decisions;
  • publish independently as main author and include as co-authors only those who have contributed substantially to the reported work;
  • select and supervise the work of team members, including doctoral candidates or others;
  • have access to appropriate space and facilities for conducting the research;
  • meet the time commitments described in the grant agreement

Overarching principles

Open science is a general principle of the Horizon Europe programme, and a core principle of the ERC. Beneficiaries must ensure immediate open access to all peer-reviewed scientific publications relating to their results and must manage research data in line with the FAIR principles and establish a data management plan within the first six months of project implementation.

Beneficiaries of ERC grants must take all measures to promote equal opportunities between men and women in the implementation of the action and aim for a gender balance at all levels of personnel assigned to the action, including at supervisory and managerial level.

The proposed research and innovation activities must comply with ethical principles and relevant national, Union and international legislation, including the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the European Convention on Human Rights and its Protocols.

ERC actions must comply with applicable security rules and, in particular, rules on the protection of classified information against unauthorised disclosure, including compliance with any relevant Union and national law.

Research integrity is a core principle of the ERC.

Restrictions on submission, and on resubmission after unsuccessful outcome in a previous call

The restrictions related to the outcome of the evaluation in previous calls are designed to allow unsuccessful Principal Investigators the time necessary to develop a stronger proposal.

How to apply

The PI is solely responsible for submitting the proposal to the ERC.

A complete proposal consists of the following elements as a single submission of the proposal but followed by a two-step evaluation (three step for Synergy)

 

ERC Proposal sections

Evaluated at Stage 1 and 2

Extended Synopsis: 5 pages
Curriculum Vitae and Track Record: up to 4 pages for each Principal Investigator

Evaluated at Stage 2 only

Scientific Proposal: 14 pages (15 for Synergy)
Resources and Time Commitment: 2 pages (no limit for Synergy)

Mandatory supporting documents

Host Institution Binding Statement of Support
Ethics Issues Table
PhD record and supporting documentation for eligibility checking (for Starting and Consolidator Grants only)