ERC applications can only be submitted with a Host Institution support letter that must be signed by an authorised representative. We offer intensive application advice and support and take care of the signature of the Host Institution support letter. Allow enough time to write the proposal and to clarify formal aspects for the Host Institution support letter. If you are interested in applying for an ERC, please contact us at least eight weeks before the deadline.
The ERC is part of Pilar I ‘Excellent Science’ of Horizon Europe. The funding lines of the ERC are advertised according to the career stage of the applicants:
• Starting Grants (StG) for early-career top researchers 2-7 years after PhD
• Consolidator Grants (CoG) for independent excellent researchers 7-12 years after PhD
• Advanced Grants (AdG) for senior research leaders with significant research achievements in the last 10 years
• Synergy Grants (SyG) for ambitious research questions that can only be answered by the coordinated work of 2-4 Principal Investigators
Calls for proposals are made annually. Submission deadlines can vary, but are usually in October (StG), December (CoG), August (AdG), and November (SyG).
Calls are published in the EU Funding & Tenders portal about three to four months before the deadline. Details on the calls can be found in the ERC Work Programme. After publication, the calls for proposals, proposal templates and guiding documents can be found on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
Check your eligibility and submission restrictions as pointed out in the ERC Work Programme.
We offer information events (partly together with the National Contact Point ERC), individual discussions and provide you with specific information about the ERC. You are welcome to contact us.
Proposal submission is done via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal where the actual templates are provided as well. You can find all essential information for the application in the guiding document 'information for applicants'.
We offer individual discussions and establish contact with successful ERC grantees, if desired.
We ensure that the applicant’s and the legal requirements for the Host Institution support letter are met and take care of its signature. Approval of the budget and the support of the faculty are prerequisites for obtaining the letter.
We offer proofreading of your draft proposal and refer to similar services of the National Contact Point (NCP) ERC.
We assist you with initial steps in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, if necessary.
The application procedure comprises two stages, the evaluation of the proposal and, in the second step, an interview in Brussels.
Evaluation is done in peer review panels belonging to the three major domains ‘Social Sciences and Humanities’, ‘Physical Sciences and Engineering’ and ‘Life Sciences’. You find the panel structure in the guiding document 'information for applicants'.
The funding decision is made approximately one year after proposal submission.
If you reach the second evaluation step, we will support you in preparing for the interview in Brussels.
Principal Investigators of ERC main grants (Starting, Consolidator, Advanced or Synergy) can apply for an ERC PoC. With the help of a PoC, the commercial or social potential of an ERC project is explored. This is the first step towards transfer to the market and society. Requirements are explained in the guidelines for applicants of the respective call. Only one application per call can be submitted. Submission is possible on two deadlines per year, usually in March and September.
Proof of Concept Grants are awarded on the basis of a lump sum of EUR 150,000 for a period of 18 months.
Proposal submission is done via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal where the calls are published and all relevant documents (especially proposal template, information for applicants and work programme) are provided as well.
PoC applications can only be submitted with a Host Institution support letter that must be signed by an authorised representative, our VP for Administration Dr. Lommel.
We answer your questions about PoC and take care of signing the Host Institution support letter. If you have any questions about innovation potential or IPR strategy, we will be happy to put you in touch with our colleagues from HIGHEST (Innovation- & Start-up Consulting).
In case your proposal is granted, we will support you in preparing the Grant Agreement. The contract is concluded via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The proposal becomes an annex to the Grant Agreement and serves as a reference for the progress of the project.
The project should start no later than 6 months after the decision.
