What is the ERC?

The ERC, the European Research Council, is an institution of the European Commission for the funding of excellent basic research. The funds provided for this purpose come from Horizon 2020, the current research framework programme of the European Union.

An ERC grant is regarded internationally as a very high distinction for the scientist concerned, but also for the institution involved, since "ERC capability" is now regarded as a criterion of excellence in both national and international competition.

How does an ERC grant differ from other (European) forms of research funding?

An ERC grant is an individual grant, i.e. apart from a host institution, the scientist does not need any other partners for the intended project. In contrast to other European individual funding programmes, the researcher can also submit an application together with the institution at which he/she is already employed. Mobility of the researcher is not required in this funding line. The calls for proposals are open to all topics and the sole selection criterion is the scientific excellence of the project idea and of the scientist. The project duration can be up to five years.

Do all applicants apply for the same call?

Depending on the research experience of the applicants, three grant types are distinguished; in addition, the largest and "group format" is the Synergy Grant and the Proof of Concept Grant:

Starting Grant (ERC-StG)

- eligible to apply: Young academics* whose doctorate was awarded 2-7 years ago
- Funding amount: 1.5 million euros (plus 500,000 for the purchase of large equipment if necessary)
- Commitment: 50% of the total working time of the project manager* must be allocated to the ERC project.

Consolidator Grant (ERC-CoG)

- eligible to apply: Scientists* whose doctorates date back 7-12 years*
- Amount of funding: 2 million euros (plus 750,000 for the purchase of large equipment if necessary)
- Commitment: 40% of the total working time of the project leader* must be allocated to the ERC project.

Advanced Grant (ERC-AdG)

- eligible to apply: Scientists* with at least 10 years of research experience* and proven excellence (e.g. through publications)
- Amount of funding: EUR 2.5 million (plus EUR 1 million for the purchase of large equipment, if applicable)
- Commitment: 30% of the total working time of the project leader* must be allocated to the ERC project.

In addition to these three basic funding lines, there is the ERC Synergy Grant funding line.  In Horizon 2020, it has so far been put out to tender in the work programmes 2018 and 2019. Small, interdisciplinary groups of 2-4 outstanding researchers can be formed, each of them fulfilling the profile of an ERC applicant and jointly applying for a research project. The funding should enable completely new, scientifically transforming and thus risky cutting-edge research. The funding amount can be up to 10 million euros over up to 6 years.

The Proof of Concept Grant (ERC-PoC) also enables StG, CoG, AdG or SyG project leaders to apply to the ERC for a follow-up project in order to move the results and / or developments from the previous ERC Grant towards application (innovation, market product).

* The deadline for the calculation of the time span since the doctorate is 1 January of the year in which the current call for proposals runs and which is mentioned in the call. For the calls for proposals ERC-2019-StG, ERC-2019-CoG and ERC-2019-AdG, the dates thus refer to 1.1.2019. Example: The Starting Grant addresses scientists whose doctorate dates back two to seven years to the call for proposals ERC-2019-StG, all researchers who received their doctorate in the calendar years 2012-2017 can apply. Exceptions apply to scientists* who hold the title Dr. med. Deviations from the above deadlines may also apply in the case of child-raising periods. If you have any questions regarding the concrete determination of your individual level of experience, please contact the EU University Network, EU Office South.

When and how often are these calls published?

According to the current status, the aforementioned funding lines are advertised annually. Exceptions to this are the Synergy Grant (which is decided from year to year) and the Proof of Concept Grant, for which there are 2-3 cut-off deadlines per year.

Open calls can be found here.

Who supports applicants?

The EU University Network Saxony-Anhalt offers advice and support both for the application phase and during the project period. This service is also aimed at scientists* who are not yet employed at a university in Saxony-Anhalt, but who wish to submit an ERC Grant application with one of the universities as their host institution.

If you have any questions regarding research funding by the ERC, please contact us:

EU Office South: Dr. Sigrid Köhne (EU Research Officer)
sigrid.koehne@verwaltung.uni-halle.de

EU Office North: Martina Hagen
martina.hagen@ovgu.de