The European Research Council – ERC, has officially informed about the changes they plan to implement since the “2026” calls and a big change planned since the “2027” calls.

About the announced “2026” ERC calls

If you consider submitting a project proposal to the upcoming calls ERC Starting Grants 2026 or ERC Synergy Grants 2026, please contact IMMEDIATELY the Project Management Department (Ludmila Součková, ludmila.souckova@natur.cuni.cz), if you aren’t already in touch with us.

Please, contact us also if you plan or consider applying for any ERC grant even in a longer time frame (e.g. in 1–2 years), to be able to benefit from all the support offered to ERC applicants.
About ERC on Faculty of Science website – including information about support for (potential) applicants.

Changes since the “2026” calls
Will apply to calls: ERC Starting 2026 (probable deadline 14 October 2025), ERC Consolidator 2026 (probable deadline 13 January 2026), ERC Advanced 2026 (probable deadline 27 August 2026), ERC Synergy 2026 (probable deadline 5 November 2025) – and the later calls.

  • Proposal structure
    • Part I of the Scientific Proposal (formerly, the Extended Synopsis): still up to 5 pages
      It should describe the overall idea of the proposed research project, including the current state of knowledge and how the research will contribute to the field, the scientific questions the project will attempt to answer, the objectives of the project, and the overall approach or research strategy to achieve those objectives.
    • Part II of the Scientific Proposal: newly up to 7 pages, and up to 10 pages in Synergy (formerly, it was up to 14 pages, and up to 15 pages in Synergy)
      It should describe the implementation in detail, including the research methodology, work plan, risk assessment and mitigating measures, justification for the requested budget and resources, and any further necessary background.
      For Synergy, it should also explain the collaborative arrangements.
  • Evaluation
    • Feasibility will be evaluated only in Step 2 (when the entire Scientific proposal is available to the evaluators) – formerly, feasibility was evaluated already in Step 1 based on the 5-page Extended Synopsis.
  • Additional funding
    • In case of PIs relocating to the EU or a Horizon Europe associated country from a “third country” to take up their ERC grant, the “additional funding” (funding requested above the “normal” maximum grant amount) can be up to EUR 2 million.
    • “Additional funding” can newly include personnel costs.
  • New ERC 7-year “super grants”
  • New reason for extending eligibility window
    • Applicants who have been victims of gender-based violence or any other kind of violence will be able to obtain an extension of the period following their PhD that allows them to apply for Starting and Consolidator Grants.
    • Explicit reference to parental leave will be added to the grounds for extension of the eligibility period alongside maternity and paternity leave. (Parental leave has been a ground for extension already, it just hasn't been spelled-out in the Work Programme.)
  • New resubmission restrictions
    • ERC Synergy: PIs who get “B” in Step 1, cannot re-apply for ERC Synergy the following year.
    • Any ERC grant: PIs who hold an ongoing ERC grant must ensure that their current ERC project is scheduled to end within two years of the 2026 call deadline.

A big change of ERC Starting and ERC Consolidator eligibility since the “2027” calls
Will apply to calls: ERC Starting 2027 (probable deadline October 2026), ERC Consolidator 2027 (probable deadline January 2027), ERC Advanced 2027 (probable deadline August 2027) – and the later calls.
The eligibility windows for ERC Starting and ERC Consolidator will be:

  • ERC Starting: 0–10 years after PhD defence (Principal Investigators will be eligible to apply immediately after defending PhD)
  • ERC Consolidator: 5–15 years after PhD defence
  • Researchers will be awarded no more than one Starting Grant and one Consolidator Grant during their career.

Therefore, there will be a 5-year overleap of the respective eligibility windows. I hope the ERC will explain the logic this new approach in due time. And who has read this far gets a lollipop from me.

 

What is ERC?

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. The grants support excellent Principal investigators (PIs) and their research teams. The PI must demonstrate ground-breaking nature of the proposal, it must not be a mere continuation of previous achievements. The proposal must have the potential to significantly influence the relevant research field, push its boundaries or open new research perspectives. The ERC research grants operate on a “bottom-up” basis without predetermined priorities. An ERC grant gives the PI long-term funding with high flexibility.

  • ERC Starting Grants support PIs who are starting their own independent research team or programme. Grants may be awarded up to a maximum of EUR 1.5 million for a period of 5 years.
  • ERC Consolidator Grants support PIs who are still consolidating their own independent research team or programme. Grants may be awarded up to a maximum of EUR 2 million for a period of 5 years.
  • ERC Advanced Grants support internationally recognised PIs who are significantly influencing their research field. Grants may be awarded up to a maximum of EUR 2.5 million for a period of 5 years.
  • ERC Synergy Grants support multidisciplinary projects of 2-4 PIs. Grants may be awarded up to a maximum of EUR 10 million for a period of 6 years.
  • ERC Proof of Concept Grants support successful ERC grantees to verify innovation potential of results or ideas arising from a funded ERC project.

 

News published by Ludmila Součková on 30. 6. 2025.

Not the information you sought? Found a mistake? Please, let us know.

 

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