ERC Synergy Grants 2026: open call and internal guidelines

The European Research Council – ERC, has opened the call for proposals of ERC Synergy Grants (ERC SyG). These grants support multidisciplinary projects of 2–4 Principal Investigators (PIs) and their research teams. The projects must demonstrate the synergies and added value of the collaboration that can lead to breakthroughs that would not be achievable by the individual PIs working alone. Deadline is 5. 11. 2025.

► ERC in now implementing some significant changes to proposal structure and to evaluation, see ERC: changes in the upcoming calls.

► The proposal templates have changed. Make sure to use the templates issued for this call.

Internal guidelines and earlier internal deadlines for the Faculty of Science CU for the ERC Synergy Grants 2026

Preparation of a high-quality ERC proposal requires a lot of time, therefore, those who plan to apply in this call must be already working on their application. If you consider applying in this call, please contact the Project Management Department (Ludmila Součková, ludmila.souckova@natur.cuni.cz) as soon as possible.

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.

• ERC SyG 2026 call on Funding & Tenders Portal – key information, links to relevant documents, link for proposal submission.
• ERC Work Programme 2026 – binding information about ERC calls in 2026 including ERC SyG – applicants, as well as those interested in ERC, are strongly advised to read this document (it is concise, well-structured and it is easy to identify the parts relevant for you).
• Information for Applicants to the ERC Synergy Grant 2026 call – detailed instructions for proposal writing and submission.
• ERC webinar on 2026 calls (10. 7. 2025): recording.
• Brochure How to write a strong ERC proposal (Synergy) by the European Centre of the Charles University rectorate.
• Brochure ERC Grant Budget Example with recommendations for budget preparation Czech National Contact Points.
• Database of funded ERC projects – can be sorted e.g., by type of project or by evaluation panel.
• About ERC by the Czech National Contact Point – news, events etc.

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 PIs must demonstrate ground-breaking nature of the proposal, it must not be a mere continuation of previous achievements. The ERC research grants operate on a “bottom-up” basis without predetermined priorities. ERC grants give the PIs long-term funding with high flexibility.

ERC SyG emphasise cross-fertilisation of scientific fields including unconventional approaches and investigations at the interface between established disciplines. The funded research should have the potential of becoming a benchmark on a global scale. The projects shouldn’t be “just” typical collaborative projects or networks. The project is proposed by a small group of 2–4 PIs. The synergy between the PIs and their research fields within the project must have the potential to lead to research breakthrough that would be impossible, if these PIs worked individually. The PIs don’t have to be from different countries, nor even from different institutions, but they must work in different research fields. Each of these PIs must have a track record of research achievements that would be at least competitive when applying for ERC Starting, Consolidator or Advanced grant, depending on the PI’s career stage.

One of the PIs may be based in a country that is NOT an EU country or a country associated to Horizon Europe – the Host institution(s) of the remaining PIs including the Corresponding Principal Investigator must be established in EU or Horizon Europe associated country or countries.

The grant may be awarded up to a maximum of EUR 10 million for a period of 6 years and additional contribution up to EUR 4 million can be requested as “additional funding” e.g., for purchase of major equipment or for extensive fieldwork.

The ERC grants are one of the most prestigious grants in Europe. The success rate in ERC SyG call 2024 was ca. 10.4 % (source).

Restriction of resubmissions
PIs whose proposal is evaluated as category C at Step 1 of the evaluation may not apply for ERC SyG in the 2 following years. PIs whose proposal is evaluated as category B at Step 1 of the evaluation may not apply for ERC SyG in the 1 following year.

News published by Ludmila Součková on 11. 7. 2025.

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