ERC Grants
The European Research Council (ERC) supports outstanding researchers and their teams at all stages of their academic career in five different funding lines: Starting Grants, Consolidator Grants, Advanced Grants, Synergy Grants, Proof of Concept Grants. Its complete thematic openness and the funding of visionary basic research (“groundbreaking pioneer research”) characterize the ERC. The funding quota are around 10-15%.
The different ERC funding lines
Researchers whose doctorate was completed 2-7 years ago and who wish to establish their own research group can apply for an ERC Starting Grant. The application period is calculated from the date of the doctoral certificate to January 1 of the call year.
Parental leave or similar can be taken into account. The processing time of the application – from submission deadline to project start – is approximately 14 months.
1.5 million euros (plus 1 million euros for large equipment or similar) can be applied for a period of 5 years.
Researchers who have completed their doctorate 7-12 years ago and whose own independent research group is in the consolidation phase can apply for an ERC Consolidator Grant. The application period is calculated from the date of the doctoral certificate until January 1 of the call year.
Parental leave or similar can be credited. The processing time of the application – from submission deadline to project start – is approximately 14 months. 2 million euros (plus 1 million euros for large equipment or similar) can be applied for a period of 5 years.
Established, active researchers with an outstanding scientific track record (the last 10 years before application are relevant) can apply for an ERC Advanced Grant.
The processing time of the application – from submission deadline to project start – is approximately 12 months. 2.5 million euros (plus 1 million euros for large-scale facilities or similar) can be applied for a period of 5 years.
An ERC Synergy Grant is open to 2-4 researchers who wish to work on a topic that can only be explored through collaboration between researchers (synergy).
The target group includes both excellent early career researchers and established researchers with outstanding scientific achievements. The processing time of the application – from submission deadline to project start – is approximately 16 months. 10 million euros (plus 4 million euros for large scale facilities or similar) can be applied for a period of 5 years.
Researchers who already hold an ERC Grant and wish to pre-commercially exploit a research result from their current or completed project can apply for an ERC Proof of Concept Grant. You must have completed the project no more than 12 months before January 1 of the call year.
The processing time of the application – from submission deadline to project start – is approximately 7 months. 150,000 euros can be applied for as a lump sum for 18 months.
Application
The different formats of the ERC have strict deadlines for submission once a year (except Proof of Concept Grant: three times a year). The review process is a two-stage one, but both proposal parts are submitted directly to the deadline. You submit the application via the Funding & Tenders Portal of the EC.
Please note that there may be blocking periods after previous unsuccessful application submission. Details can be found in the respective “Information for Applicants”, which is published with the calls for proposals. Applications to the ERC always require the approval of the Rectorate and a review by the Department of Finance and Procurement – we will be happy to coordinate the arrangements with the relevant offices on your behalf.
Feel free to contact us and send us an e-mail.
Services and contact persons
Research Support Services offers a wide range of services related to the acquisition of third-party funding and application procedures. With regard to ERC grants, we support the entire application process, from strategic feedback on your application to budget preparation and clarification of all administrative issues related to the application submission.
Furthermore, we support you in preparing the interviews that are part of the review process for Starting, Consolidator, and Synergy Grants.
Many applicants do not have a permanent employment contract. Therefore, TU Dortmund University assures all ERC Starting and Consolidator Grantees who do not have a permanent position to finance the remaining part of the position that cannot be financed by the grant for the duration of the grant. Please contact us as early as possible if this is relevant for you. If successful, we will also be happy to support you during the implementation of the project, both in budget monitoring and reporting.
Please feel free to contact the team of the Grants Services.
