📢 The 2026 ERC Starting grant round is now open!
It is time to get onto your proposal if you are planning on submitting one this year!
ERC projects are the epitome of innovative research and the ERC Starting grant:
– supports research that will advance the frontiers of knowledge through ground-breaking and ambitious projects.
– has a bottom-up approach and is open to any fields.
– welcomes inter- and transdisciplinary research and promotes unconventional, innovative approaches and scientific inventions.
– evaluates proposals based on the sole criterion of excellence.
– will provide up to €1,5 million for a period of up 5 years (with possibility of up to 1 million euros additional funding)
This grant is highly sought after and competitive so you should not rush writing your proposal within the last month if you want your application to be a winning bid.
👉 What is an ERC Starting project?
✅ It is risky, ambitious and out-of-the-box. It pushes the boundaries of your field and will bring new perspectives to the scientific community.
✅ It is not a BAU and incremental project. It is articulated around your expertise but it pushes the boundaries of your own research and represents a leap forward rather than the next logical step.
✅ It is viable and feasible. You have both preliminary data and a strong contingency plan to balance out the risks expected of an ERC project.
Eligibility (a.k.a. The boring stuff):
– ERC Starting grants will support PIs who are 2-7 years post-PhD and starting or have started on their path to research independence.
– open to researchers of any nationality who intend to conduct their research activity in any Member State or Associated Country
– PI can be hosted by any legal entity in an EU Member State or associated country.
– The PI must spend a min of 50% on the ERC Starting grant project
– The PI must spend a min of 50% of their time in a Member State or Associated Country
Make sure to look up all eligibility rules in the 2026 ERC Work Programme.
📅 The deadline to submit proposals is 14 October 2025.
📩 Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need support to prepare or review your application: researchsolutionseu@gmail.com
