Lo European Research Council (ERC) is the European Union (EU) body that supports excellent researchers of any age and nationality who wish to carry out their work frontier research activities in EU Member States or Associated Countries.

The ERC finances frontier research projects high risk and groundbreaking, conducted by Principal Investigator (PI) with an internationally relevant curriculum. Projects are funded on the basis of project ideas presented by researchers in any field of science, without predefined research topics, and evaluated based solely on the criterion ofscientific excellence.

The ERC is composed of a Scientific Council and an Executive Agency (ERCEA).
The Scientific Council, the governing body of the ERC, defines the scientific strategies, the financing instruments, the evaluation methodologies; ERCEA implements and applies these strategies in the operational management of ERC activities. The ERC operates independently of the European Commission.

Type of shares

  • Starting Grant (StG) – It is aimed at researchers of any nationality, emerging research leaders, with 2-7 years of experience gained after obtaining a doctorate (or another equivalent qualification). Funding can reach 1.5 million euros for a single project for a maximum duration of 5 years.
  • Consolidator Grant (CoG) – It is intended for researchers of any nationality with 7-12 years of experience gained after obtaining a PhD (or another equivalent qualification) and with a very promising scientific curriculum. Funding can reach 2 million euros for a single project for a maximum duration of 5 years.
  • Advanced Grant (AdG) – It enables outstanding and established research leaders of any age and nationality to pursue innovative and high-risk projects that can open new directions in their research fields and in other sectors. Researchers must be scientifically independent, active in research for the last ten years and have a profile that identifies them as leaders in their research field. Funding can reach €2,5 million per single project for a maximum duration of 5 years.
  • Synergy Grant (SyG) – It is intended for groups consisting of a minimum of two and a maximum of four Principal Investigators (PI), each of whom may have their own research group. Funding can reach 10 million euros for a single project for a maximum duration of 6 years.
  • Proof of Concept (PoC) - It aims to ensure the link between basic research and the market. It is aimed at researchers who have already been awarded an ERC grant, who have a project still underway or completed no more than 12 months after the date of publication of the notice. The beneficiaries access a contribution equal to 150 thousand euros for 18 months.