Grants8 | The most comprehensive grants search on the web

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Grant's core objective is to support excellent Principal Investigators (PIs) in starting or having recently started their own independent research team or programme. It aims to foster research independence. - Target Recipient Type: Individual Principal Investigators (researchers) hosted by eligible Host Institutions. - Size: Focuses on individual researchers and their teams, rather than organizational size. - SECTOR-AGNOSTIC: Applications in any field of science are eligible for funding; interdisciplinary proposals are welcomed. - Geographic scope: Research must be carried out in an EU Member State or Associated Country-based Host Institutions. PIs can be of any nationality and reside anywhere in the world at the time of application. - Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: PI's PhD defense date (2-7 years prior to 01 Jan 2026), demonstrated potential for research independence, and Host Institution located in an eligible country. - Grant frequency: Recurring (part of the ERC Work Programme 2026, suggesting regular calls). - Program context: This is an ERC Starting Grant under the broader Horizon Europe framework.

Financial Structure

Maximum Grant Amount (Standard): Up to EUR 1,500,000 for a project duration of 5 years. This amount is reduced pro rata temporis (proportionally) for proposals with a shorter duration.
Additional Funding (Standard): Up to EUR 1,000,000 can be requested to cover specific eligible costs such as start-up costs, major equipment, access to large facilities, or significant experimental and field work costs. This additional funding is not subject to pro rata temporis reduction for shorter projects.
Maximum Grant Amount (for Relocating PIs): Principal Investigators relocating to an EU Member State or an Associated Country from elsewhere to take up their ERC grant may request up to EUR 2,000,000 in additional funding. This allows for a potential total grant amount of up to EUR 3,500,000 (EUR 1,500,000 standard + EUR 2,000,000 additional).
Budget Justification: All requests for additional funding must be thoroughly justified within the proposal.
Eligible Costs: Publishing costs can be considered eligible expenses, provided the publishing venue (e.g., journal, book) is fully open access.
Financial Capacity Assessment: Applicants' financial capacity is assessed based on the ERC Rules of Submission and Evaluation under Horizon Europe (section 4).
Operational Capacity Assessment: An applicant whose proposal achieves a score above the 80% quality threshold is deemed to fulfil the operational capacity requirements as per EU Financial Regulation Article 201(3).
Financial Reporting: The grant agreement will outline specific requirements for financial reporting and payment schedules.

Eligibility Requirements

Principal Investigator (PI) Eligibility

Nationality and Residence: Researchers of any age and nationality, residing anywhere in the world at the time of application, are eligible.
Research Time Commitment: Must commit a minimum of 50% of their working time to be spent in an EU Member State or an Associated Country.
Project Time Commitment: Must commit a minimum of 50% of their working time directly on the ERC project.
PhD Degree Requirement: Must have successfully defended their first PhD degree or an equivalent doctoral degree at least 2 years and up to 7 years prior to 1 January 2026.
- Cut-off Dates: The successful defence of the PhD must be between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2023 (inclusive).
- Eligibility Period Extension: The 7-year eligibility period can be extended under certain properly documented circumstances, as per the ERC Work Programme 2026 (section 1.4).
Research Independence: Must demonstrate evidence of potential for research independence, for example, by having produced at least one important publication as the main author or a publication without the participation of their PhD supervisor.
Application Restrictions: Certain restrictions on applications apply; applicants should consult the ERC Work Programme 2026 (Table 6) for details.

Host Institution (HI) Eligibility

Type: Any type of legal entity, public or private, is eligible to host a Principal Investigator and their team. This includes universities, research organisations, or undertakings.
Location: Must be established either in an EU Member State or an Associated Country. International European research organisations (e.g., CERN, EMBL) or any other entity created under EU law are also eligible. International organisations with headquarters in an EU Member State or an Associated Country are deemed established in that Member State or Associated Country.
Engagement: The Host Institution must engage and host the Principal Investigator for at least the duration of the project, as defined in the grant agreement.

Project Eligibility

Scientific Field: Applications are eligible in any field of science, including interdisciplinary research proposals.
Objective Alignment: The content of the proposal must clearly relate to the objectives and the specific grant type set out in the ERC Work Programme 2026.

Application Process

Application Process and Submission

Applicant: The Principal Investigator (PI) submits the proposal on behalf of the Host Institution (also referred to as the applicant legal entity).
Submission Method: Proposals must be submitted electronically via the dedicated submission tool available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Registration: Prior registration and login to the Funding & Tenders Portal are required to access the submission tool.
Panel Selection: Applicants must choose a primary evaluation panel (from Annex 1 of the Work Programme) and may also list a secondary evaluation panel.
Cross-Panel Proposals: Applicants should indicate if they believe their proposal is of a cross-panel or cross-domain nature.

Required Documentation and Materials

Completeness: A proposal must be complete, readable, and accessible. Incomplete proposals may be deemed inadmissible.
Key Elements and Page Limits:
- Administrative Form Part A: Available in the online submission tool; includes the Ethics Issues Table and the Budget Section (Section 3 - Budget).
- Part I of the Scientific Proposal: Up to 5 pages.
- Part II of the Scientific Proposal: Up to 7 pages.
- Curriculum Vitae and Track Record: Up to 4 pages.
- Resources and Time Commitment: Up to 2 pages.
- Host Institution Support Letter: A required supporting document.
- Ethics Issues Table: Integrated into Part A of the application.
- PhD Record and Supporting Documents: Required for eligibility checking.
Format: Parts B (Scientific Proposal), Curriculum Vitae and Track Record, and the Host Institution Support Letter templates are provided as Word files, which must be completed and uploaded as PDF files via the submission tool.

Timeline and Deadlines

Application Submission Window: The submission session became available on 2025-07-09.
Application Deadline: The final deadline for proposal submission is 2025-10-14.
Evaluation Timeline: An indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement preparation is provided in the ERC Work Programme 2026, Table 1.

Post-Award and Implementation

Grant Agreement Preparation: For successful proposals, the Principal Investigator (acting on behalf of the Host Institution) will prepare the grant agreement in collaboration with the EU project officer.
Grant Agreement Details: The grant agreement will define the framework, terms, and conditions, including deliverables, reporting obligations, and payment schedules.

Application Assistance and Support

Available Documents: Comprehensive guidance is provided through the ERC Work Programme 2026, Standard application form (HE ERC STG), Information for Applicants to Starting and Consolidator Grant Calls, Guide for Peer Reviewers, ERC Rules of Submission and Evaluation, and the HE Model Grant Agreement (MGA).
Support Channels: Applicants can access support via the ERC 2026 Starting Grant Applicants' Mailbox, the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, the Portal FAQ, the Research Enquiry Service, ERC National Contact Points (NCPs), the IT Helpdesk, and the European IPR Helpdesk.

Evaluation Criteria

Sole Evaluation Criterion: Excellence

The evaluation of ERC grants is based solely on the criterion of excellence. Panels will primarily evaluate two main aspects:
- Ground-breaking Nature and Ambition of the Research Project: This assesses the novelty, audacity, and potential impact of the proposed scientific endeavor.
- Intellectual Capacity and Creativity of the Principal Investigator (PI): This focuses on the PI's scientific expertise, their ability to successfully execute the project, and the extent to which they have demonstrated potential for research independence.

Evaluation Procedure

Two-Step Process: The evaluation of proposals is conducted in two steps.
Interviews: Interviews with Principal Investigators take place during Step 2 of the evaluation process.
Peer Review Panels: Evaluation is carried out by peer review panels, which may be supported by independent external experts working remotely.

Evaluation Outcome and Scoring

Step 1 Scores:
- 'A invited': Proposal is of excellent quality and ranked sufficiently high to proceed to Step 2.
- 'A not invited': Proposal is of excellent quality but not ranked sufficiently high to pass to Step 2.
- 'B': Proposal is of high quality but not sufficient to pass to Step 2.
- 'C': Proposal is not of sufficient quality to pass to Step 2.
Step 2 Scores:
- 'A': Proposal fully meets the excellence criterion and is recommended for funding, subject to available funds.
- 'B': Proposal meets some but not all elements of the excellence criterion and will not be funded.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory and Legal Compliance

EU Financial Regulation: Applicants must adhere to the EU Financial Regulation (specifically 2024/2509), particularly concerning financial capacity and exclusion situations. Entities subject to exclusion are barred from receiving EU grants.
Horizon Europe Framework: Compliance with the ERC Work Programme 2026 and the ERC Rules of Submission and Evaluation under Horizon Europe is mandatory.
Model Grant Agreement (MGA): The HE General MGA model applies, setting out the legal and financial terms of the grant.

Ethical Standards

Ethics Issues Table: Completion of the Ethics Issues Table is a mandatory part of the application process.

Open Science Requirements

Open Access to Publications: Beneficiaries are required to ensure immediate open access to all peer-reviewed scientific publications resulting from their project. This must include full re-use rights, and beneficiaries must retain sufficient intellectual property rights to meet these requirements. Publishing costs are eligible if the venue is fully open access.
Research Data Management: For projects generating research data, beneficiaries must manage this data according to the 'FAIR principles' (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability). A Data Management Plan (DMP) must be established within the first six months of project implementation.
Data Openness Principle: Open access to research data should be ensured following the principle 'as open as possible, as closed as necessary'.

Special Considerations

Relocation of PIs: There are specific provisions for Principal Investigators relocating to an EU Member State or an Associated Country, allowing for higher maximum funding amounts (up to EUR 3,500,000 total). Applicants should disregard warning messages in the submission system that may incorrectly cap the total requested grant at EUR 2,500,000 for these cases.
Research Integrity: The grant emphasizes upholding the quality and integrity of the evaluation process.
Sole Criterion: The evaluation focuses exclusively on scientific excellence.

Grant Details