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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Core objective: To facilitate the exploration and progression of commercial and social innovation potential stemming from ERC-funded frontier research projects.
Target recipients: Principal Investigators (PIs) who currently hold an ERC main research grant (Starting, Consolidator, Advanced, or Synergy) or whose grant ended after January 1, 2024.
Target size: SECTOR-AGNOSTIC, applies to any research field of the originating ERC grant.
Geographic scope: Host institutions must be established in an EU Member State or an Associated Country. PIs can be of any nationality.
Key filtering criteria: Must be a PI of an eligible ERC main grant; proposal must draw substantially on that ERC research; project aims to verify innovation potential, not extend basic research.
Grant frequency: Recurring call with two cut-off dates in 2025, part of the broader Horizon Europe program.

Financial Structure

Funding amount: A fixed lump sum of EUR 150,000.
Payment mechanism: The lump sum covers beneficiaries' expected eligible (direct and indirect) costs. It will be paid regardless of actual costs incurred, provided the project is implemented properly.
Eligible costs: Personnel costs, subcontracting costs, purchase costs, other cost categories, and indirect costs are covered by the lump sum.
Co-financing: Not explicitly required; the lump sum is intended to cover all eligible costs. However, applicants may specify additional contributions if the overall project value exceeds the lump sum.
Financial reporting: Included in the lump sum model; specific detailed cost figures are not required in the application.
Currency: EUR.
Funding Rate: 100.0% of the lump sum for eligible costs covered by the grant.
Budget flexibility: Within the lump sum, beneficiaries have flexibility, but the described resources must justify the use of the fixed amount.
Minimum/Maximum grant amount: EUR 150,000 (fixed lump sum).

Eligibility Requirements

Principal Investigator (PI) Requirements

Must be a Principal Investigator in an ongoing ERC main grant (Starting Grant, Consolidator Grant, Advanced Grant, or Synergy Grant).
Alternatively, must be a Principal Investigator in an ERC main grant that ended after January 1, 2024.
May submit only one proposal under the ERC-2025-PoC call.
PIs whose proposal was rejected for breach of research integrity in Work Programmes 2023 or 2024 are ineligible.
Synergy Grant PIs must have written consent from all other PIs in the same Synergy Grant project to apply.
PIs can be of any age and nationality.

Host Institution (HI) Requirements

Must be established as a legal entity in an EU Member State or an Associated Country.
Eligible legal entity types: public bodies, research organizations, higher education institutions (including private ones), undertakings, or International European Interest Organisations (e.g., CERN, EMBL).
Must engage the PI for at least the duration of the Proof of Concept project (18 months).
If a public body, research organization, or higher education institution (from EU MS or AC), must have a Gender Equality Plan (GEP) or equivalent strategic document in place for the project duration. This GEP must meet mandatory requirements listed in Annex 5 of the ERC Work Programme 2025.
Must provide a binding 'Host Institution Binding Statement of Support Letter' at the time of application.
Financial capacity of the applicant legal entity will be assessed.

Project/Proposal Requirements

Proposal must draw substantially on the ERC-funded research from the main grant.
Proposal content must relate to the objectives and grant type set out in the call.
A maximum of three Proof of Concept Grants may be awarded per main grant project (StG, CoG, AdG).
A maximum of six Proof of Concept Grants per Synergy Grant project.

Exclusion Criteria

Proposals rejected due to a breach of research integrity in 2023 or 2024 ERC Work Programmes.
Applicants subject to administrative sanction of exclusion or in exclusion situations set out by the EU Financial Regulation.
Proposals deemed inadmissible (incomplete, unreadable, inaccessible, or submitted after deadline).
Proposals not substantially drawing from the ERC-funded research.
Proposals primarily aiming to extend original research or overcome technical obstacles, rather than exploring innovation potential.

Application Process

Application Process Steps

Electronic Submission: All applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
Draft Proposal Creation: Early creation of a draft proposal is highly recommended to fill in mandatory fields and manage access rights.
Component Parts: A complete proposal consists of:
- Administrative Part A form (online, including Ethics Review Table).
- Proposal Part B form and annexes (PDF upload, using provided templates).
- Host Institution Binding Statement of Support Letter (mandatory PDF upload).
- Optional: Ethics review self-assessment (if applicable), Letters of support or intent from potential stakeholders (PDF upload).
Page Limits: Part B has a strict limit of 10 pages (excluding headers, abstract, references, and risk mitigation table).
Submission: Only the last version submitted before the deadline will be evaluated. Early submission (at least 48 hours prior to deadline) is strongly advised.

Key Timelines

Call Publication: 13 November 2024.
First Cut-off Deadline: 13 March 2025, 17:00 (Brussels local time).
Second (and Final) Cut-off Deadline: 18 September 2025, 17:00 (Brussels local time).
Evaluation Period (First Cut-off): Results released 25 June 2025. Evaluation for second cut-off will proceed after 18 September 2025.
Grant Agreement Signature (First Cut-off): Expected around July 2025.
Project Duration: 18 months.

Reporting and Post-Award Obligations

Data Management Plan (DMP): Required within the first six months of project implementation for projects generating research data, following FAIR principles.
Open Access: Beneficiaries must ensure immediate open access to all peer-reviewed scientific publications (with full re-use rights) and manage research data following 'as open as possible, as closed as necessary' principles.
Ethics Review: Proposals selected for funding undergo an ethics review. Grant agreements cannot be signed until this is satisfactorily concluded.
Security Review: Proposals selected for funding may undergo a security review.
Progress Tracking: Projects will be monitored; key milestones and deliverables are to be included in the project plan.

Support and Assistance

ERC PoC Call Coordination: For call-related queries ([email protected]).
Ethics Support Team: For ethics issues ([email protected]).
IT Helpdesk: For technical submission issues.
National Contact Points (NCPs): Provide information and personalized support.
Enterprise Europe Network (EEN): Offers advice, especially for SMEs.
European IPR Helpdesk: Assists with intellectual property issues.

Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation of proposals is based solely on the criterion of 'Excellence', assessed across three elements: Project-Related Excellence

Breakthrough Innovation Potential (Element 1.a):
- Potential of the idea to drive innovation and business inventiveness and/or tackle societal challenges.
- Innovativeness or distinctiveness of proposed outcomes compared to existing solutions.
- High-risk/high-gain nature: will success result in breakthrough innovation? What are the difficult aspects requiring new approaches?
Approach and Methodology (Element 1.b):
- Appropriateness and effectiveness of proposed activities and planning to explore the pathway from ground-breaking research towards innovation.
- Feasibility of planned activities within the 18-month timeframe.
- Adequacy and justification of proposed resources (team, equipment, consumables, travel, etc.).
- Relevance of the chosen approach for establishing technical and commercial/societal feasibility.
- Quality of methodology, including key intermediate goals.
- Clarity of the chosen pathway from research to innovation (e.g., patenting, spin-outs, licensing, public engagement).
- Plans for validation, testing, knowledge transfer, and involvement of potential stakeholders/end users.

Principal Investigator (PI) Strategic Lead and Project Management

Strategic Lead and Project Management (Element 1.c):
- PI's clear vision on organizing project management, data consolidation for strategic decisions, and implementation plan.
- Appropriateness of organizational structure and decision-making process relative to project complexity.
- Effectiveness of proposed risk mitigation plan for both scientific/technical and non-scientific/technical risks (e.g., key personnel leaving, facility access).
- Demonstrated experience of the PI and team relevant to the chosen approach.
- Commitment of PI's working time (cumulative commitment on PoC and main grant must not exceed 100%).

Scoring and Funding Thresholds

Each element (1.a, 1.b, 1.c) is marked as 'very good', 'good', or 'fail'.
To be considered for funding, proposals must receive a 'pass mark' ('very good' or 'good') by a majority of experts on each of the three evaluation elements.
Proposals failing one or more elements will not be ranked or funded.
If budget is insufficient for all passing proposals, they are ranked based on marks for 1.a, then 1.b, then 1.c.
A 'Seal of Excellence' is awarded to high-quality proposals that pass evaluation but are not funded due to lack of budget.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Compliance with all applicable EU, international, and national legislation, including the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the European Convention on Human Rights.
Applicants must identify and detail any ethical aspects of their proposed work in the ethics issues table.
Legal entities must have a Gender Equality Plan (GEP) if they are public bodies, research organizations, or higher education institutions from EU Member States or Associated Countries.

Data Protection and Intellectual Property

Data Protection: Compliance with data protection regulations; personal data used for evaluation purposes.
Open Access to Publications: Immediate open access to all peer-reviewed scientific publications related to results, with full re-use rights. Beneficiaries must retain sufficient intellectual property rights to comply with open access requirements.
Open Access to Research Data: Manage research data in line with FAIR principles (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, Reusability). Establish a Data Management Plan (DMP) within six months. Data should be 'as open as possible, as closed as necessary'.
Intellectual Property (IP) Strategy: Clarifying IPR position and knowledge-transfer strategy is an activity covered by the grant.
Existing IP Obligations: PoC funding does not discharge beneficiaries from prior IP obligations under their main ERC grant, especially regarding foreground protection.

Security Requirements

Applicants must complete a security issues table to identify if the proposed activity will use and/or generate information that might raise security concerns.
Guidance is available on handling security-sensitive research projects.

Ethical Standards and Considerations

Mandatory ethics review process.
Proposals involving human embryonic stem cells (hESC) require special attention and justification of necessity.
Projects may not engage in scientific misconduct (fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, misrepresentation of data); such actions can lead to rejection and future submission restrictions.

Special Features and Opportunities

Lump Sum Grant: Fixed financial contribution of EUR 150,000, simplifying financial reporting as payment is based on proper implementation rather than actual incurred costs.
Bridging Funding: Specifically designed to bridge the gap between ERC frontier research and early-stage innovation/commercialization.
Focus on Innovation: Explicitly targets the exploration of commercial and social innovation potential derived from cutting-edge research.
Synergy Grant PI Flexibility: Allows individual PIs from Synergy Grants to apply with consent from other PIs.
Seal of Excellence: Awarded to high-quality proposals that pass evaluation but are not funded due to budget limitations, potentially aiding in securing alternative funding.

Grant Details