The European Research Council (ERC) is a newly-created European funding initiative, designed to support the best scientists, engineers and scholars in Europe.
The ERC's mandate is to encourage the highest quality research in Europe through competitive funding and to support investigator-initiated frontier research across all fields of research, on the basis of scientific excellence.
Who can apply for an ERC grant?
• Scientific excellence is the sole selection criterion
• Projects in all fields of research are eligible for funding
• Individual research teams led by a single PI are supported
• Significant funding is provided to attract the established and next generation of exceptional research leaders
• Grants are awarded to the host institution that engages the PI
• The host institution guarantees the PI’s independence and provides the research environment to carry out the project and manage its funding
What kind of research can be funded?
ERC grants aim to support "Frontier Research", in other words the pursuit of questions at or beyond the frontiers of knowledge, without regard for established disciplinary boundaries.
Applications can be made in any field of research - including the social sciences and humanities - with particular emphasis on the frontier of science, scholarship and engineering.
In particular, proposals of an interdisciplinary nature which cross the boundaries between different fields of research, pioneering proposals addressing new and emerging fields of research or proposals introducing unconventional, innovative approaches and scientific inventions are encouraged, as long as the expected impact on science, scholarship or engineering is significant.
The ERC peer review evaluation panels will look carefully at these aspects, in the full understanding that such research has a high-gain/high-risk profile, i.e. if successful the payoffs will be very significant, but there is a higher-than-normal risk that such research projects may not achieve their objectives.
What costs are covered by an ERC grant?
An ERC grant can cover up to 100% of the total eligible direct costs of the research plus a contribution up to 20% of the total eligible costs (excluding the direct eligible costs for subcontracting and the costs of resources made available by third parties which are not used on the premises of the host institution) towards indirect costs.
When can I apply?
Panels: PE1 - PE10 (Physical Sciences & Engineering), 28 October 2009, 17.00.00 (Brussels local time)
Panels: LS1 – LS9 (Life Sciences), 18 November 2009, 17.00.00 (Brussels local time)
Panels: SH1 – SH6 (Social Sciences & Humanities), 9 December 2009, 17.00.00 (Brussels local time)
Indicative budget: EUR 528 237 600 from 2010 budget.
The ERC Scientific Council has established the following indicative percentage budgets for each of the 3 main research domains:
- Physical Sciences & Engineering: 39%
- Life Sciences: 34%
- Social Sciences & Humanities: 14%
- and an Interdisciplinary4 domain with an indicative budget of 13%.
Call Fiche
Work Programme 2010
Guide for Applicant
