Are you a scientist who wants to consolidate your independence by establishing a research team and continuing to develop a success career in Europe? The ERC Consolidator Grant could be for you. You can also apply if you have recently created an independent, excellent research team and want to strengthen it.
Who can apply?
Researchers of any nationality with 7-12 years of experience since completion of PhD, a scientific track record showing great promise and an excellent research proposal can apply.
What proposals are eligible?
Criteria
Applications can be made in any field of research.
The ERC's grants operate on a 'bottom-up' basis without predetermined priorities.
Location
Research must be conducted in a public or private research organisation(known as a Host Institution/HI). It could be the HI where the applicant already works, or any other HI located in one of the EU Member States or associated countries.
Host Institution
Applications for an ERC grant require a single Principal Investigator (PI) to submit the application on behalf of their host institution.
The host institution must offer suitable conditions for the PI to independently lead the research and manage funding. The PI can be hosted by any legal entity in an EU Member State or associated country.
The PI does not need to be employed by the host institution at the time of proposal submission, but a mutual agreement and commitment are necessary if the proposal is successful.
Team
ERC grants support projects carried out by an individual researcher who can employ researchers of any nationality as team members. It is also possible to have one or more team members located in a non-European country.
How much?
Consolidator Grants may be awarded up to €2 million for a period of 5 years. (pro rata for projects of shorter duration).
However, an additional €1 million can be made available to cover further eligible costs (e.g. start-up costs, major equipment, access to large facilities, major experimental and field work costs) when these are necessary to carry out the proposed work. The requests for additional funding must be duly justified in the proposal. For Principal Investigators currently based in non-associated third countries re-locating to the EU or an Associated Country to take up their ERC grant, the maximum additional funding may be up to €2 million.
An ERC grant can cover up to 100% of the total eligible direct costs of the research plus a contribution of 25% of the total eligible costs towards indirect costs.
How to apply?
ERC grant applications can only be submitted in response to a Call for Proposals.
The ERC has yearly calls for proposals covering all scientific fields.
For more information and to apply visit https://erc.europa.eu/apply-grant/consolidator-grant
