You are an ERC grantee? You carried out public engagement or science communication activities in the course of your project or up to two years after its end? Your efforts and impact can be rewarded with a prize of €10 000! Check if you are eligible, read the call documents and apply before the deadline.
Many ERC grantees engage the public with their research, showing commitment to bridging the gap between science and society. Some are outstanding science communicators, effectively conveying complex ideas to diverse audiences and promoting a deeper understanding of cutting-edge scientific advancements. Others invest in public outreach or embrace citizen science, enabling the public to actively participate in scientific research, fostering a sense of shared discovery.
The ERC's Public Engagement with Research Award recognizes and rewards grantees who successfully engage audiences outside their domain with ERC-funded research.
ERC Principal Investigators – even though they don’t have to include a plan for communication activities in their grant applications – have a contractual obligation to promote their ERC-funded research.
What is Public Engagement with Research?
In a two-way interaction, public engagement with ERC-funded activities involves the public in project design, conduct, or dissemination, fostering mutual understanding for mutual benefit.
The public engagement activities may include, for example:
- Citizen science activities conducted in collaboration or consultation with the public at any stage of the frontier research project, from design to implementation. Citizen science initiatives comprise activities such as public consultations or citizen juries.
- Public outreach activities putting the spotlight on a research topic by disseminating its content, promoting discussion, or inspiring potential future researchers. Public outreach initiatives can consist of diverse activities, such as art and science projects, educational programmes, exhibitions, and can include diverse audiences and venues such as students, schools, museums, or science festivals.
- Activities that foster consultation and exchange with citizen groups to raise awareness on a topic, to address a societal challenge, or to contribute to an issue in the public debate. These activities can be undertaken based on preliminary or final project results, as well as any particular result or output generated in the context of an ERC frontier research project. Examples of people and organisations that are likely to be engaged include journalists, policy makers at regional, national, or international level, non-governmental organisations, citizen or patient groups, product users.
2026 Awards
Who can apply?
All Principal Investigators in an ERC frontier research project, ongoing or ended on or after 31 December 2023, are eligible to apply.
Deadline: 15 January 2026
For more information and to apply visit https://erc.europa.eu/manage-your-project/public-engagement-research-award
