ERC Starting Grant

The ERC Starting Grant supports excellent Principal Investigators who are starting or have recently started their own independent research team or programme. It targets researchers who have demonstrated research independence by producing significant publications and are within ten years from their PhD defense. The grant encourages ground-breaking research in any field of science carried out in EU Member States or Associated Countries, fostering independent research careers.

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Agency	HORIZON (EU)
Region	EU
Country	N/A
Legal form	Company, NGO, Government organization, Other
Start date	22 Jul 2026
End date	14 Oct 2026
Max funding	Up to €1,500,000 for a period of 60 months., Additional funding up to €1,000,000 may be requested for further eligible costs necessary to carry out the proposed work, with higher limits for Principal Investigators relocating to the EU or Associated Country from elsewhere (up to €2,000,000).
Budget	594,100,000 EUR for 2027 (estimated 373 grants awarded).
Coverage	Covers eligible direct and indirect costs as justified in the grant proposal. Additional funding requests must be duly justified.

Grant application conditions

Applicant Type	Principal Investigators of any nationality and age, who wish to commence or consolidate their independent research career at an EU Member State or Associated Country-based Host Institution.
PhD Defense Date	PhD or equivalent doctoral degree successfully defended between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2026 (inclusive). Extensions possible for certain documented events (parental leave, long-term illness, etc.).
Research Independence	Evidence of potential for research independence (e.g., at least one important publication as main author without the participation of PhD supervisor).
Prior Grants	Applicants who have already held a Starting or Consolidator Grant are not eligible for the same grant type.
Host Institution	Any legal entity (public or private), including universities, research organizations, or undertakings, established in an EU Member State or Associated Country.
Working Time	Principal Investigator must spend at least 50% of their working time in an EU Member State or Associated Country and at least 50% of their working time on the ERC project.
Proposal Completeness	The proposal must be complete, accessible, and submitted electronically before the deadline, including all required documentation.
Resubmission Restrictions	Restrictions apply to the resubmission of proposals as set out in the ERC Work Programme 2027.
Exclusion	Applicants subject to EU administrative sanctions or listed in the Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES), or otherwise excluded by the EU Financial Regulation, cannot participate.
Documentation	https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/ERC-2027-STG

Eligible expenses

Evaluation criteria

Business exclusions

Reporting

Application process

Application requirements