ERC STARTING GRANTS
Horizon Europe ERC Starting Grant
Funding Amount
Up to €1.5M
Deadline
14/10/2025
Eligible Organization Types
Research Institution, Public Institution, Private Business, Non-profit
Trusted by
What is the ERC STARTING GRANTS Call?
Grant Description
Supports outstanding early-career researchers to establish independent research teams across all scientific fields, enabling pioneering frontier research. Grants address the need for research independence by funding high-risk, high-gain projects expected to deliver ground-breaking scientific advances and high-impact publications.
Required Results for Successful Funding
Expected Outcomes
• Establishment and consolidation of independent research teams led by outstanding early-career investigators in Europe.
• Generation of high-impact, ground-breaking scientific results and publications in open-access venues.
• Development of new methodologies, technologies, processes or conceptual advances that push the frontiers of knowledge across all disciplines.
• Strengthening of Europe’s global leadership in frontier research and increased competitiveness.
• Enhanced career progression and research independence of PIs, fostering long-term innovation capacity.
• Creation of FAIR research data and adherence to open science practices, ensuring broad dissemination and re-use of results.
• Training and mentoring of early-stage researchers within ERC-funded teams.
• Promotion of mobility and collaboration across EU Member States and Associated Countries, fostering an integrated European Research Area.
• Generation of high-impact, ground-breaking scientific results and publications in open-access venues.
• Development of new methodologies, technologies, processes or conceptual advances that push the frontiers of knowledge across all disciplines.
• Strengthening of Europe’s global leadership in frontier research and increased competitiveness.
• Enhanced career progression and research independence of PIs, fostering long-term innovation capacity.
• Creation of FAIR research data and adherence to open science practices, ensuring broad dissemination and re-use of results.
• Training and mentoring of early-stage researchers within ERC-funded teams.
• Promotion of mobility and collaboration across EU Member States and Associated Countries, fostering an integrated European Research Area.
Funded areas
Scope Requirements
Eligibility criteria: PI must have successfully defended their first PhD between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2023 (2–7 years prior to 1 January 2026), with extensions allowed for documented career breaks (parental leave, long-term illness/disability, clinical training, military service, pandemic-related delays, lab closures). PI must commit a minimum of 50% of their working time to the ERC project and 50% of their working time in an EU Member State or Associated Country. Host institution: established legal entity (public or private research organisation, university, enterprise, or international European research organisation) in an EU Member State or Associated Country, providing a signed support letter and hosting the PI for the full project duration. Proposal requirements: complete electronic submission by 14 October 2025, 17:00 Brussels time; adherence to specified page limits and templates; choice of primary (and optional secondary) evaluation panel; compliance with ERC Work Programme 2026 objectives (frontier research excellence). Budget: up to EUR 1.5 million for 5 years (pro rata for shorter durations), plus up to EUR 1 million additional funding (or EUR 2 million if the PI is relocating to EU/AC) for justified start-up costs, equipment, facilities access, major experimental/field work. Excellence is the sole evaluation criterion.
Additional Conditions for Applicants
Special Conditions
• PIs relocating to the EU or an Associated Country may request up to EUR 2 million additional funding and must disregard the submission system warning capping total budget at EUR 2.5 million.
• Extensions to the standard 7-year eligibility window must be justified with official documentation of career breaks (e.g. parental leave, long-term illness, disability, clinical training, military service, pandemic delays, lab closures).
• A PI cannot submit proposals to multiple ERC frontier grant calls simultaneously or hold more than one ERC main grant.
• Applicants subject to exclusion sanctions under the EU Financial Regulation or listed in the Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES) are ineligible.
• Host institutions must have (or be implementing) a Gender Equality Plan or equivalent strategy.
• Beneficiaries must ensure immediate open access to all peer-reviewed publications with full re-use rights and establish a FAIR data management plan within six months, with open access to research data ‘as open as possible, as closed as necessary’.
• Operational capacity is automatically deemed fulfilled for proposals scoring above 80%.
• Grant agreements will follow the Horizon Europe General MGA model.
• Extensions to the standard 7-year eligibility window must be justified with official documentation of career breaks (e.g. parental leave, long-term illness, disability, clinical training, military service, pandemic delays, lab closures).
• A PI cannot submit proposals to multiple ERC frontier grant calls simultaneously or hold more than one ERC main grant.
• Applicants subject to exclusion sanctions under the EU Financial Regulation or listed in the Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES) are ineligible.
• Host institutions must have (or be implementing) a Gender Equality Plan or equivalent strategy.
• Beneficiaries must ensure immediate open access to all peer-reviewed publications with full re-use rights and establish a FAIR data management plan within six months, with open access to research data ‘as open as possible, as closed as necessary’.
• Operational capacity is automatically deemed fulfilled for proposals scoring above 80%.
• Grant agreements will follow the Horizon Europe General MGA model.
Important dates
Open from: 09/07/2025
Deadline:14/10/2025
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