With the launch of the competitions for grants under ERC Work Programme 2026 in July of this year, several changes to the submission of applications and the evaluation of proposals will apply. The main novelties for 2026, as well as the longer-term goal to extend the eligibility of applicants for Starting and Consolidator Grants from 2027 are summarised below.
The overall structure of the application form for the ERC calls will remain the same; however, applicants will be asked to structure their project proposal as follows:
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Part I of the Scientific Proposal (formerly, the Extended Synopsis) should describe the overall idea of the proposed research project, including the current state of knowledge and how the research will contribute to the field, the scientific questions the project will attempt to answer, the objectives of the project, and the overall approach or research strategy to achieve those objectives. As in the past, the length of this section will be limited to five pages.
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Part II of the Scientific Proposal should describe the implementation in detail, including the research methodology, work plan, risk assessment and mitigating measures, justification for the requested budget and resources, and any further necessary background not included in Part I. The length of this section is now limited to seven pages for Starting, Consolidator, and Advanced Grant applications and ten pages for Synergy Grant applications. For Synergy Grant applications, this section should also explain the collaborative arrangements enabling the Synergy Grant group to carry out the project.
Part I of the Scientific Proposal along with the applicant’s CV and Track Record (i.e. Part B1 of the application form) will be assessed at Step 1, whereas both parts of the Scientific Proposal, the CV and Track Record, as well as the Resources and Time Commitment will be assessed at Step 2 of the evaluation. First and foremost, applicants will be assessed on the ambition of their idea in advancing present-day knowledge in the field based on Part I of the Scientific Proposal. Only those who have presented a convincing proposal at Step 1 will advance to the next stage of the evaluation, during which the methodology and implementation (including feasibility) of the proposed research and the resource allocation will be assessed jointly with the information already reviewed at Step 1.
Feasibility will no longer be assessed at Step 1; thus, Part I of the Scientific Proposal should no longer include details on the feasibility of the scientific approach but present a convincing overall research strategy. All aspects relating to feasibility should be covered in Part II of the Scientific Proposal.
As recently announced, researchers currently based outside Europe (please see here for an updated list of Horizon Europe associated countries) and applying for a Starting, Consolidator or Advanced Grant will be able to request up to €2 million in additional funding to facilitate the relocation of their laboratory or team to the European Union or a country associated to the ERC part of the Horizon Europe programme. Applicants already based in an EU Member State or associated country will remain eligible for up to €1 million. The maximum amount of additional funding that can be requested by Synergy Grant applicants remains the same (up to €4 million).
As of 2026, the additional funding may also be used for personnel costs, and, as before, applicants are requested to define and justify the need for additional funding in their proposal. The decision to award the requested funding rests with the evaluation panel.
As for 2027, in recognition of the variety and diversity of present-day academic career trajectories, the Scientific Council has decided to widen the eligibility period for both its Starting and Consolidator Grant schemes. From 2027 on, researchers will be eligible to apply for a Starting Grant immediately after successfully defending their PhD, and at any time within the following ten-year period. Consolidator Grant applicants will be eligible to apply between five and fifteen years after defending their PhD. All current policies for the extension of the eligibility periods will remain in force. However, researchers will be awarded no more than one Starting Grant and one Consolidator Grant during their career.