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ERC Starting Grant

Funding agency: ERC

Call: ERC-2027-STG

Type of action: HORIZON-ERC HORIZON ERC Grants  |  Deadline model: single-stage  |  Planned opening: 22/07/2026  |  Model Grant Agreement: HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based

Scope:

Objectives

The Starting Grant supports excellent Principal Investigators starting or having recently started their own independent research team or programme. A Starting Grant Principal Investigator should have already shown evidence of the potential for research independence, for example, by having produced at least one important publication as its main author or a publication without the participation of their PhD supervisor. A researcher may be the Principal Investigator of only one ERC Starting Grant in their career.

Size of ERC Starting Grants

Starting Grants may be awarded up to a maximum of

EUR 1 500 000 for

a period of

60 months

. The maximum amount of the grants is reduced

pro rata temporis

for proposals of shorter duration.

Additional funding up

to EUR 1 000 000 *1

can be requested to cover further eligible costs for any cost category when these are necessary to carry out the proposed work. The request for additional funding must be duly justified in the proposal.

The maximum amount of the grant is reduced

pro rata temporis

for proposals of shorter duration. Additional funding is not subject to pro rata temporis reduction for projects of shorter duration.

Both the grant amount and any additional funding requested are assessed during evaluation.

*1

Except for Principal Investigators in Starting, Consolidator, or Advanced Grant re-locating to the EU or an Associated Country from elsewhere to take up their ERC grant. In this case, the maximum additional funding shall be EUR 2 000 000.

Applicants requesting more than EUR 1 000 000 as additional funding must be based outside the EU or an Associated Country at the time of the call deadline for the increased maximum additional funding to apply.

Profile of the ERC Starting Grant Principal Investigator

The Principal Investigators will be eligible for a Starting Grant if they have defended their PhD in the ten-year period preceding the 1st of January 2027. Cut-off dates: …

Budget total: — EUR  |  Budget per project: 1500000.0 EUR

Deadline: 14/10/2026 (79 days left)  |  Duration: 60 months  |  Funding intensity: —%  |  Type: research

Eligibility: entity types: university, research organisation, undertaking; countries: EU Member States, Associated Countries

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Natural SciencesResearch & Development

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Documents & templates:

• ERC Work Programme 2027
• ERC Rules of Submission
• Information for Applicants to the Starting and Consolidator Grant Calls
• Information for Applicants to the Advanced Grant Call
• Information for Applicants to the ERC Plus Call
• Information for Applicants to the Synergy Grant Call
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Funding & Tenders Portal
• MGA used for ERC actions under Horizon Europe (HE General MGA)
• Guide for Peer Reviewers - Starting and Consolidator Grant Calls
• Standard application form (HE ERC STG)
• EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
• Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
• EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
• Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
• Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions
• Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement
• List of Participating Countries in Horizon Europe

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