ERC Plus Grant Call 2026
European Commission
The new funding scheme, ERC Plus Grants, is planned to support outstanding researchers from Europe and anywhere in the world with bold ideas and a vision for transformative research that goes beyond the scope of existing ERC programmes.
The funding for this new grant scheme was announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her speech of 5 May 2025 on the ‘Choose Europe’ initiative.
The ERC Plus Grant supports outstanding principal investigators who address major scientific challenges. Applications for ERC Plus Grants should be for projects that could not be carried out with a regular ERC grant. Applicants should explain how the proposed project goes beyond the scope of a regular ERC project, for example because it aims to transform the field or open new avenues of research.
Applicants should be aware that every year, only some 30 ERC Plus Grants can be awarded across all fields and all career stages, compared to approximately 1 000 Starting, Consolidator and Advanced Grants. This level of competitiveness should be taken into account when considering whether to submit an application.
Financement
Grant size and duration
ERC Plus Grants are awarded for a minimum of four years (48 months) and up to seven years (84 months) with no reduction for projects that are shorter than seven years. The maximum grant size is €7 million with no possibility to request additional funding.
Cost coverage
ERC Plus Grants are awarded as a single lump-sum contribution for the entire project. See Q&A on lump sums. For lump sum grants, a single lump sum contribution will be awarded, broken down by beneficiaries where applicable. It will be based on a realistic estimate of the project’s actual costs and will fully cover the work to be carried out under the proposed action.
Applicants to the ERC Plus Grant call must prepare their budget by including only those costs that would be considered eligible under an actual cost grant, i.e. the project-eligible direct costs and a flat rate of 25% of the direct cost categories that qualify for the calculation of indirect costs under the rules of Horizon Europe.
Pour postuler
ERC grant applications can only be submitted in response to a call for proposals.
The ERC has annual calls for proposals covering all scientific fields.
For an ERC grant application to be complete, it needs to include the administrative forms, the research proposal and the supplementary documents. The completed proposal needs to be submitted by the specified closing date.
Calls are published on EU Funding & Tenders Portal and in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Requis d'admission
ERC grant schemes are open to researchers of any age and nationality, residing anywhere in the world at the time of application, and wishing to carry out their research in Host Institutions based in the EU or associated country.
Scholars at all career stages can apply for an ERC Plus Grant if they have an outstanding record of scientific achievement at the forefront of their field. Their intellectual leadership will be evaluated in accordance with their career stage. A researcher will be allowed to hold only one ERC Plus Grant in their lifetime.
What proposals are eligible?
Criteria
Applications can be made in any field of research. The ERC's grants operate on a 'bottom-up' basis without predetermined priorities. Given the large number of applications received every year, and the need to uphold the quality and integrity of the evaluation process at the ERC, restrictions apply also to the ERC Plus call under the ERC Work Programme 2026 .
Location
Research must be conducted in a public or private research organisation (Host Institution/HI). It could be the HI where the applicant already works or any other HI located in one of the EU Member States or associated countries.
Host Institution
Applications for an ERC grant must be submitted by a single Principal Investigator (PI) on behalf of their Host Institution.
The Host Institution must offer suitable conditions for the PI to independently lead the research and manage funding. The PI can be hosted by any legal entity in an EU Member State or associated country.
The PI does not need to be employed by the Host Institution at the time of proposal submission, but a mutual agreement and commitment are necessary if the proposal is successful.
PI and team
ERC grants support projects carried out by an individual researcher who can employ researchers of any nationality as team members. It is also possible to have one or more team members located in a non-European country. The Principal Investigator of an ERC Plus Grant must commit to dedicate at least 30% of their working time to the project and spend minimum 50% of their working time in the EU or an associated country.
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