What if your next big idea could change the rules of the game in your field of research?
That is precisely what the European Research Council (ERC) is looking for: to support those who dare to imagine beyond the established and propose science without limits.
With the mission to encourage excellent science in Europe, the European Research Council (ERC) offers competitive funding and support to creative, bottom-up, investigator-driven frontier research across all scientific fields, from Life Sciences to Physics and Engineering, and Social Sciences and Humanities. ERC calls are open to Principal Investigators (PIs) from any country, any age and at any stage of their research career to run projects based across Europe through 4 main schemes with yearly calls: the Starting, Consolidator and Advanced Grants (supporting research projects with a single PI) and Synergy Grants (for projects with several PIs).
Interestingly, the ERC Advanced Grant call 2025, which closes on the 28th of August, opens today. The ERC Advanced Grant call is aimed at senior, leading researchers with a recognised track record of research achievements, who can apply for 2.5 million euros to conduct a 5-year project. With some months ahead for the proposal preparation, a key aspect to consider is that, in ERC, the only evaluation criteria is the scientific excellence. This entails both the excellence of our research project, as well as our excellence as PIs to lead this ground-breaking, cutting-edge research. In view of this, what should we consider when preparing our proposal?
Excellence of our research project. ERC funds proposals which are ground-breaking, ambitious, and feasible. Some reflections to be done:
To what extent are the objectives ambitious and beyond the state of the art (e.g., novel concepts and approaches or development between or across disciplines) in a disruptive way? In a revolutionary manner?
Remember that ERC funds frontier science, basic or applied, multidisciplinary, with unconventional and innovative approaches. If we present incremental research in our proposal, we are out of the scope of the ERC.
Is our ground-breaking, ambitious project feasible with the methodology proposed? With the working arrangements? With the proposed timescales? With the resources we will have? Is our commitment as PIs adequate?
To have a successful proposal, the feasibility of our project is key. A ground-breaking nature, ambitious project with potential scientific impact, will likely not be funded if evaluators perceive its implementation is not designed in an adequate way.
Excellence of the Principal Investigator. In our proposal we should convince reviewers that we are the ideal candidates to lead this research.
Do we have the intellectual capacity (scientific background and experience in the field) to lead this project? Are we creative people and have an out-of-the-box thinking? Are we presenting original ideas in our proposal?
There is the belief that only researchers with a certain status can get an ERC grant. However, ERC weights more the project idea than the past achievements of the applicant in the evaluation process. This means that, a good project idea which is ground-breaking, ambitious and feasible, could be funded, as long as the PI shows enough experience to lead the project.
At Kveloce, we understand that an excellent idea needs more than just data and well-defined objectives: it needs strategy, vision and a narrative that conveys ambition and leadership. That’s why we accompany those who are committed to an ERC throughout the preparation process, providing an expert approach that combines scientific rigour, clear communication and alignment with the programme’s requirements. Because when the project and the person behind it shine, the ERC listens.
