The ERC Starting Grant 2027 provides up to €1.5 million for researchers building an independent research programme. The European Research Council funds up to five years of frontier research through Horizon Europe, with projects hosted by eligible institutions in the European Union or an Associated Country. Researchers of any nationality can apply, and the deadline falls on 14 October 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. Eligibility opens the door. Your evidence of research independence and the ambition of your proposal will decide whether you advance.
ERC Starting Grant 2027 Quick Overview
| Category | Official Details |
|---|---|
| Host Region | European Union or Horizon Europe Associated Country |
| Funding Body | European Research Council |
| Programme | ERC Starting Grant 2027 |
| Call Identifier | ERC-2027-STG |
| Career Level | Principal Investigators starting or recently starting an independent team or programme |
| Main Funding | Up to €1.5 million |
| Additional Funding | Up to €1 million, or €2 million for qualifying researchers relocating from outside the EU or an Associated Country |
| Duration | Up to 60 months |
| Call Budget | €594.1 million |
| Estimated Grants | 373 |
| Opening Date | 22 July 2026 |
| Deadline | 14 October 2026, 17:00 Brussels time |
| Eligible Nationalities | Researchers of any nationality |
| Application Method | EU Funding & Tenders Portal |
The ERC Work Programme lists an indicative budget of approximately €594 million and an estimated 373 Starting Grants for this call.
What Is the ERC Starting Grant?
The ERC Starting Grant supports researchers who have started, or recently started, an independent research team or programme. It accepts proposals across all academic disciplines and gives the Principal Investigator scientific responsibility for the project.
The programme does not fund a conventional research consortium. It supports one Principal Investigator and their team, although researchers in fields such as mathematics and the humanities may carry out the project individually.
- The European Research Council funds frontier research through Horizon Europe.
- The ERC Starting Grant supports researchers developing scientific independence.
- The Principal Investigator leads the project and research team.
- The Host Institution provides institutional support and research conditions.
The ERC applies one evaluation criterion: excellence. Panels assess both the research project and your capacity to lead it.
Available Research Fields for ERC Horizon Europe Grant
The call accepts proposals in any field of science, scholarship, and engineering. It also welcomes interdisciplinary projects that connect different methods or research areas.
The ERC groups its 28 evaluation panels under three broad domains:
- Physical Sciences and Engineering
- Life Sciences
- Social Sciences and Humanities
You must select the primary panel that best matches your proposal. You may also identify a secondary panel when your project crosses disciplinary boundaries.
Who Can Apply for the ERC Starting Grant 2027?
Researchers of any age and nationality can apply from anywhere in the world. You must hold a PhD or equivalent doctoral degree by the call deadline, fall within the official PhD eligibility window, and conduct the project through an eligible host institution in an EU Member State or Associated Country. A detailed ERC Starting Grant 2027 eligibility is as follows;
PhD eligibility window
You qualify under the standard window when you successfully defended your first PhD between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2026, inclusive.
The ERC uses the successful defence date of your first doctoral degree. It does not use your graduation ceremony, certificate issue date, or the date of a later PhD.
You must hold the PhD by 14 October 2026. A defence scheduled after the deadline does not meet the requirement.
Eligibility extensions
The ERC may extend the standard window when you document qualifying circumstances, including:
- Maternity, paternity, or parental leave
- Long-term illness or disability
- Clinical training
- National service
- Major disasters
- Seeking asylum
- Gender-based violence or another form of violence
Research independence
A competitive applicant should demonstrate clear potential for independence. The official applicant guide gives an important publication as main author, or a publication without the PhD supervisor, as examples of relevant evidence.
One paper does not guarantee success. You must explain what you contributed, which ideas you originated, and how your achievements prepare you to lead the proposed project.
Time commitment
You must commit at least:
- 50% of your total working time to the ERC project
- 50% of your total working time in an EU Member State or Associated Country
Fieldwork outside these countries can form part of the project when the scientific objectives require it.
ERC Starting Grant host institution requirements
A university, research organisation, public body, private research centre, company, or another eligible legal entity can host you.
You do not need to work for the host institution when you submit the proposal. However, the institution must engage you for at least the grant period and provide a binding Host Institution Support Letter with your application.
Researchers based outside Europe can apply. They must select an eligible European or Associated Country host.
A practical warning matters here. Some countries participate only in specific parts of Horizon Europe. For example, the current participation document limits the arrangements for Japan, Canada, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea to Pillar II. Researchers based in these countries can apply to the ERC Starting Grant, but they must use an eligible EU or fully associated host institution for the ERC project.
How to Apply for the ERC Starting Grant 2027?
Step 1: Confirm your eligibility
Check your first PhD defence date, previous ERC applications, current grants, and any resubmission restrictions before you invest time in the proposal.
Review the ERC Work Programme 2027 Details and Horizon Europe Grants Application Guidelines
Step 2: Secure an eligible host institution
Discuss your research plans, employment arrangement, facilities, and institutional support. Obtain the signed support letter before submission.
Step 3: Choose your evaluation panel
Match your central scientific question to the panel and official ERC keywords. Do not select a panel only because it appears less competitive.
Step 4: Write Part I first
Part I carries exceptional weight because Step 1 reviewers assess this five-page section alongside your CV and Track Record. State the scientific problem, frontier advance, objectives, and overall approach clearly.
Step 5: Develop Part II and the budget
Explain your methodology, work plan, risks, mitigation measures, resources, personnel, and project timing. Make every major cost traceable to a scientific need.
Step 6: Complete the online forms
Enter the administrative information, project abstract, panel choice, ethics information, security information, budget, and time commitment. All funding information and details on how to apply are on the Funding and Tenders portal.
Application portal for Horizon Europe ERC Starting Grant 2027
Step 7: Upload, validate, and submit
Upload every required PDF, resolve system errors, and submit through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal before 14 October 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time.
Required ERC Starting Grant 2027 Application Documents
Prepare the following elements:
- Administrative Form Part A
- Part I of the Scientific Proposal, maximum 5 pages
- Part II of the Scientific Proposal, maximum 7 pages
- Curriculum Vitae and Track Record, maximum 4 pages
- Resources and Time Commitment, maximum 2 pages
- Host Institution Support Letter
- Ethics Issues Table
- PhD record and supporting eligibility documents
- Supporting evidence for an eligibility extension, when applicable
You must complete the official Part B templates and upload them as PDF files through the submission system.
How the ERC Evaluates Applications
ERC panels use a two-step process.
At Step 1, reviewers assess Part I and your CV and Track Record. Each panel can retain up to 44 proposals for Step 2.
At Step 2, reviewers assess the complete proposal and invite the Principal Investigator to an interview of approximately 30 minutes. The session includes a project presentation and questions about the research, methods, feasibility, resources, and budget.
The ERC plans to notify Step 1 applicants by 11 May 2027 and Step 2 applicants by 24 August 2027.
Careers Help Desk Strategic Counter-Angle: What Will Separate Strong Proposals?
1. Treat Part I as the funding decision, not a summary
Average applicants compress a detailed project into five pages. Strong applicants build a self-contained scientific argument that explains what the field cannot currently answer and why their approach can change that position.
2. Prove intellectual ownership
Publication counts alone do not establish independence. Connect your selected outputs to your decisions, ideas, methods, and discoveries. Show the panel why you can lead this specific project without relying on your former supervisor’s scientific identity.
3. Make ambition and feasibility support each other
Safe proposals can look incremental. Overstated proposals can look unrealistic. Present a genuinely difficult question, then show that your expertise, team, methods, resources, and risk controls make the project scientifically credible.
Alternative Research Funding Opportunities
- If you need a postdoctoral mobility fellowship rather than a Principal Investigator-led grant, consider the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026. The programme supports European and Global Fellowship routes across all research fields.
- If your project brings together humanities, social sciences, and international partners, consider the British Academy International Interdisciplinary Research Projects 2027]. The programme provides up to £300,000 for 24-month collaborative research.
- If you are an early-career scientist seeking long-term independent research support in the United Kingdom, consider the [Internal Link Opportunity: Royal Society University Research Fellowship 2027. The fellowship provides up to £1.9 million over eight years.
- If you plan to build your research career in the Republic of Ireland, consider the Royal Society–Research Ireland University Research Fellowship 2027. The programme provides full salary support and up to €720,000 in research funding.
Common Application Mistakes
- Using the wrong PhD reference date
- Choosing an ineligible host institution
- Submitting without the signed support letter
- Exceeding official page limits
- Treating Part I as a general research summary
- Listing achievements without explaining your contribution
- Requesting additional funding without clear justification
- Ignoring previous-call submission restrictions
- Waiting until the final hours to validate the portal forms
ERC Starting Grant Funding Breakdown
The grant covers eligible project costs rather than providing a fixed personal scholarship.
Main grant
You can request up to €1.5 million for 60 months. The ERC reduces the maximum amount proportionally when you propose a shorter project.
Additional funding
You can request up to €1 million for necessary additional project costs.
A researcher who currently works outside the EU or an Associated Country and relocates there to take up the grant can request up to €2 million in additional funding. This arrangement can raise the total request to €3.5 million when the proposal fully justifies the costs.
The ERC assesses both the main budget and every additional funding request during evaluation.
Cost coverage
The actual-cost funding model covers:
- 100% of eligible direct costs
- A 25% flat rate for eligible indirect costs
Your budget must present realistic costs and connect each major resource to the research plan.
Ready to Apply for European Research Council ERC Grant 2027
The ERC Starting Grant 2027 targets researchers who can combine a bold frontier question with convincing evidence of scientific independence. Start with your five-page Part I. Secure the host institution early. Then build your track record, methodology, and budget around one clear argument: you have the originality and capacity to lead this research now. Submit your complete application through the official ERC-2027-STG page on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 14 October 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time.
Official Source: ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2027-STG) Call for Proposals
Frequently Asked Questions
Can researchers outside Europe apply?
Yes. Researchers of any nationality can apply while living anywhere, but they must carry out the project through an eligible host institution in an EU Member State or Associated Country.
How much funding does the ERC Starting Grant provide?
€1.5 million covers a project of up to five years, with up to €1 million in standard additional funding or up to €2 million for qualifying applicants relocating from outside the EU or an Associated Country.
Do I need to work at the host institution before applying?
No. You do not need employment at the host institution when you apply, but the institution must support the proposal and engage you for at least the grant period.
What does the ERC assess at Step 1?
Part I of the Scientific Proposal and the four-page CV and Track Record determine the Step 1 assessment. Reviewers do not assess Part II at this stage.
Can I apply after holding an ERC Starting Grant?
No. A researcher can serve as Principal Investigator of only one ERC Starting Grant during their career.
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