1. The European Research Council:
Funding opportunities for top scientists from anywhere in the world
Dr Luis Fariña Busto
Research Project Officer - Physical Sciences & Engineering
ERCEA Scientific Management Department
© Art & Build Architect / Montois Partners / credits: S. Brison

2. Outline What is the ERC? What does ERC offer?
How are ERC research proposals evaluated and by whom?
Outline of presentation

3. My two messages We have some money for you
Sometimes we need some help to distribute it
Outline of presentation

4. What is the ERC? erc.europa.eu
An autonomous funding body set up by the EU in 2007 and led by scientists
Funding excellent researchers of any nationality
To carry out frontier research in all fields of science and humanities
1 researcher, 1 Host Institution, 1 project, 1 selection criterion
Substantial grants and a recognised label of excellence
International, top level peer-review
erc.europa.eu
│ 4 4

5. ERC in H2020 Budget 2014 - 2020 H2020 budget
€77 billion ~ RMB 600 billion
ERC budget
€13 billion ~ RMB 100 billion
Almost € 2 billion ~ RMB 16 billion for calls in 2018

6. ERC in the H2020 Structure The HORIZON 2020 main components:
Excellent Science
World class science is foundation of technologies, jobs, well-being
Europe needs to develop, attract, retain research talent
Researchers need access to the best infrastructures
Industrial leadership
Societal challenges
Excellent Science:
European Research Council (budget under H2020: € 13 billion)
Future and Emerging Technologies
Marie Skłodoswka Curie Actions
Research Infrastructures

7. What does ERC offer? Creative Freedom of the Individual Grantee
ERC offers selective and generous grants, independence, recognition & visibility
Work on any research topic: completely bottom-up
Gain financial autonomy for 5 years
Negotiate the best work conditions with the host institution
Attract top team members and collaborators (EU and non-EU)
Portability of grants
Attract additional funding and gain recognition: ERC is a quality label 7

8. Who can apply? Excellent Researchers
Any nationality, any age or any current place of work
In conjunction with a Host Institution based in Europe: EU or H2020 associated countries
We want you to come to Europe for a significant period of time !
│ 8 8

9. Researchers career development and complementary funding schemes
ERC AdG - Advanced
Post-docs
Senior
Professor
Students
Post
Graduates
Junior Professor/
Junior Researcher
Associated Professor
Full Professor
ERC CoG – Consolidators
ERC StG - Starters
Marie Skłodowska Curie
Erasmus 9

10. Priority to Young Scientists
> PhD and post-doc researchers working in ERC teams.
Two-thirds of ERC grants to early-stage Principal Investigators.
│ 10 10

11. 2 – 4 Principal Investigators
What does ERC offer?
ERC Grant Schemes
Starting Grants
starters
2-7 years after PhD
(≥ 50% commitment)
up to € 1.5 Million
(+ € 0.5 Million)
for 5 years
Consolidator Grants
consolidators
7-12 years after PhD
(≥ 40% commitment)
up to € 2 Million
(+ € 0.75 Million)
for 5 years
Advanced Grants
track-record of
significant research
achievements in the
last 10 years
(≥ 30% commitment)
up to €2.5 Million
(+ € 1 Million)
for 5 years
We offer three main types of Grants: Starters, Consolidators and Advanced
Will concentrate today on Starting Grants for PIs 2-7 years past PhD
Not postdoctoral grants! Aimed at starting your first research group
For StG's and CoGs the eligibility window can be extended due to maternity leave, paternity leave, military service, etc
Proof-of-Concept
bridging gap between research and earliest stage of marketable innovation up to €150,000 for ERC grant holders only
Synergy Grants
2 – 4 Principal Investigators
up to € 10 (+ 4) Mio for 6 years 11

12. Additional funding Additional funding:
'Start-Up' costs for scientists moving to EU / Associated Countries
Purchase of major equipment
Access to large facilities
Up to € for Starting
Up to € for Consolidator
Up to € 1 Million for Advanced grantees
Up to € 4 Million for Synergy Grants
│ 12

13. Extensions of eligibility window
Extensions of eligibility window possible for StG and CoG for documented cases of:
Maternity – 18 months per child (before or after PhD)
Paternity – actual time taken off
Military service
Medical speciality training
Caring for seriously ill family members
No limit to the total extension 13

14. ERC Starting Grants (2-7 y past PhD)
Objective: support excellent PIs at the stage at which they are starting their own independent research team or programme
Grant size: €1.5M (possibility of additional €0.5M)
PI Profile:
Potential for research independence
At least one publication as main author or without PhD supervisor
Invited presentations in conferences
Funding, patents, awards, prizes
50% of PI's time in the project + 50% in the EU or AC

15. ERC Consolidator Grants (7-12 y past PhD)
Objective: support excellent PIs at the stage at which they may still be consolidating their own independent research team or programme
Grant size: €2.0M (possibility of additional €0.75M)
PI Profile
Has achieved a certain degree of research independence
Several publications as main author or without PhD supervisor
Invited presentations in conferences
Funding, patents, awards, prizes, mentoring
40% of PI's time in the project + 50% in the EU or AC

16. ERC Advanced Grants
Objective: established research leaders with a recognised track- record of research achievements in the last 10 years
Grant size: €2.5M (possibility of additional €1.0M)
PI Profile
Active researchers with a significant track record in the last 10 years
10 top publications/3 research monographs as main author
Invited presentations, organisation of major conferences
Funding, patents, awards, prizes, mentoring
30% of PI's time in the project + 50% in the EU or AC 16

17. How are ERC proposals evaluated?
Excellence is the sole evaluation criterion
Evaluation of excellence at two levels:
Excellence of the Research Project
Ground breaking nature
Potential impact
Scientific Approach
Excellence of the Principal Investigator
Intellectual capacity
Creativity
Commitment
So if you apply, what will you be evaluated on?
Excellence of the proposed work and of the PIs background and training
Have 25 different panel, so each panel will interpret this as it makes sense for the field
We down play quantitative measures such as numbers of publications, impact factors, etc 17

18. All topics are eligible, but the evaluation needs a concrete ERC panel structure
Each panel:
Panel Chair and Panel Members
Social Sciences and Humanities
SH1 Individuals, Markets and Organisations
SH2 Institutions, Values, Environment and Space
SH3 The Social World, Diversity, Population
SH4 The Human Mind and Its Complexity
SH5 Cultures and Cultural Production
SH6 The Study of the Human Past
Life Sciences
LS1 Molecular and Structural Biology and Biochemistry
LS2 Genetics, Genomics, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
LS3 Cellular and Developmental Biology
LS4 Physiology, Pathophysiology and Endocrinology
LS5 Neurosciences and Neural Disorders
LS6 Immunity and Infection
LS7 Diagnostic Tools, Therapies & Public Health
LS8 Evolutionary, Population and Environmental Biology
LS9 Applied Life Sciences and Biotechnology
Physical Sciences & Engineering
PE1 Mathematics
PE2 Fundamental Constituents of Matter
PE3 Condensed Matter Physics
PE4 Physical & Analytical Chemical Sciences
PE5 Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
PE6 Computer Science & Informatics
PE7 Systems & Communication Engineering
PE8 Products & Process Engineering
PE9 Universe Sciences
PE10 Earth System Science

19. Who evaluates ERC proposals?
At step 1
- Panel members who discuss over several days
- E.g. there is an ERC 2017 AdG panel with 12 members
Balance between generalist + specialised reviews
Careful treatment of interdisciplinary proposals
At step 2
- Panel members plus
- typically 3 external (close) experts per proposal
So if you apply, what will you be evaluated on?
Excellence of the proposed work and of the PIs background and training
Have 25 different panel, so each panel will interpret this as it makes sense for the field
We down play quantitative measures such as numbers of publications, impact factors, etc
We need you!
Some 200 external reviewers per call per panel 19

20. Submission, evaluation and selection
Starting, Consolidator and Advanced Grants
STEP 1
STEP 2
Remote assessment by Panel members of section 1 – PI and synopsis
Remote assessment by Panel members and reviewers of full proposals
Panel meeting
Panel meeting + interview (StG and CoG)
Proposals retained
for step 2
Proposals for funding
Feedback to
applicants
Feedback to
applicants 20

21. Two words on HEP proposals
The individual role of the PI must be clear
The originality of the proposal must be convincing
Outline of presentation

22. ERC Panel Members by Country of HI and Gender
Averaged over the first 19 ERC calls 27% of the ERC panel members were women
* Number of instances that experts of a certain country of origin are contributing to the ERC peer review

23. Submission Deadline(s)
Overview of 2018 ERC Calls
ERC calls
Budget
Call Opening
Submission Deadline(s)
Starting Grant
ERC-2018-StG
581 M€
(391 grants)
3 August 2017
17 October 2017
Consolidator Grant
ERC-2018-CoG
550 M€
(287 grants)
24 October 2017
15 February 2018
Advanced Grant
ERC-2018-AdG
450 M€
(194 grants)
15 May 2018
30 August 2018
Synergy Grant
ERC-2018-SyG
250 M€
(30 grants)
14 November 2017
For Work Programme see erc.europa.eu
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24. International collaboration
ERC promotes international participation to its grants through special agreements with sister institutions.
One such "implementing agreement" was signed with NSFC in
Calls are launched in October.
develop-your-team
ment_ERC_NSFC_en.pdf
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25. Some useful tools and links
Read the Work Programme and Information for Applicants
Contact your National Contact Point if you have questions
View the step-by-step video Introduction to application process, including tips & tricks for the interview
Consult ERC website for latest funding opportunities, view ERC funded projects
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26. The European Research Council
More information: erc.europa.eu
or watch:
Sign up for news alerts: erc.europa.eu/keep-updated-erc
Follow us on:
twitter.com/ERC_Research 26

27. Thank you!

28. Scientific Governance by the Scientific Council
President
Vice-President
Vice-President
Vice-President
ERC
Jean-Pierre
BOURGUIGNON
Klaus
BOCK
Mart
SAARMA
Núria
SEBASTIAN GALLES
Scientific Governance by the Scientific Council
Margaret
BUCKINGHAM
Christopher
CLARK
Athene
DONALD
Barbara
ENSOLI
Tomas
JUNGWIRTH
Matthias
KLEINER
Eva
KONDOROSI
Michael
KRAMER
Kurt
MEHLHORN
Barbara
ROMANOWICZ
Nils Christian
STENSETH
Martin
STOKHOF
Nektarios
TAVERNARAKIS
Janet
THORNTON
Isabelle
VERNOS
Reinhilde
VEUGELERS
Michel
WIEVIORKA
Fabio
ZWIRNER

29. How to prepare and submit an ERC research proposal?
Have a bright, original and exciting idea
Design a research project to implement the idea
Get a letter of support from a Host Institution where the project is to be carried out (the HI must be located in the EU or any of the H2020 associated countries)
Write your research proposal
Fully electronic/web based submission system
Submit your research proposal before the deadline 29

30. How to prepare and submit an ERC research proposal?
Proposal structure
PART A – online forms
A1 Proposal and PI info
A2 Host Institution info
A3 Budget
PART B1 – submitted as .pdf
Extended Synopsis 5 p.
CV p.
Early Achievements (StG
and CoG) or 10-year Track
Record (AdG) p.
Annexes – submitted as .pdf
HI support letter
copy of PhD (StG, CoG);
document for extension of
eligibility window (StG, CoG)
PART B2 – submitted as .pdf
Scientific Proposal p.
Proposal has 2 parts:
Part A are administrative forms; need to include a letter of support from your Host Institution and a copy of your PhD. Certificate
Part B: Are the scientific parts: B1 is the only thing evaluated in Step 1! Needs to be understandable by generalists in your field!
Part B2: is a 15 page more detailed explanation of the methodology, work planed, budget aspects, etc. In Step 2 both Part B1 and Part B2 are looked at, so no need to reproduce what you wrote in part B1 in Part B2
Read the Information to Applicants ... … and follow the indications in the WP

31. Preparing your proposal: Questions to ask yourself as an applicant
11/13/2018
Preparing your proposal: Questions to ask yourself as an applicant
Does it promise to go substantially beyond the state of the art?
Is it timely? (Why wasn't it done in the past? Is it feasible now?)
What's the risk? Is it justified by a substantial potential gain? Do I have a plan for managing the risk?
Why is my proposed project important?
Why am I the best person to carry it out? (avoid exaggerating!)
Am I internationally competitive as a researcher at my career stage and in my discipline?
Am I able to work independently, and to manage a 5-year project with a substantial budget?

32. Preparing your proposal: Hints and tips (Generalities)
11/13/2018
Preparing your proposal: Hints and tips (Generalities)
Check the "novelty/excellence" of your idea (see previous ERC grants on the topic)
Register early, get familiar with the system and templates and start filling in the forms
Use the help tools and call documents (Information for Applicants, Work Programme, Frequently asked questions) to prepare your proposal
Talk to your Institution's grant office and other ERC grantees
Download and proof-read the proposal before submitting
A submitted proposal can be revised until the call deadline by submitting a new version and overwriting the previous one 32

33. Preparing your proposal:
Tips - Differences between Parts B1 and B2
In Step 1: Panel members see only Part B1 of the proposal (prepare it accordingly!)
Pay particular attention to the ground-breaking nature of the research project – no incremental research. State-of-the-art is not enough. Think big!
Know your competitors – what is the state of play and why is your idea and scientific approach outstanding?
Part B1: concise and clear presentation is crucial (not all evaluators are experts in your field)
Outline of the methodological approach is recommended (feasibility assessment)
Show your scientific independence in your CV (model CV provided in the part B1 template)
Select the "right" Panel – very IMPORTANT!, ID explanation for 2ry panel

34. Preparing your proposal:
Tips - Differences between Parts B1 and B2
In Step 2: Both Part B1 and B2 are read by Panel Members & Remote Referees
Do not just repeat the synopsis, go into details
Provide sufficient details on methodology, work plan, selection of case studies etc. (15 pages)
Explain hypothesis or provide preliminary data (if exists)
Make sure you give full references (excluded from page limits)
Provide alternative strategies to mitigate risks
Check coherency of figures
Justify requested resources
Explain involvement of team members (ERC proposals are NOT collaborative ones)
show the need of collaborators (if any)

35. Preparing your proposal:
11/13/2018
Preparing your proposal:
Tips - Part B2: Proposal budget considerations
Budget analysis carried out in Step 2 evaluation (meeting)
Panels have responsibility to ensure that resources requested are reasonable and well justified
Panels do not “micro-manage” project finances
Budget cuts need to be justified on a proposal by proposal basis (no across- the-board cuts)
But not explained costs are often cut!
Panels to recommend a final maximum budget based on the resources allocated/ removed
Ask for funding for Open Access – this is obligatory in Horizon2020!

36. Preparing your interview: Some tips and suggestions
If invite to Step 2 interview (StG and CoG):
Get Panel Members interested in you and what you are doing
Practice thoroughly, many times; typically a 10 minute presentation followed by minutes of questions
Panels want to see that these are your ideas, not those of your supervisor
It is normal to be nervous …

37. After 10 Years, a Success Story

38. Main features for 2017 Strict resubmission restrictions
If scored a B in Step 1, can re-apply in the second year (2019 call)
If scored a B in Step 2 can re-apply in the next year (2018 call)
If scored a C, can re-apply in the third year (2020 call)
Recommended model CV
Obligation for Open Access
25 % HI overhead
Funding ID in part B1: obligatory tables to be filled in
Secondary panel: dedicated box for justification in part B1
References do not count towards the page limits 38

39. Main features for 2017 - continued
Time and place commitment of the PI are eligibility criteria (ex. 30% time on the project and 50% spent in Europe for AdG 2017)
Restrictions on proposals rejected on research integrity grounds – PIs excluded for two years to re-apply
Part B2: new table added: PI is requested to justify additional funding above the normal 2.5M€
Request for additional funding above
EUR for
Justification
Keep only that category(ies) that apply to the project.
(a) covering eligible 'start-up' costs for a PI moving from another country to the EU or an Associated Country as a consequence of receiving an ERC grant and/or,
(b) the purchase of major equipment and/or,
(c) access to large facilities. 39

40. ERC Funded Projects by Country of HI

41. Success Rate by Country of HI
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42. Grantees at Home and Abroad

43. STG 2016 Results

44. STG 2016 Results

45. COG 2016 Results

46. COG 2016 Results