The European Research Council (ERC) funds ground-breaking research driven by scientific excellence. Its highly competitive grants support individual researchers and their teams to pursue ambitious, curiosity-driven ideas with the potential to transform their fields. Open to all disciplines, the ERC empowers outstanding talent to push the frontiers of knowledge in Europe.
Open Calls
| Topic | Budget (EUR million) |
Budget/ project |
Number of projects expected to be funded | Deadline |
| Advanced Grant Call | 747 | 2.5 | 294 | 27 August 2026 |
| ERC Plus Grant Call | 210 | 7 | 30 | 2 September 2026 |
The ERC Plus Grant 2026 call supports ambitious, high-impact research projects that go beyond the scope of standard ERC funding, aiming to enable transformative scientific breakthroughs across all disciplines. Applications are open to researchers hosted in the EU or associated countries, with funding for long-term projects of up to seven years. It is highly competitive with a limited number of awards so start preparing early to align proposals with the call’s vision for frontier and disruptive research.
In parallel, the ERC Scientific Council has updated reapplication rules to ensure fairness and balance in the evaluation process amid increasing demand.
Full details on topics, deadlines, and submission procedures can be found here:
ERC Scientific Council readjusts rules for reapplication|ERC
Introducing ERC Plus Grants: Pioneering Research Beyond Boundaries | ERC | Horizon Europe NCP Portal
