Horizon Europe | ERC Starting Grant Call 2025
The ERC Starting Grants are designed to support excellent Principal Investigators at the career stage at which they are starting their own independent research team or programme. Principal Investigators must demonstrate the ground-breaking nature, ambition, and feasibility of their research proposal.
Starting Grants may be awarded up to a maximum of EUR 1 500 000 for a period of 5 years. The maximum size of the grants is reduced pro rata temporis for projects of a shorter duration. (This does not apply to ongoing projects).
Additional funding up to EUR 1 000 000 can be requested in the proposal to cover the following eligible costs when these are necessary to carry out the proposed work: (a) "start-up" costs for Principal Investigators moving to the EU or an Associated Country from elsewhere as a consequence of receiving the ERC grant, and/or (b) the purchase of major equipment, and/or (c) access to large facilities, and/or (d) other major experimental and field work costs, excluding personnel costs.
Additional funding is not subject to pro rata temporis reduction for projects of shorter duration.
All funding requested is assessed during evaluation.
The Principal Investigators shall have successfully defended their first PhD at least 2 and up to 7 years prior to 1 January 2025. Cut-off dates: Successful defence of PhD between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2022 (inclusive).
The eligibility period can be extended beyond 7 years in certain properly documented circumstances. See section Admissibility and eligibility criteria of the ERC Work Programme 2025.
Further information: Funding Portal of the European Commission