ERC Synergy Grant
This call is currently closed.
ERC Synergy Grants support small groups of outstanding researchers who come together to tackle ambitious research challenges that could not be addressed by individual teams working alone.
One Principal Investigator per Synergy Grant group at any one time can be hosted or engaged by an institution outside of the EU or associated countries.
Each proposal must demonstrate clear scientific synergy, where the combined expertise of the teams delivers ground breaking impact beyond the sum of its parts.
Who can apply
Applications are open to people from any nationality, and from any field of research.
There is no formal eligibility criteria regarding academic age or training. Instead, PIs must present a competitive track record, appropriate to their career stage.
Proposals must demonstrate:
- ground‑breaking nature, ambition, and feasibility
- the ability of the group to integrate complementary expertise
- an outstanding intrinsic synergetic effect
A researcher may participate as a Principal Investigator in only one ERC main frontier research grant at any given time.
How proposals are evaluated
Proposals are evaluated solely on the criterion of scientific excellence, with particular emphasis on the quality and necessity of the proposed synergy
PI time commitment
PIs are required to spend of 50% of their working time in an EU Member State (or Associated Country) and a minimum of 30% of their working time on their ERC project.
Funding available
Up to €10 million for 6 years (pro rata for shorter projects)
Additional funding available:
- Up to €4 million (total per proposal) for eligible costs, including:
- Start‑up costs for researchers relocating from third countries
- Major equipment
- Access to large facilities
- Major experimental or fieldwork costs
All additional funding requests must be clearly justified in the proposal.