Hi,

Please find below  information on current topics related to ERC funding. If you need any further details, feel free to contact me.

Grant Schemes

Starting Grant: For promising early-career researchers with 2 to 7 years experience since PhD  (Note ! In 2027 call: immediately after successfully defending their PhD, and at any time within the following ten-year period)

Consolidator Grant: For excellent researchers with 7 to 12 years experience after PhD  (Note ! In 2027 call:  5-15 years after PhD)

Advanced Grant: For established research leaders with a recognised track record of research achievements. For leading principal investigators who want long-term funding to pursue a ground-breaking, ambitious project.

Synergy Grant: For two to four Principal Investigators to jointly address ambitious research problems that could not be addressed by the individual PIs and their teams working alone.

Schedule of the 2026 calls

NOTE !  ERC Advanced Grant call 2025 closes on 28 August 2025.

Changes to the 2026 and 2027 Work Programmes

(https://erc.europa.eu/news-events/news/changes-2026-and-2027-work-programmes )

ERC Work Programme 2026

The new ERC 2026 work programme is expected to be published on the 9.7. when the ERC Starting Grant call opens. As it’s during our summer holiday period, please find it online on the ERC website: https://erc.europa.eu/homepage

The overall structure of the application form for the ERC calls will remain the same; however, applicants will be asked to structure their project proposal as follows: 

• Part I of the Scientific Proposal (formerly, the Extended Synopsis) should describe the overall idea of the proposed research project, including the current state of knowledge and how the research will contribute to the field, the scientific questions the project will attempt to answer, the objectives of the project, and the overall approach or research strategy to achieve those objectives. As in the past, the length of this section will be limited to five pages.
• Part II of the Scientific Proposal should describe the implementation in detail: the research methodology, work plan, risk assessment and mitigating measures, justification for the requested budget and resources, and any further necessary background not included in Part I. The length of this section, will now be limited to seven pages for Starting, Consolidator, and Advanced Grant applications and ten pages for Synergy Grant applications. This page limit does not apply to the justification of the requested budget and resources. For Synergy Grant applications, this section should also explain the collaborative arrangements enabling the Synergy Grant group to carry out the project.

New Funding Instrument: The ERC Scientific Council is currently working on a new instrument to offer ambitious researchers substantial funding for up to seven years, as part of the Choose Europe for Science initiative announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. More details about the modalities will follow in due course. The new funding instrument will be included in an amended version of the ERC Work Programme 2026 that is expected to be adopted by the end of 2025.

ERC Work Programme 2027

In recognition of the variety and diversity of present-day academic career trajectories, the Scientific Council has decided to widen the eligibility period for both its Starting and Consolidator Grant schemes. From 2027 on, researchers will be eligible to apply for a Starting Grant immediately after successfully defending their PhD, and at any time within the following ten-year period (DL of the call 2027 in August 2026) . Consolidator Grant applicants will be eligible to apply between five and fifteen years after defending their PhD ( DL of the call  2027 in February 2027). All current policies for the extension of the eligibility periods will remain in force. However, researchers will be awarded no more than one Starting Grant and one Consolidator Grant during their career.

ERC Proposal Reading Days (PRDs): 20 August in Tampere, 28 August and 10 September in Helsinki (two 3-hour sessions on each day)

• These are on-site events aimed for researchers interested in applying for an ERC grant, and the research services staff members are welcome to participate, too. This is an opportunity to read successful ERC grant proposals to see how a proposal might be structured.
• Practicalities:
• The proposals are available as paper copies. One can preselect up to two proposals in the registration form. Subject to availability, it is possible to read copies of other applications. There will be some recently received new applications available!
• Attendance only by registration which is binding! If one signs up, but cannot attend after all, one is requested to cancel the registration before the registration deadline. After the deadline, one is requested to inform Coordinator Henriikka Katila (henriikka.katila@aka.fi) about the cancellation. 
• The participants must sign the Declaration of Secrecy (attached) when they arrive. – It is desirable to sign the document in advance and to bring a copy to the event.
• Applications cannot be taken out of the reading room. Photocopying or taking photos of the applications is not allowed.
• PRD is a quiet individual reading session. It does not include tutorials about the ERC. To participate one should be familiar with the ERC grant schemes, as well as the conditions for participation.

• Registration is now open (max ~40 persons per session); one should register only to one of these sessions:

• University of Helsinki, Main building, Studium 1 (F3020)
• Thursday 28 August at 9-12: https://www.lyyti.in/ERC_288_at_9_12_Univ_Helsinki
• Thursday 28 August at 13-16: https://www.lyyti.in/ERC_Proposal_Reading_Day_288_at_13001600University_of_Helsinki_2319
• Wednesday 10 September at 9-12: https://www.lyyti.in/ERC_Proposal_Reading_Day_109_at_9001200_University_of_Helsinki_3321
• Wednesday 10 September at 13-16: https://www.lyyti.fi/reg/ERC_Proposal_Reading_Day_109_at_13001600University_of_Helsinki_9823
• Tampere University, The city centre campus, Main building, Room A32
• Wednesday 20 August at 10-13: https://www.lyyti.in/ERC_Proposal_Reading_Day_208_at_10001300__Tampere_University_5203
• Wednesday 20 August at 14-17: https://www.lyyti.in/ERC_Proposal_Reading_Day_208_at_14001700__Tampere_University_1715

ERC Info Webinar, on Tuesday 2 September 2025 at 13:00-15:30

The webinar will be held on the MS Teams platform in English. Register here at latest September 1st 2025.

Programme
13:00 – 13:05       Opening words by ERC NCPs, Research Council of Finland
13:05 – 14:05       ERC funding schemes, WP 2026, etc. Janne Salo, ERCEA
14:05 – 14:20       Q & A
14:20 – 14:30       Break
14:30 – 15:00       ERC grantee’s view – Professor Emilia Kilpua, University of Helsinki
15:00 – 15:30       ERC grantee’s view – Associate Professor Samuli Junttila, UEF

Best regards

Päivi

Päivi Tomperi

Research Funding Specialist (Faculty of Science, SGO, KSI, Kajaani)

University of Oulu

Research and Project Services

Pentti Kaiteran katu 1

PL 8000

90014 University of Oulu

Finland

tel. +358 294 483972

mobile: +358 (0)40 7468503

e-mail: paivi.tomperi@oulu.fi

Room: M202