ERC Plus Grants

Opens: 2 June 2026

Notify Faculty of intention to apply by: 10 June 2026

Deadline: 2 September 2026

The ERC Plus Grants scheme is a new European Commission scheme that supports outstanding principal investigators who address major scientific challenges. Applications for ERC Plus Grants should be for projects that could not be carried out with a regular ERC grant, and applicants should explain how the proposed project goes beyond the scope of a regular ERC project.

Applicants should be aware that every year, only some 30 ERC Plus Grants can be awarded across all fields and all career stages, compared to approximately 1 000 Starting, Consolidator and Advanced Grants. This level of competitiveness should be taken into account when considering whether to submit an application.

Scope

ERC grant schemes are open to researchers of any age and nationality, residing anywhere in the world at the time of application, and wishing to carry out their research in Host Institutions based in the EU or associated country. Scholars at all career stages can apply for an ERC Plus Grant if they have an outstanding record of scientific achievement at the forefront of their field. 

Applications can be made in any field of research. ERC grants support projects carried out by an individual researcher who can employ researchers of any nationality as team members. It is also possible to have one or more team members located in a non-European country. The Principal Investigator of an ERC Plus Grant must commit to dedicate at least 30% of their working time to the project and spend minimum 50% of their working time in the EU or an associated country.

Duration and Value

ERC Plus Grants are awarded for a minimum of four years (48 months) and up to seven years (84 months) with no reduction for projects that are shorter than seven years. The maximum grant size is €7 million with no possibility to request additional funding.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted through the European Commission's Funding and Tenders Portal. The funder deadline will be 2nd September 2026.

Please note that for European Commission applications, Research Services requests submission 10 working days in advance of the funder deadline. For this years ERC Plus call, this will be 18th August 2026.

The Faculty's deadline for submission of notifications of intention to apply will be 10th June 2026.