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European Research Council

ERC Plus Grants 2026

Pays outstanding researchers up to EUR 7 million for a major scientific challenge a regular ERC grant couldn't fund.

ERC Plus Grants 2026 is a European Research Council (ERC) grant that pays outstanding researchers up to EUR 7 million to tackle a major scientific challenge a regular ERC grant couldn't fund — for scholars at any career stage with an outstanding record of scientific achievement whose proposed project genuinely goes beyond a standard ERC-scale project. Excellence is the sole evaluation criterion: p…

This call is for scholars at any career stage with an outstanding record of scientific achievement who want to tackle a major scientific challenge that couldn't be addressed with a regular ERC grant — for example because it aims to transform their field or open a new one. Applicants must show their proposed project genuinely goes beyond a standard ERC-scale project, and their intellectual leadership is judged against peers at the same career stage.

CycleiHow often this grant runs - e.g. annually, on a rolling basis, or a one-off call.No fixed schedule
Next deadlineiThe next date applications are due. Rolling means you can apply any time.-
Decision timeiTypical time from the deadline to the funder's decision.-
Project durationiHow long the funded work is expected to run.48–84 months
Award typeiThe form of funding - grant, equity, loan, tax credit, etc.Grant
Match fundingiThe share of project costs you must cover yourself. 0% = fully funded.-
Funding pooliThe total budget available across all awards in this round.€210M

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