ERC announces some changes in eligibility rules for upcoming calls

The European Research Council has announced that is planning to launch the grant competitions under its 2027 Work Programme between July 2026 and June 2027, with the calls for proposals introducing several changes to the eligibility rules for applications. With these measures, the Scientific Council responds to the evolving career patterns among researchers and to the rapidly increasing number of applications, which is placing growing pressure on peer reviewers and the ERC Executive Agency. 

The planned changes for the 2027 Work Programme follow several adjustments introduced in the previous work programme, such as the structure and expected content of grant proposals and the working methods of the evaluation panels.

The upcoming calls for Starting Grants and Consolidator Grants will have new elegibility windows. To be eligible for an ERC Starting Grant in the 2027 call for proposals, the applicant must have defended their PhD no more than 10 years before 1 January 2027. For a Consolidator Grant in the 2027 call, the thesis defence must have been between 5 and 15 years before 1 January 2027. The eligibility period may be extended in duly documented cases, such as parental leave or clinical training. A researcher may hold only one ERC Starting Grant or Consolidator Grant during their scientific career.

The reason for the changes is that academic career paths vary significantly across countries and disciplines in Europe. Opportunities for independence arise at different stages and are defined by different criteria. A career in mathematics or law, for example, differs markedly from one in the life sciences or engineering. 

Furthermore, the ERC is introducing new application restrictions. In common with many funding programmes, the ERC is receiving an increasing number of applications to its calls for proposals. The ERC Scientific Council therefore underlines that applicants should ensure that their research idea is sufficiently mature before submitting a proposal to an ERC call.  

In addition: 

• Applicants may have only one proposal under evaluation at any given time (except for the Proof of Concept Grant calls).
• Applicants will be allowed to submit only one proposal under the ERC Work Programme 2027. They may submit another proposal if the first submission has been declared ineligible.
• Applicants may not hold a Starting or Consolidator Grant more than once, so anyone who has held either a Starting or Consolidator Grant in the past may not apply to the same grant scheme a second time.
• Applicants who have submitted eligible proposals for the Advanced and Plus Grant 2026 may not apply to Synergy Grant 2027.

For Synergy Grants, all principal investigators (PIs) must remain eligible throughout the evaluation process; otherwise, the proposal will be declared ineligible. If one PI in a Synergy Grant group is declared ineligible, the entire proposal will be deemed ineligible. Previously, the group could continue in the evaluation without that PI and their contribution.

Finally, there will also be new resubmission restrictions in the ERC's upcoming calls, in order to reduce pressure on the evaluation system:

• Applicants who have received a C score at Step 1 in the 2024, 2025, or 2026 Synergy Grant calls or a B score at Step 1 in the 2025 or 2026 Synergy Grant calls cannot apply to Synergy Grant 2027.
• Applicants who have not passed Step 1 of the 2026 ERC Plus Grant competition cannot apply to ERC Plus Grant 2027.
• Applicants who have received a C score at Step 1 in the other three main grant calls of 2024, 2025, or 2026, or a B score at Step 1 of those calls in 2025 or 2026 cannot apply to any 2027 ERC main grant calls, including Synergy and ERC Plus. Advanced Grant 2026 applicants cannot apply to Synergy Grant 2027 irrespective of their result.

The ERC points out that this information is without prejudice and subject to the formal adoption of the 2027 ERC Work Programme. It is meant to allow the scientific community, including prospective applicants, to be prepared for the changes ahead of the publication of the individual calls.

For more information:

ERC - news