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ERC Plus Grants: A New Opportunity for Ambitious Research at the University of Basel

The European Research Council (ERC) has announced an extraordinary new funding scheme: ERC Plus grants. These grants, worth up to EUR 7 Million each, are designed to support high-impact, long-term research projects across all disciplines.

Here’s what you need to know:

Key Features

Funding and Duration: Grants are provided as lump sums for projects lasting 4-7 years, significantly larger than existing ERC grants (EUR 1.5-2.5 Mio).

Eligibility: Open to researchers of any nationality or career stage, but projects must be based in an EU member state or associated country (e.g., Switzerland, UK). Applicants must spend at least 30% of their time on the grant and 50% of their time in the EU/associated country. 

Competitiveness: Only 30 grants per year will be awarded in 2026 and 2027, making the scheme highly competitive. Researchers can only apply to one ERC grant per call year.

  

Why ERC Plus? 

The scheme aims to: 

  • Attract and retain top global talent in Europe. 
  • Support major scientific challenges that require resources beyond regular grants. 
  • Encourage innovative, high-risk research with potential for transformative impact. 

  

Application and Evaluation

Process: Two-stage evaluation, with an initial assessment by domain-specific panels and a final review by three interdisciplinary ERC Plus panels. 

Criteria: Focus on scientific excellence and a vision statement (up to 0.5-2 pages) explaining how the project surpasses the scope of regular grants. 

Timeline: 

  • Call opens by 2 June 2026, closes by 2 September 2026 (tbc) 
  • First evaluations in November 2026, final decisions by March/April 2027. 

  

Considerations for Applicants

Competition: ERC President Maria Leptin advises researchers to consider regular ERC grants if unsure, as success rates are higher. 

Leadership: Applicants must demonstrate exceptional leadership in their field, regardless of career stage. 

Future: The scheme's continuation beyond 2027 depends on the final FP10 structure and budget.

Interested? Start preparing your vision statement and mark your calendars for June 2026. For more details, watch the ERC webinar or contact the Grants Office. 

  

Let's make Basel a hub for groundbreaking research! 

  

This summary of an article in Science Business has been created by Le Chat. 

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