The ERC has published the 2027 Work Programme, including the call schedule and key changes compared with the previous period
Main Changes Compared with the Previous Period:
1. Significant extension of the eligibility window for the Starting Grant
For the 2027 call, applicants must have successfully defended their PhD no more than 10 years before 1 January 2027. Compared with the previous system, the period during which researchers are eligible to apply for a Starting Grant has therefore been significantly extended.
2. Extension of the eligibility window for the Consolidator Grant
Similar changes apply to the ERC Consolidator Grant. For the 2027 call, applicants will be eligible if they defended their PhD between 5 and 15 years before 1 January 2027.
3. Starting Grants and Consolidator Grants may only be awarded once during a researcher’s career
The new rules explicitly state that a researcher may serve as Principal Investigator of only one ERC Starting Grant and one ERC Consolidator Grant during their career. Therefore, a researcher who has already received a particular type of grant cannot apply for the same type of grant again.
4. Restrictions on the number of applications and changes to resubmission rules
Under the ERC Work Programme 2027, an applicant may normally submit only one proposal. An additional proposal may be submitted if the first application has been declared ineligible. At the same time, an applicant may have only one proposal under evaluation at any given time; ERC Proof of Concept applications are an exception.
For the 2027 Starting, Consolidator and Advanced Grants, the existing approach essentially remains in place:
o an applicant who received a C score at Step 1 in the 2025 or 2026 call is not eligible to apply to the corresponding 2027 call;
o an applicant who received a B score at Step 1 in the 2026 call is also not eligible to apply to the corresponding 2027 call;
o stricter rules apply particularly to the 2027 Synergy Grant.
5. Changes to the evaluation of ERC Proof of Concept proposals
From the 2027 Work Programme onwards, ERC Proof of Concept proposals will be evaluated using a five-point numerical scale. This represents a change compared with the previous evaluation system. The funding amount itself remains unchanged at EUR 150,000, provided as a lump sum for a project duration of 18 months.
Timeline of the Main ERC Calls 2027:
ERC Starting Grant 2027 (ERC-2027-StG)
- call opening: 22 July 2026
- deadline: 14 October 2026
- call budget: EUR 594 million
- estimated number of grants: 373
- maximum grant: EUR 1.5 million / 5 years (+ possible additional funding)
ERC Consolidator Grant 2027 (ERC-2027-CoG)
- call opening: 24 September 2026
- deadline: 12 January 2027
- call budget: EUR 618 million
- estimated number of grants: 296
- maximum grant: EUR 2 million / 5 years (+ possible additional funding)
ERC Synergy Grant 2027 (ERC-2027-SyG)
- call opening: 17 February 2027
- deadline: 11 May 2027
- call budget: EUR 500 million
- estimated number of grants: 48
- maximum grant: EUR 10 million / 6 years, with the possibility of up to EUR 4 million in additional funding
- the proposal is submitted by a group of 2–4 Principal Investigators.
ERC Advanced Grant 2027 (ERC-2027-AdG)
- call opening: 27 May 2027
- deadline: 26 August 2027
- call budget: EUR 798 million
- estimated number of grants: 311
- maximum grant: EUR 2.5 million / 5 years (+ possible additional funding)
ERC Plus Grant 2027 (ERC-2027-PLUS)
- call opening: 1 June 2027
- deadline: 1 September 2027
- call budget: EUR 210 million
- estimated number of grants: 30
- maximum grant: EUR 7 million / 7 years.
ERC Proof of Concept 2027
- call opening: 12 November 2026
- 1st cut-off: 10 March 2027
- 2nd cut-off: 16 September 2027
- total budget: EUR 60 million
- estimated number of grants: 400
- funding: EUR 150,000 / project
- project duration: 18 months.
