The European Research Council
ERC STARTING GRANT INFORMATION SESSION - Ireland
Claudia Jesus-Rydin
Research Programme Officer
Starting Grant Unit
Dublin, 09 September 2009
What is the ERC
The first European funding body set up to support
investigator-driven frontier research.
Supporting and encouraging the very best, truly creative
scientists, scholars and engineers to be adventurous
and take risks in their research.
Encouraged to go beyond established frontiers of
knowledge and the boundaries of disciplines.
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ERC, “Ideas” and FP7
Main issues
 An “integrated structure” with a specific vocation
 Independent scientific governance
Scientific Council with 22 members
 Dedicated Implementation Structure
Executive Agency with 389 employees by 2013
 Part of the “family” of FP7 and complementary to other
FP7 supports to research
 Bottom-up vs targeted research
 Individual teams vs consortia
 FP7 “Ideas” programme provides funding
 Budget (2007-2013) : € 7.51 bn (around 15% of FP7 budget)
 Average budget: € ~1 bn per year
ERC Grant schemes
Strategic principles
 All fields of science and scholarship are eligible
 Investigator-driven, bottom-up
 Excellence is the only valid criterion
 Individual team + research project
 Investment in research talent
 Attractive, flexible grants, up to five years?
 Under control of the lead researcher (Principal Investigator)
 Independent individual teams in Europe
 Nationality and Age of researchers is not relevant
 Host organisation to be located in EU or AS
ERC Grant schemes
3R and 2 schemes
Aim: Retain – Repatriate – Recruit
 Favour “brain gain” and “reverse brain drain”
 improve career opportunities and independence - especially for
young researchers
 increase competition, recognition and international visibility for excellent individual scientists and scholars in Europe
 Raise aspiration and achievement of basic research in Europe comparability/benchmark for researchers and research systems
Activities: Two complementary funding schemes
 ERC Starting Grant (StG): attract & retain the next generation of
independent research leaders - up to € 2.0 Mio for 5 years
 ERC Advanced Grant (AdG): attract & reward established
independent research leaders - up to € 3.5 Mio for 5 years
ERC Grant schemes
Who can apply? – General requirements
1. Principal Investigator
Nationality, age or current place
of work not relevant
2. Host organisation
To be located in MS or AS
2. Frontier Research Project
All fields of science, engineering
and scholarship are eligible
(investigator-driven, bottom-up)
4. Individual research team
PI has freedom to choose
National or trans-national character,
if scientific added value proven
European Research Council
Who can apply to ERC grants?

Individual Research Teams

headed by a single “Principal Investigator” (team leader)

if necessary, including additional team members

The “Principal Investigator” has the freedom to choose the
research topic and the power to assemble their research
team according to the needs of the project

Teams can be of national or trans-national character
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European Research Council
Requirements
Principal Investigator (PI)
any nationality
one ERC Grant managed by a PI at any time
re-submission rules may apply
Hosting institution
located in an EU Member State or Associated Country
intra-European grant portability
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European Research Council
Profile of StG
Any nationality or age
Any current place of work
but: working or moving to work in Europe
2-10 years of experience after PhD
Potential for independence and evidence of maturity
one publication without PhD supervisor
Track-record of early research achievements
appropriate to their research field and career stage
 Starters vs Consolidators
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European Research Council
Host institution
Applicant legal entity: institution that engages and hosts the PI
for the duration of the project
Any type of legal entity: universities, research centres, business
research units … as long as it is in EU or AC
Commitment of HI: to ensure that the PI may
- apply for funding independently
- manage research and funding for the project
- publish independently as senior author
- have access to reasonable space and facilities
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European Research Council
European Research Council
Profile of StG applicant
at least one publication without participation of
PhD supervisor
promising track-record of early achievements
- significant publications
- invited presentations in conferences
- funding, patents, awards, prizes
specific stage of research career at time of application
- starters
- consolidators
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European Research Council
StG applicant: PhD requirement
First PhD awarded 2-10 years before call publication date (30 July 2009)
- starters (PhD award: 2-6 years)
- consolidators (PhD award: 7-10 years)
- responsability of applicant to justify change in stage (exceptionally)
- final decision by the panel
extension may be requested:
- up to 14.5 years
- maternity (up 18 months/child) / paternity leave (up 12 months/child),
long-term illness, military service, statutory reasons (clinical
qualification)
- applies to starter / consolidator stage also
- must be supported by official documents
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European Research Council
Size of a StG
Possible requested amount :
 max € 1,500,000 for 5 years
+ € 500,000 if new research activity in EU by moving from TC
Eligible costs:
Support the project (personnel, equipment, consumables, travel, publi., admin.)
Non-eligible (taxes, provisions, debts, related to another project)
No double-funding
Assessment:
Requested budget reviewed by panel > total amount granted
Freedom of budget breakdown
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European Research Council
Eligibility & Re-submissions
Ineligibility
- submission after the deadline
- incomplete proposals including annexes
- no commitment letter from HI
- research activity or HI outside EU or AC
- PhD award date
- missing supporting official documents
Re-application
- only one active ERC grant at any time
- only one application per PI within a calendar year
- if 2009 ► 2010: only if > threshold step 2
- if 2010 ► 2011: only if > threshold step 1
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European Research Council
ERC Grant schemes
Proposal content and submission (preliminary)
ERC Grant proposal
PART B1 – submitted as .pdf
PART A – online forms
A1
A2
A3
Proposal and PI info
Host institution info
Budget
Annexes – submitted as .pdf
- Statement of support by host
- If applicable: explanatory
information on ethical issues
- StG only: PhD certificate (incl.
documents proving eligibility career breaks)
Section 1 Track Record of PI
Scientific Leadership Potential
CV (including “funding ID”)
Early achievements track record
Extended synopsis
2 p.
2 p.
2 p.
5 p.
PART B2 – submitted as .pdf
Section 2 Scientific proposal
15 p.
Section 3 Research Environment 2 p.
European Research Council
ERC Grant schemes
Proposal evaluation
Submission
Step 1
Step 2
Consolidation
(only reserve list)
Proposal - B
Proposal – B1
Section 1
Section 1
Section 2
Section 2
Section 3
Section 3
Proposal – B1+B2
Proposal – B1+B2
Section 1
Section 1
Section 2
Section 2
Section 3
Section 3
ESR & IARs
+ Annexes
Eligibility Check
Evaluation
- Indiv. Assessments
- PANEL MEETINGS
- Ranking
Evaluation
- Indiv. assessments
Evaluation
- Interdisciplinary flag
-PANEL MEETINGS
- Interviews (StG only)
-Ranking
- PANEL MEETINGS
- Ranking
European Research Council
StG PI’s dedication & availability
The principal investigator will need to devote, in the case of a Starting
Grant at least 50% of her/his working time to the ERC-funded project.
Recommendation:
Honest Funding ID, clear motivations
and
Let panel make the decision
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European Research Council
Submission deadlines for 2010 calls
Date of publication StG 2010: July 30, 2009
Call closure deadline for submission :
Physical sciences & engineering ….. October 28, 2009
Life Sciences
….. November 18, 2009
Social sciences & humanities
….. December 9, 2009
Call budget :
530 M
Date of publication AdG 2010: October 29, 2009
Call budget : 590 M
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European Research Council
StG 2009
Submitted proposals
by country of
host institution
(2503)
86
49
30
2
29
2
47
4
347
134
95 256
34
28
228
52
19 6
61
434
42
4
26
26
1
227
90
1
7
43
9
80
Source: StG-09: 2503, 17.12.2008
European Research Council
ERC Starting Grant 2009
Submissions from researchers with a residence outside of ERA
1
ERA
3
1
5
1
1
1
1
1
4
ERC Starting Grant 2009
Submissions from nationals of third countries
European Research Council
Russia
Canada
3
30
1
Belarus
Ukraine
2
Moldova
8
2
China
Korea
14
3
Lebano 1
31
2
1
Armenia
USA
Mexico
Kazakhistan
Algeria
1
Egypt
1
Cuba
1
Iran 1
Japan
Taiwan
Bangladesh
6
2
1
India
14
Viet Nam
1
Sri Lanka
Singapore Malaysia
2
Peru
Brasil
1
7
1
2
Chile
Australia
1
Uruguay
1
South Africa
2
7
New Zealand
2
Argentinia
2
Source: StG-09: 2503 submitted proposals
European Research Council
StG IRISH participation evaluation
Panel members
LS
1
PE
1
SH
0
Total:
2
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European Research Council
StG 2009 IRISH results
PROPOSAL_ Host Inst.
Ireland
Main List
LS
PE
1
SH
1
Sub-total
1
Ineligible
Satisfactory Step 1
Unsatisfactory Step 1
Grand Total
1
1
Grand
Total
1
3
4
4
15
15
7
7
26
29
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European Research Council
StG 2009 – General Results
Submitted proposals
Main list final
Life Sciences
927 (37%)
69 (31.5%)
Physical Sciences &
Engineering
1112 (44.4%)
93 (42.5%)
Social Sciences &
Humanities
464 (18.6%)
41 (18.7%)
16 (7.3%)
Interdisciplinary
Domain
∑ =2503
∑ = 219
8,7% of submitted
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European Research Council
StG 2009 – Ireland Results
Submitted proposals
Nationality
Irish
F
4
Main list proposals
M
15
Total
19
Submitted proposals
Nationality
F
Irish
M
0
Total
2
2
Success%
10.5
M
Total
Main list proposals
Host Inst.
F
M
Ireland
10
19
Total
29
Host Inst.
Ireland
F
0
3
3
Success%
10.3
Ireland success rate > General success rate
10.3%
8.7%
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European Research Council
Thank you !
[email protected]
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