Dear Researchers,

The European Research Council (ERC) Scientific Council has recently announced several important updates, which are outlined below.

1. Extension of the PhD Eligibility Window

The Scientific Council has decided to extend the PhD eligibility window for the Starting Grant (StG) and Consolidator Grant (CoG) calls under the 2027 Work Programme:

• StG call: Researchers may apply within 0–10 years after their PhD defense.
• CoG call: Researchers may apply within 5–15 years after their PhD defense.

There will be a 5-year overlap between the StG and CoG calls. Researchers falling within this overlapping period will need to select the most appropriate call based on their profile. The method for calculating eligibility has not yet been officially announced.

2. Maximum Number of Grants per Researcher

Starting from the 2027 calls, the following limits will apply for individual researchers throughout their careers:

• A maximum of 1 StG and 1 CoG grant may be awarded.
• No such limits will apply to Advanced Grant (AdG) and Synergy Grant (SyG) calls.

3. New Funding Instrument: Choose Europe for Science

The Scientific Council is developing a new large-scale funding instrument under the "Choose Europe for Science" initiative, which will run for seven years with a significant budget. The details of the programme are expected to be announced by the end of 2025 (with an update to the 2026 Work Programme). How this new programme will relate to existing ERC funding schemes and how possible overlaps will be managed remain to be clarified.

4. Changes in Application Format and Evaluation Process (for the 2026 Work Programme)

The 2026 calls, expected to be officially published on 9 July 2025, will introduce changes to the application format and page limits:

• Scientific Proposal - Part I (formerly B1 Extended Synopsis):
• To include the state of knowledge, project contribution, scientific questions, objectives, and overall research strategy.
• Maximum length: 5 pages.
• Scientific Proposal - Part II (formerly B2):
• To cover research methodology, work plan, risk management, budget and resource justification, background information, and for SyG, collaboration arrangements.
• Maximum length: 7 pages for StG, CoG, and AdG; 10 pages for SyG.

 Evaluation Process:

Although ambitious projects are expected, feasibility will not be directly assessed at the first stage. Instead, a convincing research strategy must be presented in Part I. All aspects of feasibility will be assessed under Part II.

You can access the official announcement of the Scientific Council at the following link:
Changes to the 2026 and 2027 Work Programmes|ERC