ENCOURAGEMENT OF APPLICATIONS TO PUBLIC CALLS OF THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH COUNCIL ERC – NATIONAL SUPPORT INSTRUMENTS

The European Research Council ERC aims to support scientific excellence in the European Union and its associated member states, as well as to attract top scientists from all over the world. ERC in principle publishes five calls each year. The first one is the call for Starting Grant and is intended for researchers who obtained their PhD two to seven years ago. The second one is the call for Consolidator Grant and is intended for those researchers who are still consolidating their independent research career and who obtained their PhD seven to twelve years ago. The third call is intended to support excellent, already established researchers with recognizable scientific achievements in the last ten years, Advanced Grant. The fourth call for applications for ERC Grant is Synergy Grant which is intended for projects in which several principal investigators (from two to four) participate in a coordinated manner, addressing very multidisciplinary challenges. In addition to these main categories, the ERC also provides financial support for the assessment of innovative potential, Proof of Concept for those ERC Grants who wish to further develop their research results. The ERC follows only the criteria of scientific excellence when selecting projects.

To help researchers applying with a Slovenian research organisation as host institution to be successful in the ERC calls, the Agency offers applicants four supporting instruments: ERC Focus, ERC Perspective, ERC Potential and ERC New Horizons.

ERC Focus

In the ERC Focus call, the Agency (co)finances visits by former and current ERC principal investigators outside the Republic of Slovenia, who have already carried out or are currently carrying out ERC Grant (Starting Grant, Consolidator Grant, Advanced Grant) in any scientific discipline. Guest visits by researchers from Slovenia last a minimum of one and a maximum of six months. Guest visits for researchers are fixed-term (indivisible) visits lasting from one to six months.

The aim of the call is to work with a former or current ERC principal investigator, thereby developing the skills to prepare your own project and increasing the chances of a Slovenian researcher becoming an ERC Grantee. After the end of the hosting period, it is compulsory to apply for an ERC Grant, namely within the period of the first two ERC calls of the same type after the end of the hosting period. The deadline for applying for an ERC call is the second possible date of application for the same type of ERC call, for which the visiting researcher meets the conditions at the time of application. In the event that the visiting researcher, in relation to the year of the defense of the first doctorate, fulfils the eligibility conditions for the higher career level of the ERC calls between the first and the second possible date of application for the same ERC call and did not apply for the ERC call on the first possible date, the second possible date of application for the ERC call at a higher level is taken into account as the deadline for submitting the application to the ERC call, which is also determined according to the end of the hosting period.

ERC Perspective

The application for the ERC Perspective research project can be submitted by applicants for researchers who has submitted application for an ERC call (Starting Grant, Consolidator Grant or Advanced Grant) in the role of host research organization in Slovenia and have reached the threshold in the review process set out in the applicable ERC call, but have not been selected for ERC funding. The ERC Perspective research project must enable the realization of research that will lead to the main objectives of the research project with which the applicant applied for the ERC call.

The purpose of the call is to provide applicants conditions to improve their own scientific excellence and the original idea of the research project, with the aim that the ERC Perspective research project's principal investigator will resubmit the application to the ERC call with a greater chance of becoming an ERC Grantee.

The ERC Perspective research project's principal investigator must be the same as the principal investigator of the ERC Grant that was the subject of the ERC evaluation process. At the same time, the ERC Perspective research project's principal investigator must not be the holder of an ongoing ERC Perspective research project on the last day of the deadline for the submission of applications for calls for ERC Perspective research projects. The applicant may submit two applications for (co)financing of an ERC Perspective research project for an individual ERC Perspective research project's principal investigator, until they have been awarded an ERC Grant under the same ERC call (Starting Grant, Consolidator Grant and Advanced Grant), whereby the second application of the ERC Perspective research project must demonstrate that the ERC Perspective research project's principal investigator's performance in the ERC call (the threshold for possible co-funding) has been at least a B grade at the second level. The applicant can re-submit an application for (co)financing of an ERC Perspective research project twice for an individual ERC Perspective research project's principal investigator, until the ERC Grant has been awarded again under the same ERC call (Starting Grant, Consolidator Grant in Advanced Grant), whereby the second application of the ERC Perspective research project must demonstrate that the ERC Perspective research project's principal investigator's performance in the ERC call (the threshold for possible co-funding) has been at least a B grade at the second level.

ERC Potential

The application for the ERC Potential research project can be submitted by applicants for researchers who has applied for the ERC call (Starting Grant, Consolidator Grant, Advanced Grant and Synergy Grant) in the role of host research organization in Slovenia and were awarded with ERC Grant.

The purpose of the call for (co)financing of ERC Potential research projects is to provide initial support for preparation on the implementation of the awarded ERC Grant, in the interim period between the ERC's announcement of the (co)financing and the actual start of the ERC Grant’s.

An ERC Potential research project may last for a maximum up to six months before the start of the ERC Grant. The ERC Grant must be implemented at the host research organization in Slovenia.

ERC New Horizons

The application for the ERC New Horizons research project can be submitted by applicants and research organizations for researchers holding an ERC Starting Grant, Consolidator Grant, Advanced Grant or Synergy Grant. The applicant must have been in the role of host RO in Slovenia in the mentioned ongoing or completed ERC Grants.

The purpose of the call for ERC New Horizons research projects is to ensure the retention of the core of an already established research group for the implementation of the ERC Grant. At the same time the purpose is also preparation for the resubmission of the application for the ERC call or for the submission of the application for the calls of the framework program of the European Union for Research and Innovation as coordinator, and at the same time to encourage cooperation and transfer of knowledge between research organizations in Slovenia.

The applicant can apply for (co)financing of the ERC New Horizons research project for a single ERC principal investigator for the same ERC Grant only once, namely within a period of one year before the end of the ERC Grant, or no later than one year after the end of the ERC Grant. The specified limitation applies to each ERC principal investigator, regardless of the applicant with whom he/she submits the application.

After the completion of the ERC New Horizons research project, it is mandatory to apply for the ERC call, or to apply as coordinator to other calls of the framework program of the European Union for Research and Innovation. The application must be submitted within the period of the first two ERC calls of the same type after the completion of the research project, the deadline for submitting the application to the ERC call being the second possible date of application to the same type of ERC call, for which the principal investigator meets the conditions at the time of application. If the principal investigator of the ERC New Horizons research project fulfils the conditions for a higher career level of the ERC calls between the first and the second possible date of application for an ERC call of the same type, based on the year of defence of the first doctoral thesis, and has not applied for an ERC call at the first possible date, the second possible date of application for an ERC call at the higher career level, which is also determined according to the date of completion of the research project, is taken into account as the deadline for submitting an application for an ERC call. In the case of an application as a coordinator of the framework program of the European Union for Research and Innovation, the application must be submitted within two years of the completion of the research project. Otherwise, in accordance with the contract, the Agency will demand reimbursement of one third of the funds paid.

In addition to the host research organization, the ERC New Horizons research project must include at least one other participating research organization, which must be entered in the Register of Research Organizations and must participate in the research project in a proportion of at least 10% and no more than 50% of the approved FTE.

Target Audience

Applicants from Slovenian research organizations who were positively assessed by the ERC peer review process but not approved for co-financing are eligible to apply within the ERC Complementary Scheme (the specific threshold in the ERC peer review process should be met).

Calls, results and additional details

• Calls (in Slovene)
• Results (in Slovene)

Related Content

• Fellowship to visit ERC Grantee
• Speech by ERC President Jean-Pierre Bourguignon in Slovenia (June 2016)
• ERC Statistics

Facts & Figures: ERC Grantees

Facts & Figures 1: Approved ERC Perspective research projects

Facts & Figures 2: ERC Grantees from Slovenia: Starting Grant, Consolidator Grant, Advanced Grant

Facts & Figures 3: ERC Grantees from Slovenia - Synergy grant

Facts & Figures 4: ERC Grantees from Slovenia - Proof of Concept Grant

Facts & Figures 5: Approved for co-financing on the basis of Visiting Fellowship Programme

*ERC Grantees (co)financed previously by the Complementary Scheme
**the link to the website of the European Commission CORDIS has not yet been established