ERC Advanced Grant

About the ERC Advanced Grant

The ERC Advanced Grant is the most senior tier of the European Research Council's frontier research scheme under Horizon Europe, supporting exceptional established research leaders whose ground-breaking projects go beyond the current state of the art. Unlike Starting (2-7 years post-PhD) and Consolidator (7-12 years post-PhD), the Advanced Grant has no upper time-since-PhD limit and no upper career-stage limit, what matters is a sustained track record of significant research achievements over the last 10 years. Funding goes up to €2.5 million over 5 years, with up to an additional €1M for eligible costs such as major equipment, access to large research infrastructures, or major experimental and field-work costs, extended to up to €2M for Principal Investigators relocating to the EU or an Associated Country from elsewhere to take up the grant. The scheme is bottom-up: no thematic priorities, no consortium requirements, no obligation to deliver applied outputs. Like all ERC grants, the sole criterion is scientific excellence judged by international peer review. Applicants must be hosted at a legal entity in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe associated country, with no nationality requirement. Advanced Grant applicants are expected to be internationally recognised in their field, with a publication record of high impact, demonstrated leadership of their research community, and a vision for ground-breaking work that only an established research leader could credibly deliver. Since the 2024 Work Programme reform, the Advanced Grant follows the same unified two-step evaluation as Starting and Consolidator: Step 1 panels read Part B1 plus the CV and track record to decide which proposals advance; Step 2 panels (and remote referees) then evaluate the full proposal, Part B1 + B2 + resources, followed by an interview for shortlisted candidates. Success rates typically sit at 8-12%, the most selective of the three main ERC grants. The pool of applicants is smaller but the bar is extremely high, Advanced Grant winners are often the senior PIs in their national research community. The Advanced Grant is widely seen as a recognition of sustained excellence at the highest level of frontier research.

Who is eligible?

• •Track record of significant research achievements over the last 10 years (no upper career-stage limit)
• •Hosted at an institution in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe associated country
• •No nationality requirement, researchers of any citizenship are eligible
• •At least 30% time commitment to the project (50% recommended)
• •Must be an internationally recognised research leader in your field

How to apply

1. 1. Choose your panel

   Select one of three domains (Life Sciences / Physical Sciences & Engineering / Social Sciences & Humanities) and one panel within it. Advanced Grant panels expect proposals that reshape their domain, disciplinary fit matters but cross-panel ambition is welcome.

2. 2. Confirm host institution support

   Your host signs a commitment letter guaranteeing space, infrastructure, and the time commitment. For Advanced-Grant-scale projects, host commitment often includes additional named team positions or dedicated equipment lines.

3. 3. Draft the full Part B (B1 + B2)

   Both parts are submitted upfront, but Step 1 panels read only B1 + CV/track record to decide which proposals advance. B1 (~5 pages) frames the central question and ground-breaking nature; B2 (~7 pages, capped under the 2024+ WP) details methodology, work plan, risk, and resources, and is only opened at Step 2 for shortlisted proposals.

4. 4. Submit via the EU Funding & Tenders portal

   Single submission window per year, no extensions. Portal closes at the deadline minute. Submit Part B1 + B2 + CV + track record + 10-year achievement narrative at this stage.

5. 5. Step 1 panel review (~4-5 months)

   Panel generalists read Part B1 plus the CV and track record. Proposals that pass Step 1 are forwarded to Step 2; non-retained applicants receive a B or C grade (B can resubmit the following year, C triggers a 2-year cooldown across all ERC calls).

6. 6. Step 2 panel review + interview (~10-12 months in)

   Panel members and remote referees evaluate the full proposal (Part B1 + B2 + resources and time commitment). Shortlisted candidates travel to Brussels for a 20-30 minute panel interview, a 10 minute pitch followed by Q&A from generalists plus specialists outside your immediate field. Performance here drives the final decision.

What sets winning proposals apart

• ✓Frame the proposal as the research only you could lead. Advanced Grant panels reward the synthesis of a 10-year career into one defining project.
• ✓Lead with one sharp question. "Established researcher" framing does not mean "broad research area" framing, panels still want a single load-bearing hypothesis.
• ✓Use the track record narrative to demonstrate community leadership, not just citation counts. Editorships, society roles, trained PIs, consortium leadership matter.
• ✓Quantify feasibility with pilot data and infrastructure access. At €2.5M scale, panels need to see that the resource ask is justified.
• ✓Get external feedback from a previous Advanced Grant winner in your panel. Insider perspective on the senior-PI bar beats generic grant-writing advice.
• ✓Practise the interview pitch out loud at least 10 times. Advanced Grant interviews probe community-leadership claims and long-term vision hard.

Related programmes