ERC invests €1.7 billion in top researchers
A total budget of €1.7bn has been announced by the European Commission to support projects selected by the European Research Council (ERC) in 2014 under Horizon 2020.
Open to individual researchers of any age or nationality, the new ERC calls will provide funding to around 1,000 top scientists to pursue cutting-edge research in Europe. Researchers working in any nominated field (Physical Sciences and Engineering, Life Sciences, and Social Sciences and Humanities) can now apply for ERC 2014 Starting Grants and Consolidator Grants. The calls are part of the Excellent Science pillar of Horizon 2020.
ERC President Professor Helga Nowotny said: “With the publication of these first calls, Horizon 2020 is becoming a reality for many scientists. Competition in the ERC calls will remain fierce in the next seven years and only exceptional proposals are likely to be funded, with scientific excellence as the only criterion for selection. More than ever, I encourage researchers to submit their proposal only if they feel ready to take up the challenge.”
A key change in the new calls is the extension of the current restrictions on the submission of proposals. Applicants may be restricted from submitting a new proposal to the calls published in 2015 and 2016, depending on the grade they received in 2014.
These rules are viewed as a means of maintaining the quality and the sustainability of the ERC’s evaluation process, which is facing a constantly rising number of applications. They should also allow unsuccessful researchers the necessary time to develop a stronger proposal.
