The document provides information about the European Research Council's Ideas programme and the ERC Starting Grant funding scheme. It summarizes that the ERC aims to support excellent individual or team-driven frontier research projects across all fields led by promising young researchers. Key aspects of the ERC Starting Grant like eligibility, evaluation criteria, application and review process are concisely described.

1. Bringing Great Ideas to Life FP7 Ideas programme Meelis Kadaja Archimedes Foundation

2. First Specific Programmes FP1 FP 6 FP 5 FP 4 European Research Area (ERA) FP 2 FP 3 FP7 Ideas Research in European Union 1984 2000 2006 2013

3. Solution: The FP7 Ideas Specific Programme to support the truly creative scientists to make the unpredictable and spectacular discoveries that can change the course of human understandings. A problem: Europe does not perform well in terms of truly outstanding research

5. The European Union Implementation of t he FP7 Ideas Specific Programme Ideas The Scientific Council The Agency ERC

7. The ERC Board Prof. Fotis Kafatos ERC President and Chair of the ScC Prof. Helga Nowotny and Dr Daniel Esteve ERC Vice-Presidents and Vice-Chairs of ERC ScC Prof. Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker ERC Secretary-General Jack Metthey Director of ERC DIS (Directorate S)

22. Reception of proposals 1 Allocation of proposals to panels Panel meetings Evaluation Reports Not recommended Recommended Eligibility check 1 Invitation for Stage 2 ScC Coherency Due process Evaluation Stage 1 Assessment by panel members assigned Reading by all panel members

23. Reception of proposals 2 Eligibility check 2 Remote review by referees Interviews of applicants Panel meetings preparation Panel meetings Assignment of referees to proposals Evaluation Reports Reserve Not recommended Recommended ScC Coherency Due process Evaluation Stage 2

28. http:// erc.europa.eu Further Information