Presented at the 3rd ICOS Science Conference in Prague, Czech Republic, 11-13 Sep 2018.

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European Research Council (ERC)
Inés T. Marín Moreno
ICOS Conference 2018 │ 1

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Outline
 What is the ERC? & What does ERC offer?
 The ERC evaluation process
 How to apply?

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What is the ERC?
It is part of H2020 (€ 77 billion)
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ERC Budget
€ 13 billion
For 2019, the budget will be
more than 2.0 billion euros,
the highest ever since the
beginning of the ERC

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Scientists in the
Driver's Seat
Independent Scientific Council:
 22 members including the ERC
President
 full authority over funding strategy
 supported by the ERC Executive
Agency (autonomous)

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Excellence is the sole evaluation
criterion
ERC Principles

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What does ERC offer?
ERC Grant Schemes

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 Objective: support excellent PIs at the stage at which they are starting
their own independent research team or programme
 Grant size: €1.5M (possibility of additional €0.5M)
 PI Profile:
 Potential for research independence
 At least one publication as main author or without PhD supervisor
 Invited presentations in conferences
 Funding, patents, awards, prizes
 50% of PI's time in the project + 50% in the EU or AC
ERC Starting Grants (2-7 y past PhD)

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 Objective: support excellent PIs at the stage at which they may still be
consolidating their own independent research team or programme
 Grant size: €2.0M (possibility of additional €0.75M)
 PI Profile
 Has achieved a certain degree of research independence
 Several publications as main author or without PhD supervisor
 Invited presentations in conferences
 Funding, patents, awards, prizes, mentoring
 40% of PI's time in the project + 50% in the EU or AC
ERC Consolidator Grants (7-12 y past PhD)

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ERC Advanced Grants
 Objective: established research leaders with a recognised track-
record of research achievements in the last 10 years
 Grant size: €2.5M (possibility of additional €1.0M)
 PI Profile
 Active researchers with a significant track record in the last 10 years
 10 top publications/3 research monographs as main author
 Invited presentations, organisation of major conferences
 Funding, patents, awards, prizes, mentoring
 30% of PI's time in the project + 50% in the EU or AC

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 Objective: to enable 2-4 PIs to bring together complementary skills,
knowledge, and resources, in order to jointly address ambitious
research problems.
 Grant size: €10M euros (possibility of additional €4M)
 PI Profile
 PIs at any career stage (StG, CoG or AdG)
 PIs must demonstrate synergies and complementarities (work could
not be done by one PI alone)
 30% of PI's time in the project + 50% in the EU or AC
ERC Synergy Grants

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Additional funding
Additional funding:
 Start-Up costs for scientists moving to EU /
Associated Countries
 Purchase of major equipment
 Access to large facilities
 Up to €500 000 for Starting
 Up to €750 000 for Consolidator
 Up to €1 Million for Advanced grantees
 Up to €4 Million for Synergy PIs
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Outline
 What is the ERC? & What does ERC offer?
 The ERC evaluation process
 How to apply?

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3 domains / 25 panels
Each panel:
 Panel Chair
 10-16 Panel Members
(top scientists in the fields
covered by the panel)

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PART A – online forms
A1 Proposal and PI info
A2 Host Institution info
A3 Budget
A4 Ethics Issues
A5 Call Specific Info
PART B2 – submitted as .pdf
• Scientific Proposal 15 p.
State of the Art & Objectives
Methodology
Resources
Annexes – submitted as .pdf
• HI support letter
• copy of PhD title (StG, CoG);
• document for extension of
eligibility window (StG, CoG)
PART B1 – submitted as .pdf
• Extended Synopsis 5 p.
• CV 2 p.
• Early Achievements 2 p.
(incl. up to 5-10 publications)
Submission of the proposal
Read the Information to Applicants

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Remote assessment by Panel members see
ONLY section 1 – Synopsis and CV (Part B1)
Panel meeting
Proposals retained
for step 2
STEP 1
Remote assessment by Panel members and
Remote Reviewers of full proposals
(Part B1+B2)
Panel meeting
(with interview for StG + CoG)
Ranked list of
proposals
STEP 2
Redress
Feedback to
applicants
C
B B
A
A
Evaluation process (StG, CoG, AdG)

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•you can apply next yearA(unfunded)
•you can apply next year
B
•you have to wait 1 year before
re-applyingB
•you have to wait 2 years
before re-applyingC
STEP2STEP1
Re-submission restrictions 2018
(StG, CoG, AdG)

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Outline
 What is the ERC? & What does ERC offer?
 The ERC evaluation process
 How to apply?

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Preparing your proposal
# 1: Get information!
• ERC website for latest funding opportunities : https://erc.europa.eu/
• Register early, get familiar with the European Commission's Participant Portal
system, download the templates and start filling in the forms
http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/home.html
• Use the help tools and call documents (Information for Applicants, Work
Programme, FAQ) to prepare your proposal - Read the guidelines carefully!
• Talk to your Institution's grant office and other ERC grantees
• Contact your National Contact Point

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Extensions of eligibility window possible for StG and CoG for
documented cases (started before call deadline) of:
• Maternity – 18 months per child (before or after PhD)
• Paternity – actual time taken off (before or after PhD)
• Military service, Caring for seriously ill family members (after PhD)
• Medical speciality training after the award of 1st eligible degree & up to 4 yr
No limit to the total extension
Preparing your proposal
# 2: Make sure you are eligible

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Preparing your proposal
# 3: Shall I apply now or wait another year?

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• Make sure to have the HI letter ready in time for the submission
deadline
• You can change HI during the project's life
• Negotiate with the HI (your position, equipment, administrative
support, access to infrastructure, etc.)
Preparing your proposal
# 4: Host Institution (HI)
Rumour: The quality/fame of the HI is increasing my chances/scores.
NOT true: the HI is not an evaluation criterion!

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• Proposals are (mostly) assigned to the Panel of the PI's choice.
• The PI can flag one “Secondary Review Panel”  explain the
interdisciplinary nature of the proposal in Part B1.
Preparing your proposal
# 5: Choose the appropriate panel
Rumour: some panels are more successful than others
NOT true: budget is allocated based on submitted proposals to each panel, so success rate is flat
across different panels  choose the Panel that is right for your proposal!
Rumour: The panel descriptors represent ERC scientific priorities
NOT true: The panel descriptors are indicative so that applicants can see what expertise the Panel
covers. It is the applicants that choose the subject of their proposal and the Panels use the
excellence criterion to judge whether it should be funded.

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• Is my project new, innovative, bringing in new solutions/theories?
• Does it goes substantially beyond the state of the art? – No incremental
research!
• How can I prove/support my case? Have I proven the project's
feasibility? Are my goals realistic?
• Is it timely? Why has it not been done in the past?
• What's the risk?
• Have I provided some contingency plans or proposed alternatives?
Preparing your proposal
# 6: Part B1: the research project

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• Why am I the best person to carry it out? Know your competitors
• Am I able to work independently, and to manage a 5-year project with a
substantial budget?
 publishing only with senior scientists (former supervisors) may raise doubts about
maturity/scientific independence
• Am I competitive? Have I shown my scientific leadership in my CV?
Preparing your proposal
# 7: Part B1: the Principal Investigator
Rumour: you must have a paper/several in Nature and Science, otherwise you have no chances!!!
NOT true: although a competitive CV is needed, several ERC grantees (particularly StG and CoG)
did not have a paper in these journals at the time of applying and getting the grant

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• Do not repeat the synopsis, go into details on your methodology and
work plan
• Make sure that the quantitative and qualitative differences to the state
of the art are clear and referenced - show you did your homework!
• Explain hypothesis or provide preliminary data (if it exists)
• Provide alternative strategies to mitigate risk
In Step 2, both part B1 and B2 are read by Panel Members and specialists
around the world (remote referees) so in Part B2:
Preparing your proposal
# 8: Part B2

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Preparing your proposal
# 8: Part B2
• Make the project "easy to read and attractive" – use paragraphs and
correct typos!
• Use full space available (15 p.)
• Make sure you give full references (these are excluded from page count)
• You should add some sort of timeline
• Explain involvement of team members and collaborators (ERC proposals
are NOT collaborative)
• Justify requested resources – explain your budget properly

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Preparing your proposal
# 9: I have been invited for an interview (StG/CoG)
• Typically a 10 minute presentation and 10-15 minutes of questions
• Use the interview to get the Panel interested in what you are doing
• Panels want to see that these are your ideas, not those of your supervisor
• Have clear and representative slides and focus on SCIENCE!
• Know the details of your proposal and methods, as well as your research area
– who are your main competitors/collaborators?
• Anticipate questions  Bring additional slides on new supporting data, if you
have, and for possible explanations.
PRACTISE, PRACTISE, PRACTISE, PRACTISE!!

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2019 Call Calendar
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More information: erc.europa.eu and http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm
National Contact Point: erc.europa.eu/national-contact-points
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The European Research Council

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Additional slides

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 Have a bright, original and exciting idea
 Design a research project to implement the idea
 Get a letter of support from a Host Institution where the project is to be
carried out (the HI must be located in EU or H2020 associated countries)
 Write your research proposal and submit before the deadline!
 Fully electronic/web based submission system
 Two step evaluation: proposal parts B1 and B2
Preparing your proposal
Overview

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Research Project
• Scope: Too narrow  too broad/unfocussed
• Incremental research
• Looks like a collaborative project
• Work plan not detailed enough/unclear
• Insufficient risk management
Principle Investigator (PI)
• Insufficient track-record
• Insufficient (potential for) independence (StG and CoG)
• Complementarity of PIs not evident enough (SyG)
Poor interview (StG, CoG, SyG)
Before Redressing: see what you
could you have done/explained/
presented better before blaming
the process!
 Divergent scientific opinion is
not a motivation for redress
 An obvious mistake however
might result in a re-evaluation
Typical reasons for rejection

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Design of the Synergy call in a nutshell
Grant size:
up to 10M€
+ 4M€ for 6
years
2018: 25-30 projects
2019: 45-50 projects
2018: 250 M€
2019: 400M€
2-3-4
Principal
Investigators
HI to be in EU or
Associated Country
SyG2019: possible
for one PI to be
outside of EU or AC
No
restrictions
on their
location
SyG2019:
3 step
evaluation to
finish in
September
2019
3 Step evaluation:
with interviews for
all PIs in step 3
SyG2019 call
open for
submission
until
8/11/2018
≥50% of working time in EU
or AC and ≥30% of working
time on the ERC project
SyG2019: it does not apply to
the PI applying with a third
country HI

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All PIs whose proposal was rejected on the grounds of a breach of research integrity of
one or more of the PIs in the SyG 2018 call for proposals may not submit a proposal to
the calls for proposals made under Work Programme 2019.
ERC Synergy 2018
Intended restrictions for 2019 -2020 calls
Evaluation Can a PI apply to
Result of
SyG2018
Step
StG/CoG/AdG
call in 2019?
SyG call in
2019?
SyG call in 2020?
C 1 no no no
B 1 and 2 yes no yes
B 3 yes yes yes
A 3 yes yes yes