ERC Consolidator Grant

The ERC Consolidator Grant 2027 funds excellent Principal Investigators consolidating an independent research team to carry out frontier research in any field, with a maximum base contribution of €2,000,000 for up to 60 months and possible additional funding (up to €1,000,000 or higher under specific relocation conditions). Applicants of any nationality may apply provided the research will be hosted in an EU Member State or Associated Country and the PI defended their first PhD between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2021 (extensions for documented circumstances may apply). The call is single-stage with a two-step evaluation including interviews at Step 2, and submissions must be made electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Planned opening date is 24 September 2026 and the deadline is 12 January 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time.

What it funds

Purpose

Highly competitive grants to support excellent Principal Investigators consolidating an independent research team or programme to carry out frontier research across any scientific field.

Who can apply

Researchers of any nationality and any age who wish to carry out their ERC-funded research in a Host Institution established in an EU Member State or Associated Country. The Principal Investigator must hold a PhD (or equivalent) and meet the Consolidator eligibility window.

How applications are evaluated

Excellence is the sole evaluation criterion. Proposals are peer-reviewed in a two-step process with interviews at Step 2. Panels assess the ground-breaking nature and ambition of the research and the PI’s intellectual capacity and creativity.

Practical details

Single-stage submission through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The call is managed under Horizon Europe (HORIZON - ERC Grants).

Application essentials

Complete proposal parts include Administrative Form (Part A), Part B1 (Part I, CVs and track records), Part B2 (Part II, resources and time commitment) and Host Institution Support Letter. See call documents and ERC Work Programme 2027 for full rules.

Summary of the opportunity

The European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant ERC-2027-COG is a Horizon Europe call to support excellent Principal Investigators who are consolidating their own independent research team or programme. The scheme funds frontier research across all scientific fields, is bottom-up and competition is based solely on scientific excellence. Consolidator Grants provide up to €2 000 000 for a maximum project duration of 60 months. Additional funding up to €1 000 000 can be requested when necessary to carry out the proposed work. Applicants re-locating from outside the EU/Associated Countries may request increased additional funding up to €2 000 000 under defined conditions. The call is single-stage with a two-step evaluation including interviews at Step 2. The planned call opening is 24 September 2026 and the deadline is 12 January 2027 (17:00 Brussels time).

Key facts and figures

What the grant supports

The Consolidator Grant supports ambitious, high-risk/high-gain frontier research led by an individual Principal Investigator who is consolidating their independent team or programme. Any research field is eligible, including interdisciplinary research and research at the frontiers of knowledge. The grant is portable and the Host Institution must be established in a Member State or an Associated Country. Research must be civil in nature and comply with ethical, security and research integrity requirements.

Eligible applicant types

The call is addressed to individual Principal Investigators (natural persons) applying on behalf of a Host Institution (legal entity). Eligible applicant (Principal Investigator) profile: researchers of any nationality, residing anywhere in the world at time of application, who wish to carry out the research in an EU Member State or an Associated Country and who defended their first PhD between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2021. Eligible Host Institutions: any type of legal entity (public or private) established in an EU Member State or an Associated Country, including universities, research organisations, undertakings and international European research organisations (e.g. CERN, EMBL). Where relevant and justified, team members may be hosted by entities outside the EU/AC.

Eligible applicant categories (structured)

Funding details and allowable costs

Evaluation, selection process and success rates

Evaluation is based on a two-step peer review process with interviews at Step 2. Excellence is the sole evaluation criterion and panels evaluate the research project (ground-breaking nature, ambition, methodology, feasibility, resources) and the Principal Investigator (intellectual capacity, creativity, track record, suitability to deliver the project). Step 1 assesses Part I (up to 5 pages) plus PI CV & track record; successful proposals are invited to Step 2 where the full proposal (Parts I and II, resources) is assessed and the PI interviewed. Panels may use remote external experts. Funding decisions follow ranking lists and available budget. ERC competition is extremely selective; typical success rates across ERC main calls vary by panel and year and are generally single-digit percentages for most applicants. Exact success rates vary by panel and year and are not fixed for a call.

Application procedure and key documents

Submit electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Register and prepare Part A (administrative form including budget table and resources), Part B1 (Part I of the Scientific Proposal, PI CVs and track records) and Part B2 (Part II with implementation, resources and time commitment). Host Institution Support Letter must be uploaded at submission. Ethics self-assessment and security table must be completed in the online form; supporting documents should be uploaded if available. Refer to the ERC Work Programme 2027, the Information for Applicants to the Starting and Consolidator Grant Calls, the ERC Rules of Submission and Evaluation under Horizon Europe and the Model Grant Agreement used for ERC actions for full legal and procedural details 1.

Submission checklist

Restrictions and special notes

A Principal Investigator may have only one proposal under evaluation at a time and may hold only one ERC main grant at any time. Principal Investigators who have already held a Consolidator Grant cannot apply for the Consolidator Grant again. Restrictions may also apply based on participation in recent evaluations or past breaches of research integrity. The Host Institution must provide a binding statement of support at the time of application. Legal entities from Member States and Associated Countries that are public bodies, research organisations or higher education establishments must have a Gender Equality Plan or equivalent at grant signature (mandatory for eligibility of these entities).

Frequently requested operational details

How to get support

Use the ERC call mailbox for applicant queries, ERC National Contact Points (NCPs) for national support, the Funding & Tenders Portal helpdesk for technical submission issues, the Research Enquiry Service for research policy questions, and the European IPR Helpdesk for intellectual property queries. Guidance documents and templates (Information for Applicants, ERC Work Programme, Model Grant Agreement, application templates) are available via the Funding & Tenders Portal topic page.

Categorisation and structured extraction

Footnotes

1. 1Main applicable documents include the ERC Work Programme 2027, the ERC Rules of Submission and Evaluation under Horizon Europe and the applicable Model Grant Agreement used for ERC actions (HE General MGA). These documents provide the full legal text on eligibility, evaluation, ethics, security, grant management and reporting.

The ERC Consolidator Grant supports excellent Principal Investigators who are consolidating an independent research team or programme, with funding for frontier research in any field of science and a strong emphasis on scientific excellence and research independence.1 The 2027 call is single stage, opens on 24 September 2026, closes on 12 January 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time, and has an indicative budget of €618.5 million for about 296 grants.1

What the funding supports

This is an investigator led ERC frontier research grant for ambitious, high risk, high gain projects at the frontiers of knowledge.1 The proposal must fit the objectives of the Consolidator Grant scheme and show both the ground breaking nature of the project and the Principal Investigator's ability to execute it.1

Who can apply

Researchers of any age and nationality may apply if they are residing anywhere in the world at the time of application and plan to carry out the research in a host institution established in an EU Member State or Associated Country.1

Key eligibility and participation conditions

Applicants should note the following main conditions.1

Applicants may be based anywhere in the world at the time of application, but the project must be hosted in the EU or an Associated Country.1

The Principal Investigator must spend at least 40 percent of working time on the ERC project and at least 50 percent of working time in an EU Member State or Associated Country.1

Applications are open to all scientific fields, including interdisciplinary research.1

Only one proposal to an ERC main grant call may be under evaluation at any given time, and only one eligible proposal may be submitted to ERC main grant calls published under the 2027 work programme.1

Proposals must comply with ERC ethics, security, and research integrity rules and may be rejected or later affected if misconduct or exclusion grounds apply.1

Funding amount and duration

The official work programme also confirms that additional funding is assessed during evaluation together with the base grant request.1

Submission package

Applications must be submitted electronically through the Funding and Tenders Portal, and the proposal must be complete, readable, and accessible before the deadline.1

Evaluation and award process

ERC uses excellence as the sole evaluation criterion.1 Panels assess the scientific ambition and ground breaking nature of the project together with the Principal Investigator's intellectual capacity, creativity, and ability to deliver the work.1 The evaluation is two step, with interviews at step 2, and proposals receive step 1 scores of A invited, A not invited, B, or C, while step 2 outcomes are A or B.1

Practical takeaways for applicants

This call is best suited to mid career researchers who already have clear evidence of research independence and who can present an ambitious frontier research project with strong personal track record and a realistic implementation plan.1 Applicants should confirm PhD date eligibility, host institution commitment, time commitment thresholds, and any resubmission restrictions before drafting the proposal.1