ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS

The ERC Consolidator Grant for 2026 is a prestigious funding opportunity under the Horizon Europe program, aimed at Principal Investigators seeking to establish or consolidate their independent research teams or programs. This grant provides up to €2 million for a duration of five years, with a total budget of €673 million allocated for approximately 341 grants. The call identifier for this grant is ERC-2026-COG, and the application deadline is January 13, 2026, following an opening date of September 25, 2025.

Eligible applicants must be individual researchers of any nationality who have successfully defended their PhD between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2018, allowing a career stage of seven to twelve years post-PhD. They must also conduct their research in an institution based in an EU Member State or an Associated Country. While applicants can reside anywhere in the world, they are required to spend at least 50% of their working time in the EU or an Associated Country and devote a minimum of 40% of their working time to the ERC project.

The grants operate under a single-stage application process, requiring detailed proposals including a scientific project proposal, a curriculum vitae, and a support letter from the host institution. The evaluation process consists of two stages, with the first stage focusing on remote evaluations and the second involving interviews. Proposals are evaluated on scientific excellence, emphasizing the innovative nature and ambition of the research project, and the track record of the Principal Investigator.

In terms of funding, additional requests of up to €1 million can be made for specific costs such as major equipment or experimental work, with a potential increase to €2 million for those relocating to the EU or Associated Countries. The ERC Consolidator Grant encourages applications across all scientific fields, and interdisciplinary research is welcome. Open Science practices are mandatory, requiring immediate access to peer-reviewed publications and adherence to research data management principles.

Overall, this grant represents a significant funding opportunity for mid-career researchers looking to advance their research independence while contributing to scientific advancements in Europe. It emphasizes the importance of excellence in research and the capacity of applicants to lead innovative projects. The program not only aims to strengthen Europe's research landscape but also attracts global talent to the region.

The ERC Consolidator Grant, under the Horizon Europe program, supports Principal Investigators who are consolidating their independent research team or program and have demonstrated research independence. The call identifier is ERC-2026-COG.

The grant can award up to EUR 2,000,000 for a period of 5 years, with the maximum size reduced pro rata for shorter projects. Additional funding up to EUR 1,000,000 can be requested for eligible costs like start-up costs, major equipment, access to large facilities, and experimental/fieldwork costs, if duly justified. An exception exists for Principal Investigators relocating to the EU or an Associated Country, where the maximum additional funding can be EUR 2,000,000.

Principal Investigators must have successfully defended their first PhD between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2018. The eligibility period can be extended under certain documented circumstances as detailed in the ERC Work Programme 2026.

The call is a single-stage submission process, opening on September 25, 2025, with a deadline of January 13, 2026, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The total budget for the call is EUR 673,000,000, with an indicative number of 341 grants to be awarded.

Admissibility criteria require a complete, readable, and accessible proposal submitted electronically by an eligible Principal Investigator before the deadline, including a statement of support. The proposal content must align with the objectives and grant type defined in the ERC Work Programme 2026.

Eligible Principal Investigators can be of any age and nationality, residing anywhere in the world, but must conduct their research at a Host Institution based in an EU Member State or Associated Country. They must commit a minimum of 50% of their working time in an EU Member State or Associated Country and at least 40% of their working time to the ERC project.

Eligible Host Institutions include any legal entity, public or private, such as universities, research organizations, or undertakings, established in an EU Member State or Associated Country.

Applications are welcomed in any field of science, including interdisciplinary research. Restrictions on applications apply to maintain the quality and integrity of the evaluation process; details are available in the ERC Work Programme 2026.

The Principal Investigator submits the proposal on behalf of the Host Institution, retaining responsibility for the research. Applicants must select a primary evaluation panel and may also list a secondary panel, indicating any cross-panel or cross-domain nature of the proposal.

Complete proposals are submitted via the Funding & Tenders Portal submission tool and consist of:

Administrative form Part A (including Ethics Issues Table and Budget Section)
Parts B (Part I and II of the Scientific Proposal, Curriculum Vitae and Track Record)
Host Institution Support Letter
Ethics Issues Table
PhD record and supporting documents

Page limits apply to certain sections: Part I of the Scientific Proposal (5 pages), Part II (7 pages), Curriculum Vitae and Track Record (4 pages), and Resources and Time Commitment (2 pages).

Financial capacity is assessed according to the ERC Rules of Submission and Evaluation under Horizon Europe. Operational capacity requires proposals to score above an 80% quality threshold. Applicants subject to exclusion sanctions under the EU Financial Regulation are ineligible.

Evaluation is based solely on excellence, assessing the ground-breaking nature and ambition of the research project, as well as the intellectual capacity and creativity of the Principal Investigator. The evaluation process involves two steps, with interviews at Step 2, conducted by peer review panels.

Proposals receive scores at each step:

Step 1: A invited, A not invited, B, or C.
Step 2: A (recommended for funding) or B (not funded).

Open Science practices are mandatory, requiring immediate open access to peer-reviewed publications with full re-use rights and adherence to FAIR principles for research data management, including the establishment of a data management plan.

Key documents include the ERC Work Programme 2026, Information for Applicants, Guide for Peer Reviewers, ERC Rules of Submission and Evaluation, application form templates, Model Grant Agreements, EU Financial Regulation, and related guidelines and manuals.

The ERC 2026 Consolidator Grant is a funding opportunity aimed at researchers who have already established some independence and are looking to solidify their research teams and programs. It provides substantial funding to support ambitious and potentially groundbreaking research across all fields of science. The application process is rigorous, with a strong emphasis on the excellence of both the research proposal and the Principal Investigator. The grant promotes open science practices to ensure broad access to research outputs and data. This grant is a significant opportunity for researchers to advance their careers and make substantial contributions to their respective fields.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant is a Principal Investigator (PI) who is consolidating their own independent research team or program. The PI can be of any age and nationality but must be hosted by an eligible Host Institution. The Host Institution can be any type of legal entity, public or private, including a university, a research organization, or an undertaking. The PI must have successfully defended their first PhD at least 7 and up to 12 years prior to 1 January 2026, with specific cut-off dates between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2018. The PI must spend a minimum of 50% of their working time in an EU Member State or Associated Country and a minimum of 40% of their working time on the ERC project.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically an ERC Consolidator Grant.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a single applicant, which is the Principal Investigator applying on behalf of their Host Institution.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The research must be carried out in a Host Institution based in an EU Member State or an Associated Country (see Annex 3 of the ERC Work Programme 2026). The Principal Investigator can be of any nationality and reside anywhere in the world at the time of application.

Target Sector: This program targets any field of science. Applications in any field of science are eligible for the ERC funding and the ERC welcomes research proposals of an interdisciplinary nature.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity is open to researchers of any nationality, but the research must be carried out in an EU Member State or Associated Country. Hungary is specifically mentioned in the context of researchers with a Hungarian host institution.

Project Stage: The project stage is for researchers who are consolidating their own independent research team or program, indicating a development stage.

Funding Amount: The grant may be awarded up to a maximum of EUR 2,000,000 for a period of 5 years. Additional funding up to EUR 1,000,000 can be requested to cover further eligible costs. For Principal Investigators relocating to the EU or an Associated Country, the maximum additional funding can be EUR 2,000,000.

Application Type: The application type is an open call.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant.

Application Stages: The evaluation procedure involves two steps, with interviews taking place at Step 2.

Success Rates: Success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the evaluation outcome indicates that proposals are scored and ranked, with only the highest-ranked proposals recommended for funding, suggesting a competitive process.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding requirements are not explicitly mentioned.

Summary:
The ERC Consolidator Grant is a funding opportunity under the Horizon Europe program designed to support excellent Principal Investigators who are in the process of consolidating their independent research teams or programs. The grant provides up to EUR 2,000,000 for a period of 5 years, with the possibility of additional funding for specific eligible costs. The call is open to researchers of any age and nationality, provided that their research is carried out in a Host Institution based in an EU Member State or Associated Country. The Principal Investigator must have successfully defended their first PhD at least 7 and up to 12 years prior to 1 January 2026. The evaluation process consists of two steps, with excellence being the sole criterion for evaluation. The application must be submitted electronically through the Funding & Tenders Portal and include a detailed scientific proposal, curriculum vitae, track record, and a support letter from the Host Institution. This grant aims to enable researchers to pursue ambitious and groundbreaking research projects across all fields of science, fostering scientific excellence within the European Research Area. The call ERC-2026-COG has a budget of 673,000,000 EUR and aims to award 341 grants. The opening date is 25 September 2025 and the deadline is 13 January 2026.