As of 2025, researchers in CH can participate as beneficiary to the prestigious European Research Council (ERC) calls. Their proposals are evaluated by the ERC Executive Agency. In case of approval, if the EU Programmes Agreement (EUPA) is not yet in force, SERI will fund the projects.
ERC funds frontier research in any discipline. It welcomes proposals addressing new and emerging fields of research, or introducing unconventional, innovative approaches and scientific inventions. Applicants must demonstrate the ground-breaking nature, ambition and feasibility of their proposal.
ERC Advanced Grants (AdG) support researchers with a strong track record of significant, original contributions. Applicants should be exceptional leaders in their field. No specific academic qualifications are required. The researcher must dedicate min. 30% of the working time to the ERC project.
Up to € 2.5M for a period of 5 years (pro rata for shorter duration) with an extra €1M possible for start-up costs, major equipment or facilities (€2M for researchers moving to EU). Budget covers 100% of the project costs including 25% OHs. Funding is awarded as a lump sum contribution.
Proposals are evaluated by selected international peer reviewers and by discipline-specific panels in a two-step evaluation procedure. Selected applicants are invited for an online interview in front of the panel (taking place in spring 2026).
Proposals are evaluated solely on excellence, considering both the project and the applicant (Principal Investigator). Panels assess the applicant’s intellectual capacity, creativity, and commitment, focusing on their scientific expertise and ability to carry out the project successfully.
Internal applicants with a professorial position must notify their expression of interest to servizio.ricerca@usi.ch by 30 June 2025 including provisional abstract and title of the project.
Have a look at projects approved at the last call. The ERC database allows you to filter by discipline and grants you access to the abstracts.
Register now for the Euresearch info-event on the ERC Advanced Grant call 2025. The event will be held on Wednesday, 4 June 2025, from 12:00 to 13:30.
