Horizon Europe is entering its final phase. With key changes announced by the ERC for 2027 calls, now it is time to plan ahead. ERC StG is a strategic opportunity for early-career researchers & this is the last secured call for applicants who want to apply with a CH institution.
Success rata ~12,2%

ERC StG supports talented early-career scientists who have already produced excellent supervised work. Applicants should have already shown evidence of potential for research independence (e.g. one important publication as main author or without the participation of their PhD supervisor).

ERC funds researchers with an excellent track record, which is assessed based on field norms, career stage & personal circumstances, prioritizing quality over quantity. List up to 10 key outputs showcasing your contribution to the SoA. Previous grants & publications are not automatically advantages.

NEW from this call:
• Now open to researchers 0–10 years after PhD (instead of 2-7 yrs.)
• Applicants may receive only 1 ERC Starting Grant and 1 ERC Consolidator Grant in their career.

Internal candidates without a professorial position and external ones must submit their candidature to servizio.ricerca@usi.ch by 30 April:

• eligibility form,
• CV + publication list,
• motivation letter,
• letter/s of support from USI professor/s.

The procedure lasts approx. 2 months.

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.

• Up to € 1.5M for 5 years (pro rata for shorter duration) with an extra €1M possible for other significant project-related costs (€2M for researchers moving to EU).
• Grant can cover the PI’s salary. In any case min. commitment time of 50% required.
• Budget must include 25% OH.
• No co-financing.

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 taking place in early summer 2027. Final results are expected in September 2027.

Check out the projects funded in the latest ERC call. The ERC database lets you filter by discipline and access project abstracts. A helpful way to identify the most suitable panel for your proposal.