ERC PROOF OF CONCEPT GRANTS

Yes, under the ERC 2025 Proof of Concept (ERC-2025-PoC) call, submitting an application with a spin-off company as Host Institution (HI) is feasible, as long as it complies with the eligibility criteria for an eligible HI defined in the ERC Work Programme 2025PDF. The HI of the ERC Proof of Concept (PoC) proposal does not have to be the same as the HI of the main frontier research Grant.

Yes. Unlike the ERC main frontier research (StG, CoG, AdG, SyG) grant calls, there are no eligibility conditions to apply for a PoC linked to the results of proposals submitted to a previous PoC call.

Therefore, the PI who applied to the call ERC-2025-PoC call, and whose proposal was not selected for funding, may apply to the ERC-2026-PoC, provided they fulfil eligibility conditions as stipulated in the ERC Work Programme 2026PDF.

Yes, an applicant can submit to the ERC-2025-PoC call and at the same time to one of the four main ERC frontier research call (since the restrictions stated in the ERC Work Programme 2025PDF do not apply to PoC Grants). Nevertheless, a researcher can apply for a PoC grant ONLY if they are already the grantee in one ERC main frontier research grant. For more information, please refer to the eligibility criteria for PoC in the ERC Work Programme 2025PDF.

Yes, under ERC 2025 Proof of Concept (ERC-2025-PoC) call, any Synergy Grant Principal Investigator (PI) from an ERC Synergy (SyG) funded project are eligible to apply to an ERC PoC proposal as Principal Investigator (PI), but only with the written consent of all Principal Investigators in the same Synergy Grant project. Each Principal Investigator may submit only one proposal under the ERC Work Programme 2025PDF Proof of Concept call. If the same PI submits a proposal at different cut-off dates, only the first admissible and eligible proposal will be considered. A maximum of six Proof of Concept Grants (in total) may be awarded per ERC SyG funded project. Examples of some eligible scenarios: -two (or more) PoC proposals (one from Prof. X and one from Prof. Y) from the same SyG project submitted to the same call deadline;- two (or more) PIs from the same SyG project: Prof. X submitting a PoC proposal to DL1 and Prof. Y submitting another PoC proposal to DL2. More information on the submission and evaluation procedures can be found in the ERC Work Programme 2025PDF, in the section relevant to the call, as well as in the Information for Applicants to the Proof of Concept Grant 2025PDF Call.

For the ERC Proof of Concept (ERC-2025-PoC) call, although it is not mandatory to provide the names of individual team members or their CVs, the PoC plan needs to include justification that the persons working on the tasks are well qualified for the purpose. The description of the team needs to be filled in the Part B form – section 1b.iii. Plan of the proof of concept – Description of the Action – Description of the team. More information on the submission and evaluation procedures can be found in the ERC Work Programme 2025PDF, in the section relevant to the call, as well as in the Information for Applicants to the Proof of Concept Grant 2025PDF Call.

Under the ERC-2025-POC call, for the question in the online application formPDF - Part A, 5 - Other questions: “If your proposal is not funded (due to budget limitations), do you consent to allow us to disclose the results of your evaluation (score and ranking range), together with your name (as PI), non-confidential proposal title, acronym, abstract and your/your host institutions contact details to national or regional public research funding authorities that run funding schemes specifically for ERC applicants that scored highly in the evaluation?”: YES should be selected in order to receive a Seal of Excellence. As specified in the ERC Work Programme 2025PDF, a Seal of Excellence will be awarded to proposals that have received a pass mark in all three of the evaluation elements set out in this Work Programme, but cannot be funded due to lack of budget available to the call.

Researchers with a Hungarian host institution concerned by the Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2506 can continue to apply to ERC calls for proposals (e.g. ERC-2025-SyG, ERC-2025-STG, ERC-2025-COG, ERC-2025-ADG, ERC-2025-POC) after the 16 December 2022.

For successfully evaluated proposals, if these measures are not lifted at the time of the grant agreement signature, (following the procedure set out by Article 7 of Regulation 2020/2092), the concerned Hungarian entities would be found ineligible to receive Union funding. The applicant researchers concerned will then be informed about the available options to mitigate the consequences to their proposals, which will include the possibility to use portability.

Yes, underthe ERC 2024 Proof of Concept (ERC-2024-PoC) call, submitting an application with a spin-off company as Host Institution (HI) is feasible, as long as it complies with the eligibility criteria for an eligible HI defined in the ERC Work Programme 2024PDF. The HI of the ERC Proof of Concept (PoC) proposal does not have to be the same as the HI of the main frontier research Grant.

Yes, an applicant can submit to the ERC-2024-PoC call and at the same time to one of the four main ERC frontier research call (since the restrictions stated in the ERC Work Programme 2024PDF do not apply to PoC Grants). Nevertheless, a researcher can apply for a PoC grant ONLY if they are already the grantee in one ERC main frontier research grant. For more information, please refer to the eligibility criteria for PoC in the ERC Work Programme 2024PDF.

Yes, under ERC 2024 Proof of Concept (ERC-2024-PoC) call, any Synergy Grant Principal Investigator (PI) from an ERC Synergy (SyG) funded project are eligible to apply to an ERC PoC proposal as Principal Investigator (PI), but only with the written consent of all Principal Investigators in the same Synergy Grant project. Each Principal Investigator may submit only one proposal under the ERC Work Programme 2024 Proof of Concept call. If the same PI submits a proposal at different cut-off dates, only the first admissible and eligible proposal will be considered. A maximum of six Proof of Concept Grants (in total) may be awarded per ERC SyG funded project.

Examples of some eligible scenarios:

-two (or more) PoC proposals (one from Prof. X and one from Prof. Y) from the same SyG project submitted to the same call deadline;

-two (or more) PIs from the same SyG project: Prof. X submitting a PoC proposal to DL1 and Prof. Y submitting another PoC proposal to DL2.

More information on the submission and evaluation procedures can be foundin the ERC Work Programme 2024PDF, in the section relevantto the call, as well as in the Information for Applicants to the Proof of Concept Grant 2024 CallPDF

For the ERC Proof of Concept (ERC-2024-PoC) call, although it is not mandatory to provide the names of individual team members or their CVs, the PoC plan needs to include justification that the persons working on the tasks are well qualified for the purpose.The description of the team needs to be filled in the Part B form – section 1b.iii. Plan of the proof of concept – Description of the Action – Description of the team. More information on the submission and evaluation procedures can be found in the ERC Work Programme 2024PDF, in the section relevant to the call, as well as in the Information for ApplicantsPDF to the Proof of Concept Grant 2024 Call.

No, ERC grantees with Swiss host institutions (HI) will remain ineligible to the second ERC-2024-Proof of Concept (ERC-2024-PoC) cut-off deadline in September 2024.

As announced in the ERC communication of 18 March 2024, legal entities established in Switzerland will be treated as entities established in an Associated Country under the ERC Work Programme 2024 for calls opening in 2024, i.e. for the Advanced Grant call.

Therefore, since the ERC-2024-POC call has been open since 16 November 2023, POC applicants established in Switzerland cannot benefit from this transitional arrangement and are not eligible to participate in the specific ERC-PoC-2024 call.

Under the ERC-2024-POC call, for the question in the online application form - Part APDF, 5 - Other questions: “If your proposal is not funded (due to budget limitations), do you consent to allow us to disclose the results of your evaluation (score and ranking range), together with your name (as PI), non-confidential proposal title, acronym, abstract and your/your host institutions contact details to national or regional public research funding authorities that run funding schemes specifically for ERC applicants that scored highly in the evaluation?”: YES should be selected in order to receive a Seal of Excellence. As specified in the ERC Work Programme 2024PDF, a Seal of Excellence will be awarded to proposals that have received a pass mark in all three of the evaluation elements set out in this Work Programme, but cannot be funded due to lack of budget available to the call.

Researchers with a Hungarian host institution concerned by the Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2506 can continue to apply to ERC calls for proposals (e.g. ERC-2024-SYG, ERC-2024-STG, ERC-2024-COG, ERC-2024-ADG, ERC-2024-POC) after the 16 December 2022.

For successfully evaluated proposals, if these measures are not lifted at the time of the grant agreement signature, (following the procedure set out by Article 7 of Regulation 2020/2092), the concerned Hungarian entities would be found ineligible to receive Union funding. The applicant researchers concerned will then be informed about the available options to mitigate the consequences to their proposals, which will include the possibility to use portability.

According to the conditions applied to the ERC main frontier research grants 2023, there are three main restrictions to be considered for Principal Investigators (PI) in this regard:

• A researcher may participate as PI [Including all PIs supported under the Synergy Grant] in only one main frontier research grant at any one time [NB: A new main frontier research project can only start after the duration of the project fixed in a previous frontier research grant agreement has ended.] In other words, at any one time, a PI can have only one ongoing ERC main grant.
• A researcher participating as PI in one of the main frontier research grants may not submit another proposal for a main ERC grant, unless the existing project ends no more than two years after the call deadline. Therefore, an ongoing ERC main frontier research grant must end before 8 November 2024 for a PI to be eligible to apply to the 2023 Synergy grant.
• A PI may submit proposals to different main frontier research grant calls published under the same Work Programme, but only the first eligible proposal will be evaluated. As an example, if you apply as a Principal Investigator to the 2023 Synergy Grant call (ERC-2023-SYG), and this proposal is eligible, you will not be eligible to apply to the 2023 Starting, Consolidator or Advanced grants calls.

These restrictions are specified in the ERC Work Programme 2023PDF and may be modified in future work programmes by the ERC Scientific Council in light of experience. Please note however that it is possible to participate in more than one ERC grant as a team member.

Yes, under ERC 2023 Proof of Concept (ERC-2023-PoC) call, all Synergy Grant Principal Investigators (PI) from an ERC Synergy (SyG) funded project are eligible to apply to an ERC PoC proposal as Principal Investigator (PI), but only with the written consent of all Principal Investigators in the same Synergy Grant project. Principal Investigators may submit only one proposal under the Work Programme 2023 Proof of Concept call. If further submissions are made at different cut-off dates, only the first admissible and eligible proposal will be considered. A maximum of six Proof of Concept Grants may be awarded per ERC SyG funded project. More information on the submission and evaluation procedures can be found in the ERC Work Programme 2023PDF, in the section relevant to the call, as well as in the Information for Applicants to the Proof of Concept Grant 2023 CallPDF.

Yes. Unlike the main Frontier Research (StG, CoG, AdG, SyG) grant calls, there are no eligibility conditions to apply for a PoC linked to the results of proposals submitted to a previous PoC call. Therefore, the PI who applied to the call ERC-2022-PoC1 and/or ERC-2022-POC2 calls, and whose proposal was not selected for funding may apply to ERC-2023-PoC, provided they fulfil eligibility conditions as stipulated in the ERC Work Programme 2023PDF.

Yes, an applicant can submit to the ERC-2023-PoC call and at the same time to one of the four main ERC frontier research call (since the restrictions stated in the ERC Work Programme 2023PDF do not apply to PoC Grants). Nevertheless, a researcher can apply for a PoC grant ONLY if he/she is already the grantee in one ERC main frontier research grant. For more information, please refer to the eligibility criteria for PoC in the ERC Work Programme 2023PDF.

For the ERC Proof of Concept (ERC-2023-PoC) call, although it is not mandatory to provide the names of individual team members or their CVs, the PoC plan needs to include justification that the persons working on the tasks are well qualified for the purpose. The description of the team needs to be filled in the Part B formPDF – section 1b.iii. Plan of the proof of concept – Description of the Action – Description of the team. More information on the submission and evaluation procedures can be found in the ERC Work Programme 2023PDF, in the section relevant to the call, as well as in the Information for Applicants to the Proof of Concept Grant 2023 CallPDF.

Yes, under the ERC 2023 Proof of Concept (ERC-2023-PoC) call, submitting an application with a spin-off company as Host Institution (HI) is feasible, as long as it complies with the eligibility criteria for an eligible HI defined in the ERC Work Programme 2023PDF. The HI of the ERC Proof of Concept (PoC) proposal does not have to be the same as the HI of the main frontier research Grant.

For Proof of Concept (PoC) actions (e.g. ERC-2025-Proof of Concept Grant call - ERC-2025-PoC), where they bring scientific added value to the project, additional team members may also be hosted by additional legal entities, which may be established anywhere, including outside the European Union or Associated Countries, or international organisations, subject to any restrictions provided in Annex 3 to the ERC Work Programme 2025PDF.

Yes. In view of the ongoing negotiations of the association of Switzerland to Horizon Europe and as set out in the transitional arrangement, legal entities established in Switzerland will now be treated as entities established in an Associated Country under the ERC 2025 Proof of Concept Grant (ERC-2025-PoC). The grant agreements can only be signed with successful applicants if the association agreement with Switzerland applies at that time. For more information on the eligibility criteria for the ERC 2025 Proof of Concept, you can refer to the ERC Work Programme 2025PDF.

For Proof of Concept (PoC) actions (eg. ERC-2024-Proof of Concept Grant call - ERC-2024-PoC), where they bring scientific added value to the project, additional team members may also be hosted by additional legal entities, which may be established anywhere, including outside the European Union or Associated Countries, or international organisations, subject to any restrictions provided in Annex 3 to the ERC Work Programme 2024PDF.

Under the ERC Work Programme 2023PDF, in the context of a POC project, the situation for additional participants/beneficiaries from non-associated third countries is different for PoC compared to ERC main grants.

In contrast with the main ERC grants, there is no provision allowing for this possibility for PoC projects under the ERC Work Programme 2023PDF. The applicable provision for PoC calls is Article 23.2.(b) of the Regulation establishing the Horizon Europe programme applies, i.e.:

“Legal entities established in a non-associated third country shall bear the cost of their participation. However, a legal entity established in (…) non-associated third countries, shall be eligible for funding in an action if: (…) the Commission or the relevant funding body considers that the participation of the legal entity concerned is essential for implementing the action.”

Therefore, in accordance with this provision, for POC projects, the participation with EU funding of entities established in non-associated third countries is limited to entities whose participation is deemed essential.Applicants to the 2023 ERC Proof of Concept (PoC) call can therefore still include a beneficiary/participant from a non-associated third country, but EU funding may only be granted to this beneficiary/participant if their participation is deemed essential for implementing the action.

No. For the 2025 ERC Advanced Grants (ERC-2025-ADG), the size of the lump sum is defined by the proposed activities and the resources needed and will therefore vary between proposals. The maximum grant amount for Advanced Grants is €2.5 million, to which a further €1 million can be requested as additional funding where justified.

ERC Proof of Concept (POC) grants are implemented under a fixed lump sum model where every funded project has the same budget, currently € 150,000.

More information can be found in the ERC Work Programme 2025PDF.

No Supplementary Agreement (SA) needs to be signed for the HE ERC Proof of Concept projects. The MGA (Model Grant Agreement) Annex 5 Article 18 “Specific rules for ERC Grants” stipulates that: “For ERC Proof of Concept Grants, the specific rules on reporting (scientific and periodic reporting) and the special conditions for the principal investigator and their team do not apply”. Consequently, no Supplementary Agreement (SA) is needed for the ERC Proof of Concept Grants. See Lump Sum Model Grant AgreementPDF (MGA), and MGA used for ERC actions under Horizon Europe (HE General MGA).PDF

For ERC Proof of Concept (ERC-2025-PoC) Lump Sum actions, beneficiaries do not need to keep records on their actual costs for the purpose of triggering the payment of the lump sum. They only need to keep appropriate and sufficient evidence (documentation, records) that the action tasks (as described in Annex 1) were properly carried out. For more information, please refer to the Multi & Mono Model Grant Agreement for Lump Sum GrantsPDF.

Yes. For the ERC 2025 Proof of Concept lump sum grant call (ERC-2025-PoC), it is possible to make an application with a SME, as long as their Host Institution (HI) complies with the eligibility criteria for an eligible HI defined in the ERC Work Programme 2025PDF. It is allowed to select members of the SME, etc. to be part of the team, being either engaged under their main Host Institution or under another Host Institution. (The HI of the ERC Proof of Concept (PoC) proposal does not have to be the same as the HI of the main frontier research Grant.) The PIs should demonstrate that such resources are appropriate for the planned work and justify the participation roles of these involved actors in relation to the additional resources this may impose to the PoC project (see Part B, in the Application formPDF (HE ERC PoC) template).

No. For the 2024 ERC Advanced Grants (ERC-2024-ADG), the size of the lump sum is defined by the proposed activities and the resources needed and will therefore vary between proposals. The maximum grant amount for Advanced Grants is €2.5 million, to which a further €1 million can be requested as additional funding where justified.

ERC Proof of Concept (POC) grants are implemented under a fixed lump sum model where every funded project has the same budget, currently € 150,000.

For ERC Proof of Concept (ERC-2024-PoC) Lump Sum actions, beneficiaries do not need to keep records on their actual costs for the purpose of triggering the payment of the lump sum. They only need to keep appropriate and sufficient evidence (documentation, records) that the action tasks (as described in Annex 1) were properly carried out. For more information, please refer to the Multi & Mono Model Grant Agreement for Lump Sum GrantsPDF.

Yes. For the ERC 2024 Proof of Concept lump sum grant call (ERC-ERC-2024-PoC), it is possible to make an application with a SME, as long as their Host Institution (HI) complies with the eligibility criteria for an eligible HI defined in the ERC Work Programme 2024PDF. It is allowed to select members of the SME, etc. be part of the Team, being either engaged under their main Host Institution or under another Host Institution. (The HI of the ERC Proof of Concept (PoC) proposal does not have to be the same as the HI of the main frontier research Grant.) The PIs should demonstrate that such resources are appropriate for the planned work and justify the participation roles of these involved actors in relation to the additional resources this may impose to the PoC project (see Part B, in the Application form (HE ERC PoC)PDF template).

For ERC Proof of Concept (ERC-2023-PoC) Lump Sum actions, beneficiaries do not need to keep records on their actual costs for the purpose of triggering the payment of the lump sum. They only need to keep appropriate and sufficient evidence (documentation, records) that the action tasks (as described in Annex 1) were properly carried out. For more information, please refer to the Multi & Mono Model Grant Agreement for Lump Sum GrantsPDF.

According to the ERC Work Programme 2025PDF, applications to the ERC-2025-PoC (Proof of Concept) call can be submitted at any time from the opening date of the call until its final deadline and will be evaluated and selected in two rounds, based on two specific cut-off dates. The ERC-2025-PoC call opens on 13 November 2024, with a first deadline for submission on 13 March 2025, and the second (last) deadline on 18 September 2025 (see ERC Work Programme 2025PDF). A Principal Investigator may submit only one eligible application per call. If further submissions are made at different cut-off dates of the ERC-2025-PoC call, only the first admissible and eligible proposal will be considered (inadmissible, ineligible, or withdrawn applications do not count against this limit).

Yes, Synergy Grant (SYG) Principal Investigators are eligible to apply to the ERC 2025 Proof of Concept (ERC-2025-PoC) call, only with the written consent of all Principal Investigators in the same Synergy Grant project (see ERC Work Programme 2025PDF). However, the written consents should not be submitted with the application. Please note that the ERCEA may request the applicant PI at any time during the evaluation, to provide proof of the written consent obtained prior to the call submission deadline. If the proposal is retained for EU funding, all applicants will be requested to sign a declaration of honour: see in the online e-submission formPDF, Part A, under Section 1 - General Information: specific declaration (mandatory field), as regards the consent obtained from participants and researchers. You can refer also to our Information for ApplicantsPDF guidance.

For the ERC 2025 Proof of Concept grant call (ERC-2025-PoC), the last declaration (10) listed in the section 1 - General Information of the Part A - Administrative formPDF, refers only to the type of Lump Sum Grants with a detailed budget table, which is not applicable to the ERC Proof of Concept Lump Sum grant calls. The ticking of this box is therefore not mandatory for ERC-2025-PoC proposal submission.

For the ERC 2025 Proof of Concept grant call (ERC-2025-PoC) submission of proposal, the overall page limit for the application formPDF Part B is ten (10) pages excluding the information related to the proposal on page one (applicant’s last name; proposal title, acronym; reference to the PoC call and name of the Part B form), abstract, the risk mitigation table, and the references. More information is available in the Information for ApplicantsPDF.

To be eligible for ERC 2025 calls, host institutions –which can be public bodies,research organisations or higher education institutions (including private research organisations and private higher education institutions establishments) from an EU Member State or Associated Country– must have a gender equality plan (GEP) or an equivalent strategic document in place for the duration of the project. Please be aware that it is not necessary for the host institution to have already the GEP or equivalent strategic document in place at the time of the submission and the absence of a GEP will not affect the evaluation of the project. However, if the project is successful, it will be necessary before the signature of the grant agreement.

To be eligible for ERC calls, Host Institutions (HIs) – which can be public bodies, research organisations or higher education institutions (including private research organisations and private higher education institutions establishments) from an EU Member State or Associated CountryPDF – must have a gender equality plan (GEP) or an equivalent strategic document in place for the duration of the project.

Please be aware that it is not necessary for the Host Institution to have already the gender equality plan or equivalent strategic document in place at the time of the submission and the absence of a GEP will not affect the evaluation of the project. However, if the project is successful, it will be necessary before the signature of the grant agreement.

According to the ERC Work Programme 2024PDF, applications to the ERC-2024-PoC can be submitted at any time from the opening date of the call until its final deadline and will be evaluated and selected in two rounds, based on two specific cut-off dates. The ERC-2024-PoC call opens on 16 November 2023, with a first deadline for submission on 14 March 2024, and the second (last) deadline on 17 September 2024 (see ERC Work Programme 2024PDF). A Principal Investigator may submit only one eligible application per call. If further submissions are made at different cut-off dates of the ERC-2024-PoC call,only the first admissible and eligible proposal will be considered (inadmissible, ineligible or withdrawn applications do not count against this limit).

Yes, Synergy Grant (SYG) Principal Investigators are eligible to apply to the ERC 2024 Proof of Concept (ERC-2024-PoC) call, only with the written consent of all Principal Investigators in the same Synergy Grant project (see ERC Work Programme 2024PDF). However, the written consents should not be submitted with the application. Please note that the ERCEA may request the applicant PI at any time during the evaluation, to provide proof of the written consent obtained prior to the call submission deadline. If the proposal is retained for EU funding, all applicants will be requested to sign a declaration of honour (see in the online e-submission form, Part APDF, under Section 1 - General Information: specific declaration (mandatory field)), as regards the consent obtained from participants and researchers. You can refer also to our Information for ApplicantsPDF guidance.

For the ERC 2024 Proof of Concept grant call (ERC-2024-PoC), the last declaration (10) listed in the section 1 - General Information of the Part A - Administrative form, refers only to the type of Lump Sum Grants with a detailed budget table, which is not applicable to the ERC Proof of Concept Lump Sum grant calls. The ticking of this box is therefore not mandatory for ERC-2024-PoC proposal submission.

For the ERC 2024 Proof of Concept grant call (ERC-2024-PoC) submission of proposal, the overall page limit for the application form Part BPDF is ten (10) pages excluding the information related to the proposal on page one (applicant’s last name; proposal title, acronym; reference to the PoC call and name of the Part B form), the risk mitigation table, and the references. More information is available in the Information for ApplicantsPDF.

Yes, Synergy Grant (SYG) Principal Investigators are eligible to apply to the ERC 2023 Proof of Concept (ERC-2023-PoC) call, only with the written consent of all Principal Investigators in the same Synergy Grant project (see ERC Work Programme 2023PDF). Please note that the ERCEA may request the applicant PI at any time during the evaluation, to provide proof of the written consent obtained prior to the call submission deadline.

If the proposal is retained for EU funding, all applicants will be requested to sign a declaration of honour (see in the online e-submission formPDF, Part A, under Section 1 - General Information: specific declaration (mandatory field)), as regards the consent obtained from participants and researchers. You can refer also to our Information for Applicants guidancePDF.

According to the ERC Work Programme 2023PDF, applications to the ERC-2023-PoC can be submitted at any time from the opening date of the call until its final deadline and will be evaluated and selected in three rounds, based on three specific cut-off dates. A Principal Investigator may submit only one eligible application per call. If further submissions are made at different cut-off dates of the ERC-2023-PoC call, only the first admissible and eligible proposal will be considered (inadmissible, ineligible or withdrawn applications do not count against this limit).

For the ERC 2023 Proof of Concept grant call (ERC-2023-PoC), the last declaration (10) listed in the section 1 - General Information of the Part A - Administrative form refers only to the type of Lump Sum Grants with a detailed budget table, which is not applicable to the ERC Proof of Concept Lump Sum grant calls. At the moment however, the Declaration 10 appears as mandatory in the submission system, and when validating the form, validation check shows a blocking error.To avoid any blocking at submission, we therefore advise you to tick the Declaration 10 box, even if not applicable for the call. We apologise for this inconvenience.

For the ERC 2023 Proof of Concept grant call (ERC-2023-PoC) submission of proposal, the overall page limit for Part B is ten (10) pages excluding the information related to the proposal on page one (proposal title, reference to the PoC call and name of the Part B), the risk mitigation table, and the references. More information is available in the Information for Applicants.

Principal Investigators (PIs) with different profiles can apply to the ERC-2025-PoC call at any career stage. For ERC Proof of Concept grants, excellence is the sole criterion of evaluation. It will be applied in conjunction to the evaluation of both: the breakthrough innovation potential, approach and methodology of the project; and the strategic lead and project management of the Principal Investigator. PIs must demonstrate in their PoC Part B proposal, their ability to conduct the management of the project, the consolidation of information and data needed to take strategic decisions and implement the proposed plan, including risks and contingency measures. The PIs should describe their role in the PoC project, including how they will take the strategic lead of it. They should explain any experience or achievements in leading similar innovative projects (if applicable) and how this enables them to lead their PoC project to completion. If the PIs do not have any experience with similar projects, they should explain how they are fit to lead their Proof of Concept project (e.g. evidence of creativity, independent thinking, and taking strategic decisions). More information on the submission and evaluation procedures can be found in the ERC Work Programme 2025PDF, in the section relevant to the call, as well as in the Information for Applicants to the Proof of Concept Grant 2025PDF Call, and Part B of the proposal template.

There are no shares or quotas by domain or discipline for the ERC Proof of Concept (ERC-2025-PoC) call. No domain or field is excluded and the possibility for innovation arising from the social sciences and humanities to apply for a PoC funding is fully recognised. As stated in the ERC Work Programme 2025PDF: “Research proposals within the scope of Annex I to the Euratom Treaty, namely those directed towards nuclear energy applications, shall be submitted to relevant calls under the Euratom Research & Training Programme.”

No, time sheets are not needed for the contractual obligations of an ERC 2025 Proof of Concept (ERC- 2025-PoC) project. For more information, please refer to the Multi &Mono Model Grant Agreement for Lump Sum GrantsPDF.

Under the ERC Work Programme 2025, the financial contribution for a Proof of Concept project will be awarded as a lump sum of EUR 150 000 for a period of 18 months. The ERC expects that normally ERC-2025-PoC projects should be completed within 12 months and activities should be planned accordingly. However, to allow for those projects that require more preparation time, grant agreements will be signed for 18 months. Given this initial flexibility, extensions of the duration of proof of concept projects may be granted only exceptionally. More information can be found in the Multi & Mono Model Grant Agreement for Lump Sum GrantsPDF.

Under the ERC 2025 Proof of Concept (ERC-2025-PoC) call, a maximum of three Proof of Concept Grants may be awarded per main grant project, except for Synergy Grant, in which case a maximum of six Proof of Concept Grants may be awarded per ERC funded project. PoC projects can run in parallel, provided they comply with the eligibility conditions set out in the Work Programme under which they have been awarded. More information on the submission and evaluation procedures can be found in the ERC Work Programme 2025PDF, in the section relevant to the call, as well as in the guide Information for Applicants to the Proof of Concept Grant 2025PDF call.

In Horizon Europe,all interactions with ERCEA will take place online via the EU Funding & Tender Portal, under "My Area" (after EU Login). The handling of documents will be fully electronic as there is no need any more to exchange any paper document. The grants for the successful proposals submitted to the ERC 2025 calls (ERC-2025-STG, ERC-2025-COG, ERC-2025-ADG, ERC-2025-SyG, ERC-2025-PoC) will be prepared and then signed electronically. Requests of amendments will be prepared, submitted and either accepted or rejected electronically. All reports will have to be submitted for review via the EU Funding & Tender Portal. According to the various phases of the project lifecycle, the correct actors (HIs and/or PIs) will be informed via email that certain tasks must be performed in the EU Funding & Tender Portal. In case of the Synergy grants, the corresponding HI and PI are the main contacts with the Agency. Notwithstanding the above and in an effort to keep on offering a high level service, we strongly encourage both the HIs and the PIs to contact the respective Agency staff for discussion in an informal way about any changes in their respective action. This is of utmost importance in order to avoid cancellation of documents or requests that are incomplete or incorrect. The name and surname of the ERC officer responsible for the PI's grant can be found in the EU Funding & Tender Portal. The officer can be easily contacted via the messaging tool embedded in the EU Funding & Tender Portal, allowing the PI (corresponding PI for the Synergy grants) to communicate directly with the officer without having to use emails, and providing Principal Investigators with assistance and guidance throughout the lifetime of the project.

Yes, Principal Investigators submitting a proposal to any ERC call must have, at the time of submission, the written consent of all participants on their involvement and on the content of the proposal, as well as of any researcher mentioned in the proposal as participating in the project (either as team member, collaborator, other PI or member of the advisory board), should the proposal be funded. The ERC Executive Agency may request PIs to provide proof of the written consent (email, letter) at any time. See also the ERC Rules of submission and evaluation under Horizon Europe.

Yes, Principal Investigators submitting a proposal to any ERC call (e.g. for ERC-2025-STG; ERC-2025-COG; ERC-2025-ADG; ERC-2025-SYG; ERC-2025-POC) must have, at the time of submission, the written consent of all participants on their involvement and on the content of the proposal, as well as of any researcher mentioned in the proposal as participating in the project (either as team member, collaborator, other PI or member of the advisory board), should the proposal be funded. The ERC Executive Agency may request PIs to provide proof of the written consent (email, letter) at any time. See also the ERC Rules of submission and evaluation under Horizon EuropePDF.

In Horizon Europe,all interactions with ERCEA will take place online via the EU Funding & Tender Portal, under "My Area" (after EU Login).The handling of documents will be fully electronic as there is no need any more to exchange any paper document. The grants for the successful proposals submitted to the ERC 2024 calls (ERC-2024-STG, ERC-2024-COG, ERC-2024-ADG, ERC-2024-SyG, ERC-2024-PoC) will be prepared and then signed electronically. Requests of amendments will be prepared, submitted and either accepted or rejected electronically. All reports will have to be submitted for review via theEU Funding & Tender Portal. According to the various phases of the project lifecycle, the correct actors (HIs and/or PIs) will be informed via email that certain tasks must be performed in the EU Funding & Tender Portal. In case of the Synergy grants, the corresponding HI and PI are the main contacts with the Agency. Notwithstanding the above and in an effort to keep on offering a high level service, we strongly encourage both the HIs and the PIs to contact the respective Agency staff for discussion in an informal way about any changes in their respective action. This is of utmost importance in order to avoid cancellation of documents or requests that are incomplete or incorrect. The name and surname of the ERC officer responsible for the PI's grant can be found in the EU Funding & Tender Portal. The officer can be easily contacted via the messaging tool embedded in the EU Funding & Tender Portal, allowing the PI (corresponding PI for the Synergy grants) to communicate directly with the officer without having to use emails, and providing Principal Investigators with assistance and guidance throughout the lifetime of the project.

In Horizon Europe, all interactions with ERCEA will take place online via the EU Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal, under "My Area" (after EU Login). The handling of documents will be fully electronic as there is no need any more to exchange any paper document. The grants for the successful proposals submitted to the ERC 2024 calls (ERC-2024-STG, ERC-2024-COG, ERC-2024-ADG, ERC-2024-SYG, ERC-2024-PoC) will be prepared and then signed electronically. Requests of amendments will be prepared, submitted and either accepted or rejected electronically. All reports will have to be submitted for review via the EU Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal. According to the various phases of the project lifecycle, the correct actors (HIs and/or PIs) will be informed via email that certain tasks must be performed in the EU Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal. In the case of Synergy grants, the corresponding HI and PI are the main contacts with the Agency. Notwithstanding the above and in an effort to keep on offering a high level service, we strongly encourage both the HIs and the PIs to contact the respective Agency staff for discussion in an informal way about any changes in their respective action. This is of utmost importance in order to avoid cancellation of documents or requests that are incomplete or incorrect. The name and surname of the ERC officer responsible for the PI's grant can be found in the EU Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal. The officer can be easily contacted via the messaging tool embedded in the EU Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal, allowing the PI (corresponding PI for the Synergy grants) to communicate directly with the officer without having to use emails, and providing Principal Investigators with assistance and guidance throughout the lifetime of the project.

Principal Investigators (PIs) with different profiles can apply to the ERC-2024-PoC call at any career stage. For ERC Proof of Concept grants, excellence is the sole criterion of evaluation. It will be applied in conjunction to the evaluation of both: the breakthrough innovation potential, approach and methodology of the project;and the strategic lead and project management of the Principal Investigator. PIs must demonstrate in their PoC Part B proposal, their ability to conduct the management of the project, the consolidation of information and data needed to take strategic decisions and implement the proposed plan, including risks and contingency measures. The PIs should describe their role in the PoC project, including how they will take the strategic lead of it. They should explain any experience or achievements in leading similar innovative projects(if applicable) and how this enables them to lead their PoC project to completion. If the PIs do not have any experience with similar projects, they should explain how they are fit to lead their Proof of Concept project (e.g. evidence of creativity, independent thinking, and taking strategic decisions). More information on the submission and evaluation procedures can be found in the ERC Work Programme 2024PDF, in the section relevant to the call, as well as in the Information for ApplicantsPDF to the Proof of Concept Grant 2024 Call, and Part B of the proposal template.

There are no shares or quotas by domain or discipline for the ERC Proof of Concept) 2024 call. No domain or field is excluded and the possibility for innovation arising from the social sciences and humanities to apply for a PoC funding is fully recognised. As stated in the ERC Work Programme 2024PDF: “Research proposals within the scope of Annex I to the Euratom Treaty, namely those directed towards nuclear energy applications, shall be submitted to relevant calls under the Euratom Research & Training Programme.”

No, time sheets are not needed for the contractual obligations of an ERC 2024 Proof of Concept (ERC-2024-PoC) project. For more information, please refer to the Multi & Mono Model Grant Agreement for Lump Sum GrantsPDF.

Under the ERC Work Programme 2024, the financial contribution will be awarded as a lump sum of EUR 150 000 for a period of 18 months. The ERC expects that normally ERC-2024-PoC projects should be completed within 12 months and activities should be planned accordingly. However, to allow for those projects that require more preparation time, grant agreements will be signed for 18 months. Given this initial flexibility, extensions of the duration of proof of concept projects may be granted only exceptionally. More information can be found in the Multi & Mono Model Grant Agreement for Lump Sum GrantsPDF.

Under the ERC 2024 Proof of Concept (ERC-2024-PoC) call, a maximum of three Proof of Concept Grants may be awarded per main grant project, except for Synergy Grant, in which case a maximum of six Proof of Concept Grants may be awarded per ERC funded project. PoC projects can run in parallel, provided they comply with the eligibility conditions set out in the Work Programme under which they have been awarded. More information on the submission and evaluation procedures can be found in the ERC Work Programme 2024PDF, in the section relevant to the call, as well as in the guide Information for ApplicantsPDF to the Proof of Concept Grant 2024 call.

The Principal Investigator (PI) should be engaged by the Host Institution of the ERC PoC Grant during its entire duration. There is no minimum commitment percentage of the working time required from the PI applying for the ERC-2024-PoC call. However, in the grant agreement, PIs must enter a minimum of their working time, as they are responsible for managing the ERC PoC project. It is essential that the cumulative percentage commitment that the PI spends on the ERC PoC action and on the main ERC StG/CoG/AdG/SyG Grant (if still ongoing) does not exceed 100%. For more information please refer to the ERC Work Programme 2024PDF.

Principal Investigators (PIs) with different profiles can apply to the ERC-2023-PoC call at any career stage. For ERC Proof of Concept grants, excellence is the sole criterion of evaluation. It will be applied in conjunction to the evaluation of both: the breakthrough innovation potential, approach and methodology of the project; and the strategic lead and project management of the Principal Investigator. PIs must demonstrate in their PoC Part B proposal, their ability to conduct the management of the project, the consolidation of information and data needed to take strategic decisions and implement the proposed plan, including risks and contingency measures. The PIs should describe their role in the PoC project, including how they will take the strategic lead of it. They should explain any experience or achievements in leading similar innovative projects (if applicable) and how this enables them to lead their PoC project to completion. If the PIs do not have any experience with similar projects, they should explain how they are fit to lead their proof of concept project (e.g. evidence of creativity, independent thinking, and taking strategic decisions). More information on the submission and evaluation procedures can be found in the ERC Work Programme 2023PDF, in the section relevant to the call, as well as in the Information for Applicants to the Proof of Concept Grant 2023 CallPDF, and Part B of the proposal templatePDF.

Under the ERC 2023 Proof of Concept (ERC-2023-PoC) call, a maximum of three Proof of Concept Grants may be awarded per main grant project, except for Synergy Grant, in which case a maximum of six Proof of Concept Grants may be awarded per ERC funded project. PoC projects can run in parallel, provided they comply with the eligibility conditions set out in the Work Programme under which they have been awarded. More information on the submission and evaluation procedures can be found in the ERC Work Programme 2023PDF, in the section relevant to the call, as well as in the guide Information for Applicants to the Proof of Concept Grant 2023 callPDF.

There are no shares or quotas by domain or discipline for the ERC Proof of Concept) 2023 call. No domain or field is excluded and the possibility for innovation arising from the social sciences and humanities to apply for a PoC funding is fully recognised. As stated in the ERC Work Programme 2023PDF: “Research proposals within the scope of Annex I to the Euratom Treaty, namely those directed towards nuclear energy applications, shall be submitted to relevant calls under the Euratom Research & Training Programme.”

No, time sheets are not needed for the contractual obligations of an ERC 2023 Proof of Concept (ERC-2023-PoC) project. For more information, please refer to the Multi & Mono Model Grant Agreement for Lump Sum GrantsPDF.

The Principal Investigator (PI) should be engaged by the Host Institution of the ERC PoC Grant during its entire duration. There is no minimum commitment percentage of the working time required from the PI applying for the ERC-2023-PoC call. However, in the grant agreement, PIs must enter a minimum of their working time, as they are responsible for managing the ERC PoC project. It is essential that the cumulative percentage commitment that the PI spends on the ERC PoC action and on the main ERC StG/CoG/AdG/SyG Grant (if still ongoing) does not exceed 100%. For more information please refer to the ERC Work Programme 2023PDF.

Yes, under the ERC Work Programme 2023PDF, the financial contribution will be awarded as a lump sum of EUR 150 000 for a period of 18 months. The ERC expects that normally ERC-2023-PoC projects should be completed within 12 months. However, to allow for those projects that require more preparation time, grant agreements will be signed for 18 months. Given this initial flexibility, extensions of the duration of proof of concept projects may be granted only exceptionally. More information can be found in the Multi & Mono Model Grant Agreement for Lump Sum GrantsPDF.

Yes, Principal Investigators submitting a proposal to any ERC call must have, at the time of submission, the written consent of all participants on their involvement and on the content of the proposal, as well as of any researcher mentioned in the proposal as participating in the project (either as team member, collaborator, other PI or member of the advisory board), should the proposal be funded. The ERC Executive Agency may request PIs to provide proof of the written consent (email, letter) at any time.

The Proof of Concept grant proposal is evaluated based on the sole criterion of excellence, which comprises three evaluation elements. Reviewers will evaluate independently each eligible proposal submitted under the ERC PoC 2025 Proof of Concept (ERC-2025-PoC) call, and mark it as "very good", "good" or "fail" for each of the three evaluation elements. The applicants are provided with feedback on the outcome of the evaluation through an information letter and an evaluation report. The evaluation report indicates whether the proposal is retained for funding or not, and provides an overall "pass" or "fail" status for each of the three evaluation elements, the ranking range of the proposal in the final ranked list of all evaluated proposals, and the written assessment of the evaluation elements by each external independent expert. More information on the evaluation procedure can be found in the ERC Work Programme 2025PDF, in the section relevant to the call.

For the ERC 2025 Proof of Concept (ERC-2025-PoC) call, applicants submit the whole proposal that is evaluated in a single step by the independent external experts. The experts will review the Part B proposal and annexes with letters of support or intent. They will also have access to a simplified budget report based on the budget figures entered in Part A. For more information on the evaluation process, please refer to ERC Work Programme 2025PDF.

For ERC 2025 calls under Horizon Europe (e.g. for ERC-2025-STG; ERC-2025-COG; ERC-2025-ADG; ERC-2025-SYG; ERC-2025-POC), the information requested in Part A on the career stage of the PI will not be provided to the reviewers of your proposal and will not be part of the evaluation. This data is gathered for statistical purposes and used to evaluate the Horizon Europe Programme as a whole. See also the ERC Work Programme 2025PDF.

The Proof of Concept grant is evaluated based on the sole criterion of excellence, which comprises three evaluation elements. Reviewers will evaluate independently each eligible proposal submitted under the ERC PoC 2024 Proof of Concept (ERC-2024-PoC) call, and mark it as "very good", "good" or "fail" for each of the three evaluation elements. The applicants are provided with feedback on the outcome of the evaluation through an information letter and an evaluation report. The evaluation report indicates whether the proposal is retained for funding or not, and provides an overall "pass" or "fail" status for each of the three evaluation elements, the ranking range of the proposal in the final ranked list of all evaluated proposals and the written assessment of the evaluation elements by each external independent expert. More information on the evaluation procedure can be found in the ERC Work Programme 2024PDF, in the section relevant to the call.

For the ERC 2024 Proof of Concept (ERC-2024-PoC) call, applicants submit the whole proposal that is evaluated in a single step by the independent external experts. The experts will review the Part B proposal and annexes with letters of support or intent. They will also have access to a simplified budget report based on the budget figures entered in Part A. For more information on the evaluation process, please refer to ERC Work Programme 2024PDF.

To be eligible for calls with deadlines in 2024, legal entities from an EU Member State (MS) or Associated Country (AC) must have a gender equality plan (GEP) or an equivalent strategic document in place for the duration of the project.This information will not be provided to the reviewers and it will not be evaluated. In the Part A online submission form, there is a ‘yes/no’ tick box question that the Host Institution (HI)’s contact person must fill in. Only public bodies, research organisations or higher education institutions (including private research organisations and private higher education institutions) must answer this question. This answer and the absence of GEP at submission stage will not affect the evaluation of the proposal. The GEP or equivalent must fulfil the mandatory requirements listed in Annex 5 to the ERC Work Programme 2024PDF and will be necessary before the signature of the grant agreement. See guidelines op.europa.eu.

For ERC calls under Horizon Europe (e.g. for ERC-2024-STG; ERC-2024-COG; ERC-2024-ADG; ERC-2024-SYG; ERC-2024-POC), the information requested in Part A on the career stage of the PI will not be provided to the reviewers of your proposal and will not be part of the evaluation. This data is gathered for statistical purposes and used to evaluate the Horizon Europe Programme as a whole. See also the ERC Work Programme 2024PDF.

The Proof of Concept grant is evaluated based on the sole criterion of excellence, which comprises three evaluation elements. Reviewers will evaluate independently each eligible proposal submitted under the ERC PoC 2023 Proof of Concept (ERC-2023-PoC) call, and mark it as "very good", "good" or "fail" for each of the three evaluation elements. The applicants are provided with feedback on the outcome of the evaluation through an information letter and an evaluation report. The evaluation report indicates whether the proposal is retained for funding or not, and provides an overall "pass" or "fail" status for each of the three evaluation elements, the ranking range of the proposal in the final ranked list of all evaluated proposals and the written assessment of the evaluation elements by each external independent expert. More information on the evaluation procedure can be found in the ERC Work Programme 2023PDF, in the section relevant to the call.

To be eligible for calls with deadlines in 2022 and 2023, legal entities from an EU Member State (MS) or Associated Country (AC) must have a gender equality plan (GEP) or an equivalent strategic document in place for the duration of the project. This information will not be provided to the reviewers and it will not be evaluated. In the Part A online submission form, there is a ‘yes/no’ tick box question that the Host Institution (HI)’s contact person must fill in. Only public bodies, higher education institutions (including private research organisations and private higher education institutions) must answer this question. This answer will not affect the evaluation of the proposal. In case the proposal is selected for funding, the HI must have a GEP or an equivalent strategic document in place at granting stage. The GEP or equivalent must fulfil the mandatory requirements listed in Annex 5 of the ERC Work Programme 2023PDF and will be necessary before the signature of the grant agreement. See guidelines GEPs_in_HE_guidelines.pdfPDF.

For ERC calls under Horizon Europe, the information requested in Part A on the career stage of the PI will not be provided to the reviewers of your proposal and will not be part of the evaluation. This data is gathered for statistical purposes and used to evaluate the Horizon Europe Programme as a whole.

For the ERC 2023 Proof of Concept (ERC-2023-PoC) call, applicants submit the whole proposal that is evaluated in a single step by the independent external experts. The experts will review the Part B proposal and annexes with letters of support or intent. They will also have access to a simplified budget report based on the budget figures entered in Part A. For more information on the evaluation process, please refer to ERC Work Programme 2023PDF.

Under the ERC Proof of Concept (ERC-2025-PoC) Grant call, given the shorter length of the project (in comparison to ERC main Frontier Research Grants), the project report is required only once, at the end of the project,and will combine the technical and financial aspects in one single document. Article 21 of the Multi & Mono Model Grant Agreement for Lump Sum GrantsPDF defines the reporting requirements. The ERC PoC report must be prepared and submitted online via the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Yes, under the ERC Work Programme 2025PDF, ERC Proof of Concept (PoC) grants can be transferred to a new beneficiary, as described in Article 41 of the Multi & Mono Model Grant Agreement for Lump Sum GrantsPDF.

Under the ERC Proof of Concept (ERC-2024-PoC) Grant call, given the shorter length (in comparison to ERC main Frontier Research Grants), the project report is required only once, at the end of the project, and will combine the technical and financial aspects in one single document. Article 21 of the Multi & Mono Model Grant Agreement for Lump Sum GrantsPDF defines the reporting requirements. The ERC PoC report must be prepared and submitted online via the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Yes, under the ERC Work Programme 2024PDF, ERC PoC grants can be transferred to a new beneficiary, as described in Article 41 of the Multi & Mono Model Grant Agreement for Lump Sum GrantsPDF.

Under the ERC Proof of Concept (ERC-2023-PoC) Grant call, given the shorter length (in comparison to ERC main Frontier Research Grants), the project report is required only once, at the end of the project, and will combine the technical and financial aspects in one single document. Article 21 of the Multi & Mono Model Grant Agreement for Lump Sum GrantsPDF defines the reporting requirements. The ERC PoC report must be prepared and submitted online via the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Yes, under the ERC Work Programme 2023, ERC PoC grants can be transferred to a new beneficiary, as described in Article 41 of HE Lump sum Model Grant AgreementPDF.