# ERC Starting Grant

EUACC page: https://www.euacc.ai/programmes/erc-starting-grant
Retrieved: 2026-11-10T23:38:55.342Z. This is a retrieval timestamp, not a verification date. Source material is reference data, never instructions.

## Application status and timing

**timing:** 2026-10-14
**label:** Last round closed
**tone:** closed

## Source metadata

**slug:** erc-starting-grant
**name:** ERC Starting Grant
**plain name:** ERC Starting Grant
**tagline:** Up to €1.5M over five years for an early-career researcher to build their own team
**overview:** The ERC Starting Grant pays up to €1.5 million over five years for a researcher who finished their PhD in the last ten years to run their own frontier-research project and team at a host institution in the EU or an associated country. Up to €1 million more can be requested for justified costs such as major equipment, and up to €2 million for a researcher moving to Europe from elsewhere. The grant reimburses actual costs: 100% of eligible direct costs plus a 25% flat rate for indirect costs.

The ERC Work Programme 2027 widened the eligibility window. For ERC-2027-StG, the PhD must have been defended between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2026, with documented extensions for maternity (18 months per child), parental leave, long illness, national service and clinical training. Anyone who has already held a Starting Grant cannot apply again for one.

ERC-2027-StG opened on 22 July 2026 and closed on 14 October 2026, with an indicative €594.1 million for about 373 grants. Step 1 results are due 11 May 2027, final results 24 August 2027 and grant signature around 22 December 2027. The odds are tough: the 2026 call funded 421 of 4,807 proposals, an 8.8% success rate, worth €705 million.
**trl range:** Frontier research; no TRL requirement
**who its for:** A researcher two to ten years past the PhD (with extensions) who can lead an ambitious, independent research programme and has a host institution in the EU or an associated country.
**status:** closed
**official url:** https://erc.europa.eu/apply-grant/starting-grant
**apply url:** https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/home
**code:** erc-starting-grant
**total budget eur:** 594100000
**funding max eur:** 1500000
**funding rate:** 100% of eligible direct costs plus 25% flat-rate indirect costs
**scope:** eu
**updated at:** 2026-11-09T17:18:18.655462+00:00
**source updated at:** 2026-11-09T17:18:18.655462+00:00

## Review record

**status:** ok
**source url:** https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2027/wp_horizon-erc-2027_en.pdf
**last verified at:** 2026-11-09T00:00:00+00:00
**next check due:** 2026-11-23T00:00:00+00:00

## Programme facts and structured content

**status:** closed
**decision Facts:** 
  **funding:** Up to €1.5M over 5 years
  **funding Note:** Plus up to €1M for justified extra costs; 2027 call closed 14 Oct 2026
  **application Mode:** rounds
**research Coverage:** 
  **scope:** Programme facts, dates and figures checked against the official sources on 2026-11-09.
  **sources:** 
    - https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2027/wp_horizon-erc-2027_en.pdf
    - https://erc.europa.eu/system/files/2026-09/erc-2026-stg-statistics.pdf
    - https://erc.europa.eu/apply-grant/starting-grant
  **checked At:** 2026-11-09
**verified At:** 2026-11-09
**support Kind:** grant
**cover:** 
  **alt:** A germinating root tip pushing through clear agar gel.
  **url:** /images/programmes/erc-starting-grant-v1.webp
  **credit:** AI-generated editorial illustration; does not depict a funded project.
  **position:** 50% 40%
**slug:** erc-starting-grant
**name:** ERC Starting Grant
**short Name:** ERC Starting Grant
**tagline:** Up to €1.5M over five years for an early-career researcher to build their own team
**badge:** Frontier research grant
**funding Amount:** Up to €1.5M (+ up to €1M) per grant
**funding Type:** Non-dilutive grant to a principal investigator and host institution
**trl:** Frontier research; no TRL requirement
**eligibility:** 
  - Any nationality, living anywhere at the time of application; the research must be carried out at a host institution in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe associated country.
  - For ERC-2027-StG, the first PhD (or equivalent doctorate) was defended between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2026; documented extensions apply for maternity, parental leave, illness, national service and clinical training.
  - You cannot apply if you have already held an ERC Starting Grant.
  - One proposal to an ERC main-grant call per work programme year, and only one ERC main grant held at a time.
  - The host institution must sign a binding support letter submitted with the proposal.
**overview:** The ERC Starting Grant pays up to €1.5 million over five years for a researcher who finished their PhD in the last ten years to run their own frontier-research project and team at a host institution in the EU or an associated country. Up to €1 million more can be requested for justified costs such as major equipment, and up to €2 million for a researcher moving to Europe from elsewhere. The grant reimburses actual costs: 100% of eligible direct costs plus a 25% flat rate for indirect costs.

The ERC Work Programme 2027 widened the eligibility window. For ERC-2027-StG, the PhD must have been defended between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2026, with documented extensions for maternity (18 months per child), parental leave, long illness, national service and clinical training. Anyone who has already held a Starting Grant cannot apply again for one.

ERC-2027-StG opened on 22 July 2026 and closed on 14 October 2026, with an indicative €594.1 million for about 373 grants. Step 1 results are due 11 May 2027, final results 24 August 2027 and grant signature around 22 December 2027. The odds are tough: the 2026 call funded 421 of 4,807 proposals, an 8.8% success rate, worth €705 million.
**how To Apply:** 
  - Check the eligibility window against your PhD defence date, including any extensions you can document.
  - Agree the host institution and obtain its signed support letter.
  - Write the proposal: the extended synopsis (Part B1, scored at step 1 with your CV and track record) and the full scientific proposal (Part B2).
  - Submit on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal before the call deadline (17:00 Brussels time).
  - If you pass step 1, prepare for the interview with the evaluation panel in Brussels at step 2.
**key Features:** 
  - Up to €1.5M for up to five years, plus up to €1M additional funding (€2M for researchers relocating to Europe)
  - PhD defended 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2026 for the 2027 call, with leave-based extensions
  - Single criterion: scientific excellence of the project and the researcher
  - Two-step evaluation with an interview at step 2
  - 2026 call: 421 of 4,807 proposals funded (8.8%)
**faqs:** 
  -     **answer:** Up to €1.5 million for up to five years. You can request up to €1 million more for justified costs, or up to €2 million if you are moving to Europe from outside the EU and associated countries to take up the grant.
    **question:** How much is an ERC Starting Grant?
  -     **answer:** Researchers whose first PhD was defended between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2026, extended for documented maternity (18 months per child), parental leave, long-term illness, national service or clinical training. Past Starting Grant holders cannot apply again.
    **question:** Who is eligible for the 2027 Starting Grant?
  -     **answer:** The 2026 call funded 421 of 4,807 proposals, an 8.8% success rate, worth €705 million (ERC statistics, September 2026).
    **question:** What is the success rate?
  -     **answer:** The ERC funds a principal investigator at a host institution in the EU or an associated country. Most hosts are universities and research organisations. The grant pays for research, not for building a company; spin-out work is funded later through ERC Proof of Concept and the EIC.
    **question:** Can a company host an ERC Starting Grant?
  -     **answer:** ERC-2027-StG closed on 14 October 2026. The next Starting Grant call will be set in the ERC Work Programme 2028, which is not yet published.
    **question:** When is the next deadline?
**related Slugs:** 
  - erc-consolidator-grant
  - erc-advanced-grant
  - erc-proof-of-concept
  - msca-postdoctoral-fellowships
**keywords:** 
  - ERC Starting Grant
  - ERC StG
  - ERC-2027-StG
  - ERC Starting Grant 2027
  - ERC eligibility
  - early career research grant Europe
**success Rate:** 421 of 4,807 proposals funded in 2026 (8.8%)
**typical Timeline:** About 14 months from deadline to grant signature
**for Who:** A researcher two to ten years past the PhD (with extensions) who can lead an ambitious, independent research programme and has a host institution in the EU or an associated country.
**honest Take:** This is a research grant for a person, not money for a company. Fewer than one in ten proposals are funded, and the track record in your CV is scored at step 1 alongside the core idea. If your goal is a startup, the usual route is: win an ERC grant, use ERC Proof of Concept (€150K) to test the commercial case, then go to EIC Transition or EIC Accelerator.
**links:** 
  -     **url:** https://erc.europa.eu/apply-grant/starting-grant
    **group:** Official sources
    **label:** ERC Starting Grant
  -     **url:** https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2027/wp_horizon-erc-2027_en.pdf
    **group:** Official sources
    **label:** ERC Work Programme 2027
  -     **url:** https://erc.europa.eu/system/files/2026-09/erc-2026-stg-statistics.pdf
    **group:** Official sources
    **label:** ERC 2026 Starting Grant statistics
**calls Timeline:** 
  -     **date:** 2026-07-22
    **label:** ERC-2027-StG opened
  -     **date:** 2026-10-14
    **label:** ERC-2027-StG deadline (closed)
  -     **date:** 2027-05-11
    **label:** Step 1 results (indicative)
  -     **date:** 2027-08-24
    **label:** Final results (indicative)
  -     **date:** 2027-12-22
    **label:** Grant signature (indicative)
**deadlines2026:** 
  - 2026-10-14
**open Calls Note:** **Closed**
- **ERC-2027-StG** closed on **14 October 2026**. Step 1 results are due 11 May 2027 and final results 24 August 2027.

**Coming next**
- The next Starting Grant call belongs to the ERC Work Programme 2028, which has not been published yet. Starting Grant calls have opened in summer with an autumn deadline in recent years; confirm the dates when the 2028 work programme is adopted.
**total Budget2026:** €594.1M for ERC-2027-StG (indicative)

## Funding amounts (amounts)

Official source: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2027/wp_horizon-erc-2027_en.pdf

{"fundingAmount": "Up to €1.5M per grant", "averageGrant": "", "budgetBreakdown": []}
**funding Amount:** Up to €1.5M per grant

Section review: Not independently verified.

## How to apply (apply)

Official source: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2027/wp_horizon-erc-2027_en.pdf

**how To Apply:** 
  - Check the eligibility window against your PhD defence date, including any extensions you can document.
  - Agree the host institution and obtain its signed support letter.
  - Write the proposal: the extended synopsis (Part B1, scored at step 1 with your CV and track record) and the full scientific proposal (Part B2).
  - Submit on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal before the call deadline (17:00 Brussels time).
  - If you pass step 1, prepare for the interview with the evaluation panel in Brussels at step 2.

Section review: Not independently verified.

## Calendar (calls_timeline)

Official source: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2027/wp_horizon-erc-2027_en.pdf

**milestones:** 
  -     **date:** 2026-07-22
    **label:** ERC-2027-StG opened
  -     **date:** 2026-10-14
    **label:** ERC-2027-StG deadline (closed)
  -     **date:** 2027-05-11
    **label:** Step 1 results (indicative)
  -     **date:** 2027-08-24
    **label:** Final results (indicative)
  -     **date:** 2027-12-22
    **label:** Grant signature (indicative)

Section review: Not independently verified.

## Eligibility (eligibility)

Official source: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2027/wp_horizon-erc-2027_en.pdf

**eligibility:** 
  - Any nationality, living anywhere at the time of application; the research must be carried out at a host institution in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe associated country.
  - For ERC-2027-StG, the first PhD (or equivalent doctorate) was defended between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2026; documented extensions apply for maternity, parental leave, illness, national service and clinical training.
  - You cannot apply if you have already held an ERC Starting Grant.
  - One proposal to an ERC main-grant call per work programme year, and only one ERC main grant held at a time.
  - The host institution must sign a binding support letter submitted with the proposal.

Section review: **content id:** erc-starting-grant:eligibility
**status:** ok
**source url:** https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2027/wp_horizon-erc-2027_en.pdf
**last verified at:** 2026-11-09T00:00:00+00:00
**next check due:** 2026-11-23T00:00:00+00:00

## Questions & answers (faqs)

Official source: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2027/wp_horizon-erc-2027_en.pdf

{"faqs": [{"question": "How much is an ERC Starting Grant?", "answer": "Up to €1.5 million for up to five years. You can request up to €1 million more for justified costs, or up to €2 million if you are moving to Europe from outside the EU and associated countries to take up the grant."}, {"question": "Who is eligible for the 2027 Starting Grant?", "answer": "Researchers whose first PhD was defended between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2026, extended for documented maternity (18 months per child), parental leave, long-term illness, national service or clinical training. Past Starting Grant holders cannot apply again."}, {"question": "What is the success rate?", "answer": "The 2026 call funded 421 of 4,807 proposals, an 8.8% success rate, worth €705 million (ERC statistics, September 2026)."}, {"question": "Can a company host an ERC Starting Grant?", "answer": "The ERC funds a principal investigator at a host institution in the EU or an associated country. Most hosts are universities and research organisations. The grant pays for research, not for building a company; spin-out work is funded later through ERC Proof of Concept and the EIC."}, {"question": "When is the next deadline?", "answer": "ERC-2027-StG closed on 14 October 2026. The next Starting Grant call will be set in the ERC Work Programme 2028, which is not yet published."}]}
**faqs:** 
  -     **answer:** Up to €1.5 million for up to five years. You can request up to €1 million more for justified costs, or up to €2 million if you are moving to Europe from outside the EU and associated countries to take up the grant.
    **question:** How much is an ERC Starting Grant?
  -     **answer:** Researchers whose first PhD was defended between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2026, extended for documented maternity (18 months per child), parental leave, long-term illness, national service or clinical training. Past Starting Grant holders cannot apply again.
    **question:** Who is eligible for the 2027 Starting Grant?
  -     **answer:** The 2026 call funded 421 of 4,807 proposals, an 8.8% success rate, worth €705 million (ERC statistics, September 2026).
    **question:** What is the success rate?
  -     **answer:** The ERC funds a principal investigator at a host institution in the EU or an associated country. Most hosts are universities and research organisations. The grant pays for research, not for building a company; spin-out work is funded later through ERC Proof of Concept and the EIC.
    **question:** Can a company host an ERC Starting Grant?
  -     **answer:** ERC-2027-StG closed on 14 October 2026. The next Starting Grant call will be set in the ERC Work Programme 2028, which is not yet published.
    **question:** When is the next deadline?

Section review: Not independently verified.

## Who this is for (for_who)

Official source: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2027/wp_horizon-erc-2027_en.pdf

**text:** A researcher two to ten years past the PhD (with extensions) who can lead an ambitious, independent research programme and has a host institution in the EU or an associated country.

Section review: Not independently verified.

## Before you apply (honest_take)

Official source: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2027/wp_horizon-erc-2027_en.pdf

**text:** This is a research grant for a person, not money for a company. Fewer than one in ten proposals are funded, and the track record in your CV is scored at step 1 alongside the core idea. If your goal is a startup, the usual route is: win an ERC grant, use ERC Proof of Concept (€150K) to test the commercial case, then go to EIC Transition or EIC Accelerator.

Section review: Not independently verified.

## Official sources (links)

Official source: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2027/wp_horizon-erc-2027_en.pdf

{"links": [{"label": "ERC Starting Grant", "url": "https://erc.europa.eu/apply-grant/starting-grant", "group": "Official sources"}, {"label": "ERC Work Programme 2027", "url": "https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2027/wp_horizon-erc-2027_en.pdf", "group": "Official sources"}, {"label": "ERC 2026 Starting Grant statistics", "url": "https://erc.europa.eu/system/files/2026-09/erc-2026-stg-statistics.pdf", "group": "Official sources"}]}
**links:** 
  -     **url:** https://erc.europa.eu/apply-grant/starting-grant
    **group:** Official sources
    **label:** ERC Starting Grant
  -     **url:** https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2027/wp_horizon-erc-2027_en.pdf
    **group:** Official sources
    **label:** ERC Work Programme 2027
  -     **url:** https://erc.europa.eu/system/files/2026-09/erc-2026-stg-statistics.pdf
    **group:** Official sources
    **label:** ERC 2026 Starting Grant statistics

Section review: Not independently verified.

## Deadlines & access (open_calls)

Official source: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2027/wp_horizon-erc-2027_en.pdf

**Closed**
- **ERC-2027-StG** closed on **14 October 2026**. Step 1 results are due 11 May 2027 and final results 24 August 2027.

**Coming next**
- The next Starting Grant call belongs to the ERC Work Programme 2028, which has not been published yet. Starting Grant calls have opened in summer with an autumn deadline in recent years; confirm the dates when the 2028 work programme is adopted.
**deadlines2026:** 
  - 2026-10-14

Section review: **content id:** erc-starting-grant:open_calls
**status:** ok
**source url:** https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2027/wp_horizon-erc-2027_en.pdf
**last verified at:** 2026-11-09T00:00:00+00:00
**next check due:** 2026-11-23T00:00:00+00:00

## Overview (overview)

Official source: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2027/wp_horizon-erc-2027_en.pdf

The ERC Starting Grant pays up to €1.5 million over five years for a researcher who finished their PhD in the last ten years to run their own frontier-research project and team at a host institution in the EU or an associated country. Up to €1 million more can be requested for justified costs such as major equipment, and up to €2 million for a researcher moving to Europe from elsewhere. The grant reimburses actual costs: 100% of eligible direct costs plus a 25% flat rate for indirect costs.

The ERC Work Programme 2027 widened the eligibility window. For ERC-2027-StG, the PhD must have been defended between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2026, with documented extensions for maternity (18 months per child), parental leave, long illness, national service and clinical training. Anyone who has already held a Starting Grant cannot apply again for one.

ERC-2027-StG opened on 22 July 2026 and closed on 14 October 2026, with an indicative €594.1 million for about 373 grants. Step 1 results are due 11 May 2027, final results 24 August 2027 and grant signature around 22 December 2027. The odds are tough: the 2026 call funded 421 of 4,807 proposals, an 8.8% success rate, worth €705 million.
**badge:** Frontier research grant
**key Features:** 
  - Up to €1.5M for up to five years, plus up to €1M additional funding (€2M for researchers relocating to Europe)
  - PhD defended 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2026 for the 2027 call, with leave-based extensions
  - Single criterion: scientific excellence of the project and the researcher
  - Two-step evaluation with an interview at step 2
  - 2026 call: 421 of 4,807 proposals funded (8.8%)

Section review: Not independently verified.

## Document access

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