Call for Proposals for ERC Advanced Grant 2026 (ERC-2026-AdG)

Opening date: 28 May 2026
Deadline date: 27 August 2026 (17:00:00) Brussels time
Budget allocation: 746 700 000 € (financing of 300 projects)
Funding: lump sum contribution
Type: single-stage

Applicants for an ERC Advanced Grant – the so-called Principal Investigators (PIs) – are expected to be actively engaged in research and to demonstrate outstanding scientific achievements in recent years. The ERC seeks exceptional researchers with a significant international impact and original scientific contributions.

There are no formal eligibility criteria regarding age or the length of a researcher’s career after obtaining a PhD. Applications may be submitted in any field of research. The project must be carried out at a host institution located in an EU Member State or a country associated with the Horizon Europe programme. 

Budget: up to a maximum of EUR 2,500,000 for a period of five years. If the project duration is shorter, the budget will be reduced pro rata.

Additional funding of up to EUR 1,000,000 may be requested to cover further eligible costs (start-up costs, major equipment, access to large facilities, and major experimental or fieldwork costs) when these are necessary for the project.

In the case of a Principal Investigator relocating to the EU or an Associated Country, an additional amount of up to EUR 2,000,000 may be requested.

ERC has implemented significant changes to the proposal structure.

The Scientific Proposal is divided into two parts:

Part I: Focuses on the groundbreaking scientific idea, the project's objectives, and the research strategy.

Part II: Provides a detailed description of the methodology, work plan, risk analysis, budget, and other aspects of the project.

Restrictions on resubmissions:

Principal Investigators whose proposals were ranked “C” at Step 1 may not apply for any ERC grant during the following two years.

Principal Investigators who received a “B” rating at Step 1 may not apply for one year.

These rules are subject to change.

Useful links:

Call Funding&Tenders Portal
European Research Council - Advanced Grant
Towards an ERC Advanced Grant: from groundbreaking idea to successful proposal (video by mercury NCPs)  
Database  of supported ERC projects (to be sorted by type, country, panel)

Documents to be downloaded: