The European Research Council (ERC) has officially launched a call for applications for the 2026 ERC Advanced Grant. The program is intended for internationally established researchers with significant research achievements who wish to carry out ambitious and groundbreaking projects with the potential to fundamentally advance the frontiers of knowledge in their field.& nbsp; Applications may be submitted until August 27, 2026.
Who can apply?
Applicants for an ERC Advanced Grant—known as Principal Investigators (PIs)—are expected to be actively engaged in scientific research and to have a demonstrable track record of exceptional research achievements in recent years. The ERC seeks exceptional individuals with significant international impact and original scientific contributions.
There are no formal eligibility criteria regarding age or the length of the career following the award of a Ph.D. Applications may be submitted in all research fields. The project must be carried out at a host institution in one of the EU Member States or in a country associated with the Horizon Europe program.
Funding of up to 2.5 million euros
The ERC Advanced Grant provides funding of up to 2.5 million euros for a period of five years. In specific cases, additional funding may also be requested, for example for the purchase of major equipment, access to large research infrastructures, or extensive field research.
A budget of approximately 746.7 million euros has been allocated for the ERC Advanced Grant 2026 call. The ERC expects to fund roughly 300 research projects.
Changes to the proposal structure for 2026
A significant change for the 2026 ERC calls is the revised structure of the project proposal. The Scientific Proposal will now be divided into two parts:
- Part I focuses on the groundbreaking scientific idea, project objectives, and overall research strategy;
- Part II contains the detailed methodology, work plan, risk analysis, budget, and other implementation aspects of the project.
A detailed assessment of the project’s feasibility will now take place only in the second phase of evaluation.
Restrictions on resubmission of proposals
The ERC continues to apply rules restricting resubmission of proposals in the case of unsuccessful applications. For the Starting, Consolidator, and Advanced Grant calls in 2027, the rules remain the same as in previous years. Applicants whose proposal received a “C” rating in Step 1 in 2025 or 2026 are not eligible to apply to the 2027 ERC calls. Applicants with a “B” rating in Step 1 in 2026 will also not be eligible to apply in the following call.
The ERC initially considered further tightening these rules; however, following feedback from the research community, the European Research Council announced that the current restrictions will be maintained for StG, CoG, and AdG grants in the 2027 work program.
Applications must be submitted via EU Funding & Tenders Portal, where all tender documentation for the call, including the project proposal template, is available.
The project proposal must be prepared in accordance with the current rules set out in ERC Work Programme for 2026. We also recommend using the applicant’s guide, the so-called Information for Applicants to the Advanced Grant 2026 Call, when preparing your proposal.
Useful links
ERC Work Programme 2026 – a binding document containing basic information about ERC calls for 2026
ERC AdG – the official ERC website with information on the grant scheme
Towards an ERC Advanced Grant: from groundbreaking idea to successful proposal – recording of an event organized by the ERC National Contact Network (April 29, 2026)
Information for Applicants to the Advanced Grant Call – detailed instructions for preparing and submitting a proposal
Source: EU Funding & Tenders Portal