The European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant (CoG) call supports researchers who wish to strengthen their independence, establish their own research team, or further advance their scientific career in Europe. The call is also open to those who have recently created an independent research group and want to reinforce it. The CoG call aims to fund innovative projects with high-risk/high-gain potential, with scientific excellence as the sole evaluation criterion.

📅 Call Timeline

• Opening: 25 September 2025
• Deadline: 13 January 2026, 17:00 (Brussels time)
• Call ID: ERC-2026-COG
• Budget: €673 million (approx. 341 projects to be funded)

✅ Eligibility Criteria

• Open to researchers of any nationality.
• Applicants must have successfully defended their first PhD between 1 January 2014 – 31 December 2018 (7–12 years after PhD).
• Extensions are allowed for documented circumstances such as maternity, paternity, parental leave, illness, military service, asylum, or gender-based violence.
• Research must be carried out in a host institution located in an EU Member State or Associated Country.
• The total budget can reach up to €5 million.

📂 Application Process

• Applications must be submitted via the Funding & Tenders Portal.
• The single-stage application model requires the following documents:
  • Part A (Administrative Forms, Budget, Ethics Table)
  • Part B1 (Scientific Proposal Part I, CV, Track Record)
  • Part B2 (Scientific Proposal Part II)
    • Host Institution Support Letter
    • Ethics Issues Table and Eligibility Documents

🔎 Evaluation

• Sole criterion: Scientific Excellence.
• Two-step evaluation, with interviews at Step 2.
• Proposals are scored as A, B, or C.

📌 Useful Links

• ERC Consolidator Grant 2026
• ERC Work Programme 2026
• Information for Applicants to the Starting and Consolidator Grant Calls
• ERC Rules of Submission and Evaluation under Horizon Europe

✉️ Boğaziçi University Project Office provides guidance and support to strengthen your project proposals. For assistance, please contact us at projectoffice@bogazici.edu.tr