ERC Plus Grant program, launched by the European Council (ERC) under the "Choose Europe" initiative, aims to support outstanding researchers with bold ideas and transformative research visions that go beyond the scope of existing ERC programs. Applications submitted to this grant scheme must encompass ground-breaking and original work that cannot be addressed with a regular ERC grant. Therefore, applicants are required to submit a Statement of Vision, explaining the magnitude of their vision and providing justifications as to why their proposed research cannot be carried out under a standard grant scheme.

The program is open to all scientific disciplines without any predetermined priorities. Both the innovative nature of the proposed project and the intellectual capacity of the researcher are evaluated as a whole by international peer review panels under the sole criterion of scientific excellence. As a legal requirement, all projects selected for funding will be subject to a multi-stage ethics review process.

🗓️ Call Timeline

• Call Opening Date: 2 June 2026
• Submission Deadline: 2 September 2026 (17:00 Brussels time)
• Notification of Step 1 Results: 16 February 2027
• Notification of Step 2 Results: 15 June 2027
• Grant Agreement Signature Date: 13 October 2027
  

✅ Eligibility

• Researchers at any career stage who are pioneers in their respective fields and have an outstanding record of scientific achievement.
  *A researcher may hold only one ERC Plus Grant in their lifetime.
• The project must be implemented at a public or private Host Institution (universities, institutes, etc.) established in an EU Member State or an Associated Country.
• The Principal Investigator (PI) is expected to dedicate a minimum of 30% of their working time to the ERC Plus project and spend a minimum of 50% of their total working time in an EU Member State or an Associated Country (including Türkiye).

Submission Restrictions: Researchers whose proposals received a 'B' or 'C' score at Step 1 in the ERC 2025 calls, or a 'C' score at Step 1 in the ERC 2024 calls, are not eligible to apply to the 2026 Plus call. Furthermore, researchers serving as panel members for the Advanced Grant 2026 call may not apply to the ERC Plus 2026 call.

📂 Support Scope and Duration

• The project duration must be a minimum of 4 years (48 months) and up to a maximum of 7 years (84 months).
• ERC Plus projects will be funded as a single lump sum contribution. Payments will be made based on the implemented and reported work packages. Direct eligible costs are reimbursed at a funding rate of 100%, and a 25% flat rate for indirect costs (overhead) is included in the budget.

💶 Funding Opportunities

• Maximum Budget Ceiling: €7,000,000
• In ERC Plus grants, unlike regular ERC grants, there is no possibility to request additional funding on top of the core budget ceiling.

📌 Important Links

ERC Plus Grant
Information for Applicants to the ERC Plus Call
Funding & Tenders
ERC Principal Investigator Development Program