Horizon Europe: First ERC calls

The ERC has published its provisional planning for the 2021-2022 calls.

Calendar of the first calls

The ERC Starting grant (StG), Consolidator grant (CoG), Advanced grant (AdG) and Proof of concept grant (POC) calls targeting ERC winners will be launched in January 2021, but with a time lag for the Starting and Consolidator grants:

A few points should be noted:

• Confirmation of the lack of Synergy call in 2021. But a call is planned for 2022.
• Continuity provided for the submission rules (eligibility criteria and templates to be used for submission) and restrictions on re-submissions (memory effect between H2020 and Horizon Europe for projects classified B and C).

What’s new?

• The panels: The structuring and description of certain panels will be modified to enable all fields of research to be covered and to better balance the number of projects submitted per panel. For more information, see the dedicated page on the ERC website.

Two new panels have been created:

1. PE11 : Materials Engineering – advanced materials development: performance enhancement, modelling, large-scale preparation,
   modification, tailoring, optimisation, novel & combined use of materials etc.
2. SH7 : Human Mobility, Environment and Space

• Advanced grant: Confirmation of orals in 2nd stage for AdGs according to the StG and CoG model.
• The assessor’s guide will be modified.

The ERC National Contact Point points out that there has been an increase in deposits over the last few years of eligibility (+7 in StG / +12 in CoG). However, the success rate is relatively equivalent, regardless of the number of years of experience after a PhD. The evaluators take into account the number of years after the PhD. The European Research Council Executive Agency (ERCEA) points out that there is no bias on this factor.

Read the ERC press release on the ERC’s transition to Horizon Europe and its implications.

AMU is here to help

As part of the initiative of CERCle – the ERC Club of the Aix Marseille site – the support units for setting up European AMU projects and the site’s partners are organising a series of actions to raise awareness, inform, accompany and coach teacher-researchers and researchers wishing to submit ERC projects. Their latest news are regularly updated on this website.