1. Funding for
excellent IDEAS!
Andreja Zulim de Swarte,
EG-Liaison
ERC starting Grant information day
1 Sep 2010, VU Amsterdam

2. IDEAS programme
EU (FP7) funding for excellent ‘frontier research’
•centered around an excellent Principal Investigator- investigator-driven
•no need for transnational partners
ERCEA( European Research Council Executive Agency) funding agency
•Scientific Council designes the strategy
•Agency implements the programme
ERC STARTING grants ERC ADVANCED grants
2-12 years post-doc research leaders
Calls in summer (july) Calls in autumn(oct)
deadlines in autumn deadlines in spring
1/2 annual budget 1/2 annual budget
50% of time on project 30% of time on project
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3. Guiding principles of the ERC Grant
Scientific excellence is the sole selection criterion
Projects in all fields of research are eligible for funding PI
Individual research teams led by a single PI are supported
• Any nationality or age
Significant funding is provided to attract exceptional research
leaders
• up to StG- 1,5 (2,0) or AdG-2,5 (3,5) M€ per project/5
years
Grants are awarded to the host institution that engages the PI
The host institution guarantees the PI’s independence and
provides the research environment
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4. STARTING grant
Who is a Starting Grant PI?
• Future research leader
• shows the potential for research independence and evidence of
maturity with:
independently produced at least one important publication without
the participation of their PhD supervisor
promising track-record of early achievements appropriate to the
field and career stage
• Significant publications (as main author) in major
international peer-reviewed multi/disciplinary scientific
journals
• invited presentations in well-established international
conferences
• granted patents, awards, prizes etc.
• 50% of his/her time spend on ERC funded activity
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5. STARTING grant
2 streams: starter or consolidator?
"starters" (award of PhD 2 - 7 years prior to the Starting Grant call publication)
"consolidators" (award of PhD over 7 - 12 years prior to the Starting Grant call publication)
Extensions to eligibility window:
before/after PhD
Maternity leave: 18 months per child;
Paternity leave: accumulation of actual time taken off
Long-term illness, unavoidable statutory leave, obligatory national service after PhD
Extensions possible only up to a max. of 16.5 yrs after PhD award
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6. ADVANCED GRANT
Who is an Advanced Grant PI?
•30% of her/his working time spends on ERC funded activity
Track record CV of the last 10 years (active scientists!) *:
•10 publications as senior author in major international peer-reviewed multidisciplinary
journals and/or in the leading international peer-reviewed journals of their respective field
•3 major research monographs, of which at least 1 translated into another language (if
relevant for the field)
•5 patents
•10 invited presentations in well-established internationally organised conferences and
advanced schools
•3 research expeditions led by the applicant
•3 well-established international conferences or congresses where the applicant was
involved in their organisation as a member of the steering and/or organising committee
•International recognition through scientific prizes/awards or membership in well-regarded
Academies
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•*) not necessarily all is required. Depends on the research field

7. ADVANCED GRANT
Leadership profile of the PI
A list of career achievements
• content and impact of the major scientific/scholarly contributions to the research
fields and, if applicable, their wider societal impact
• the international recognition and diffusion that these major contributions have
received from others
publications, citations, funding, students, international prizes, institution-building…
• evidence of efforts and ability to inspire younger researchers towards high quality
research
research mentoring record, information on the careers of supervised graduate and
postdoctoral students
proven ability to productively change research fields, to establish new
interdisciplinary approaches
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8. Only FRONTIER RESEARCH
projects are funded…..in other words…
…the pursuit of questions at or beyond the FRONTIERS of knowledge, without
regard for established disciplinary boundaries…
... proposals of an INTERDISCIPLINARY nature which cross the boundaries between
different fields of research…
……PIONEERING proposals addressing NEW and emerging fields ….… and
…introducing unconventional, innovative approaches and scientific inventions is
encouraged…
…expected IMPACT on science, scholarship or engineering is significant..
…HIGH-GAIN/HIGH-RISK profile (the payoffs will be very significant)
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9. MONEY
HOW MUCH AND WHAT
StG-1,5 M€ (2) or AdG- 2,5 (3,5)
Purchase of equipment
Start up costs when moving from
third country
Co-Investigator (AdG ONLY)
GRANT: 100% direct costs
+ 20% indirect costs Personnel Costs;
Equipment Costs;
level of the grant = need of the project Consumables;
peer reviewers make a final decision on Travel and Subsistence Costs;
the level (may apply budget cut)
Publication Costs (page charges and related
fees for publication of results)
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10. Funding rules
• 100% of direct eligible costs, up to the maximum granted per project
• Plus 20% flat-rate for general costs (overheads)
• N.B.
• equipment: depreciation rules apply
• personnel costs: include increase in pay level
• subcontractors: no 20% overheads
• portability
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11. STARTING GRANT
CALL for proposals  ERC-2011-StG – 20 Jul 2010
CALL
3 deadlines, 3 domains, 660 M€
PE: Physical Sciences and Engineering 14 Oct 2010
• LS: Life Sciences 9 Nov 2010
• SH: Social Sciences and Humanities 24 Nov 2010
• Single submission – two-step evaluation
• Electronic submission only! (cordis.europa.eu)
RESUBMISSION
Eligible applicant to previous call may apply to this call if proposal has
met the quality threshold at the end of step 1 of evaluation
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12. ADVANCED GRANT
CALL for proposals  ERC-2011-AdG – 2 Nov 2010*
CALL
3 deadlines, 3 domains, ~660 M€
• PE: Physical Sciences and Engineering 9 Feb 2011*
• LS: Life Sciences 10 Mar 2011*
• SH: Social Sciences and Humanities 6 Apr 2011*
• Single submission – two-step evaluation
• Electronic submission only! (cordis.europa.eu)
RESUBMISSION
Eligible applicant to previous call may apply to this call if proposal has
met the quality threshold at the end of step 1 of evaluation
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* expected

13. Info pack:
Work programme
Guide for Applicants
EPSS
Pick a panel
Cordis.europa.eu
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14. 3 domains - 25 panels
Physical Sciences and Engineering 40%
Life Sciences 35%
Social Sciences and Humanities 15%
Cross-panel proposals 10%
Budget division within domains based on No. of applications
received per panel within domain
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15. Examples of (interdisciplinary) PANEL
Choose the right panel details in
the Guide for Applicants SH4: the human mind and its
complexity:
cognition, psychology, linguistics,
PE10: Earth system science
philosophy and education
Physical geography, geology,
geophysiscs, atmospheric sciences,
oceanography, climatology, ecology,
global environmental change, LS8: Evolutionary, population and
biogeochemical cycles, natural environmental biology:
resources management
evolution, ecology, animal
behaviour, population biology,
biodiversiy, biogeography, marine
biology, ecotoxicology, prokaryotic
biology
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16. EVALUATION – what is evaluated
EXCELLENCE is the only criterion
Peer review *
2 step evaluation
4: outstanding
3: excellent
2: very good
1: non-fundable
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17. Evaluating the PROPOSAL
PART A
web forms
ANNEXES –
A1-A3 PART B1 –as .pdf
as .pdf
forms
Section 1 Track Record of PI PART B2 –as .pdf
Letter of Section 2
1.Scientific Leadership Potential
support by Scientific proposal
host 15 p
2.CV (including “funding ID”)
institution!!
PhD 3.Early achievements track record + Ethical issues table and
certificate description
(StG ONLY)
4.Extended synopsis 5 p.
(+ supporting
documents –
extension)
(StG)
Eligibility check step 1 step 2 interview grant
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18. The evaluation
PROCESS
Proposals submitted Step 2 evaluation
Allocation to Panels
(25) Reading by Remote Referees
Reading and Assessment by Interviews of applicants
Panel members (12-15)
Panel meetings
Panel meetings
Panel chairs meetings
Proposals retained
for step 2 Proposals selected
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19. THE PROCESS-
from proposal to project
Remote+Panel evaluation
3X Interview (StG)
Proposal writing
9 -12 months
Preparing the grant agreement
Ranking
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20. Overview
funded
projects
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21. Collaborating with others?
‘traditional networks or research consortia
should not be submitted to ERC’
• ‘additional participant’ – receives and spends share of the budget. Justify
scientific need and limit number.
• ‘team member’ – may be located at different organisation. HI can cover
research expenses and in certain situations salary expenses
(‘secondment’). Check HI internal rules.
• ‘subcontractor’ – only for well defined and limited share of the work. Not
expected to co-author publications.
• Non-remunerated collaborations
• N.B. ‘participant’ refers to organisation not to individual
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HI = host institution

22. RESULTS 1st CALL Submitted Funded Success
290M€ rate
All 9167 299 3%
NL 542 27 5%
StG
share 5.9% 9%
2nd CALL Submitted Funded Success
290M€ rate
All 2503 244 10%
NL 134 19 14%
share 5.4% 7.8%
3rd CALL Submitted Funded Success
530M€ rate
All 2873 ? 12-15%??
NL ?
share ?
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23. RESULTS 1st CALL Submitted Funded Success
517M€ rate
All 2167 282 13%
NL 108 20 18%
AdG
share 5% 7%
2nd CALL Submitted Funded Success
490M€ rate
All 1584 243 15%
NL 80 17 21%
share 5% 7%
3rd CALL Submitted Funded Success
590M€ rate
All 2009 ?
NL ? ?
share
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24. More INFORMATION..
CORDIS website http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/home_en.html
ERC website: http://erc.europa.eu
ERC News Alert: http://erc.europa.eu/?fuseaction=reg.edit#01
ERC helpdesk (link HELP on ERC website)
EPSS helpdesk
technical support on electronic proposal submission support@epss-fp7.org
ERC National Contact Point www.egl.nl
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25. Don’t know how to do it? ASK NCP
EG-Liaison /Agentschap NL
Information www.egl.nl
Advice (technical, legal, financial) @: egl.erc@agentschapnl.nl
Training session and courses
Andreja Zulim de Swarte
088 602 5070
Andreja.ZulimdeSwarte@agentschapnl.nl Daphne van de Sande
088 602 5959
Daphne.vandeSande@agentschapnl.nl
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