ERC Starting Grant 2026

Call deadline: 14 October, 2025 

Internal assessment: 7 May, 2025

USI deadline for internal candidates w a professorial position: 25 August, 2025

Starting grants are addressed to talented early-career scientists who have already produced excellent supervised work. Applicants should have already shown evidence of potential for research independence (e.g. one important publication as main author or without the participation of their PhD supervisor).

Eligibility

• Researchers of any nationality with 2-7 years of experience since completion of PhD, a scientific track record showing great promise and an excellent research proposal can apply.
• Applicants must have successfully defended their PhD thesis between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2023 inclusive (ref. PhD defence/viva date).
• Both applicants with and without professorial position are eligible.

Funding and duration
Up to € 1.5 million. Budget covers 100% of the direct costs plus a contribution of 25% towards indirect costs.

Internal deadline & procedure for external candidates and internal candidates w/o a professorial position
External candidates, and internal candidates without a professorial position, must send: filled eligibility form, a complete CV + publication list, a cover motivation letter and letter/s of support from USI professor/s to Research Service ([email protected]) by the 7th of May. The internal assessment procedure last around 2 months in total. 

USI deadline for internal candidates w a professorial position
Internal applicants with a professorial position must notify their expression of interest to Research Service ([email protected]) by 25 August 2025 including provisional abstract and title of the project. 

More information
ERC Starting grant website

Contact
Research service