Plus Grants will only be limited to non-holders of existing ERC grants, President says

The President of the European Research Council (ERC) has said that the organisation's new €7 million seven-year grant will be “open to everyone”, except those who already hold an ERC grant.

On 28/11/2025, Maria Leptin, President of the ERC, presented the newly introduced ERC Plus Grants during a webinar organised by the Council. Initially referred to as “super grants,” the concept was launched under the Choose Europe for Science initiative to support researchers, particularly those encountering challenging conditions abroad. The Scientific Council developed Plus grants to reinforce Europe as a premier destination for scientific research.

The call will open in early summer 2026 and funding will be available over 2026 and 2027. The deadline for the first call will be September 2026.

"You are only eligible if you do not already hold a grant. If that is disappointing, I must note that the Scientific Council would very much like to continue the scheme in the future, even though we do not yet know what that future will look like," Leptin said.

Applicants to an ERC Plus grant may not submit…