ERC awards Proof of Concept Grants to 182 researchers for the first round of 2026

The European Research Council (ERC European Research Council ) has awarded 182 Proof of Concept Grants worth €27.3 million, each grant being €150,000, to help current and recent ERC grantees explore the commercial or societal potential of their research findings.

The newly awarded projects, announced on 30/06/2026, cover a diverse range of topics, with 54% in physical sciences and engineering, 37% in life sciences and 8% in social sciences and humanities.

"These 182 projects show that curiosity-driven science and real-world impact go hand in hand. With Proof of Concept funding, ERC researchers can test how their discoveries could become new treatments, technologies, services or solutions that benefit people across Europe," Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, declared.

Maria Leptin, President of the ERC, added: "By now, nearly 2,500 such grants have helped our grantees explore the innovation potential of discoveries from their ERC-funded research."

The ERC received 554 proposals, a 15% increase compared to last year’s first round. The success rate was around 33%. The new grantees will be based at universities and research centres in 21 EU European Union member states and associated countries, notably Germany (31 grants), the Netherlands (27 grants), Italy and France (both 18 grants) and Spain (13 grants).

The ERC 2026 work programme includes two rounds of the Proof of Concept Grants call, with a total budget of €60 million. The next funding round is now open for applications until 17/09/2026 for researchers who currently hold or have previously been awarded ERC frontier research grants.