Grants for mid-career researchers to carry out frontier research in any field or subject in an EU Member State or associated country.

The European Research Council (ERC) is part of the Pillar I (Excellent Science) strand of Horizon Europe. The ERC provides attractive, long-term funding to support investigators and their research teams pursue excellent, bottom-up research in any discipline.

The 2027 edition of the ERC Consolidator Grants are now open for applications. The grants are designed to support excellent Principal Investigators (PIs) at the career stage at which they may still be consolidating their own independent research team or programme. Applicant PIs must demonstrate the ground-breaking nature, ambition and feasibility of their scientific proposal.

Funding is for frontier research in any field. Proposals that cross disciplinary boundaries, pioneering ideas that address new and emerging fields and applications that introduce unconventional, innovative approaches are particularly encouraged.

The Principal Investigator (PI) should have successfully defended their first PhD 5 and 15 years before 1 January 2027. Successful Consolidator Grant Principal Investigators must have already shown research independence, for example by having produced several important publications without the participation of their PhD supervisor.

Investigators must have already shown research independence, such as by having produced several important publications without the participation of their PhD supervisor. PIs must intend to spend at least 40% of their working time on the ERC project and at least 50% of their time in an EU Member State or associated country.

PIs of any age and nationality may apply to carry out research in a host institution established in an EU Member State or associated country. The researcher may be residing in any country in the world at the time of application, but the host institution must be in an EU Member state or associated country.

The 2027 budget for Consolidator Grants is €618.5 million to fund an estimated 296 grants. Applicants may request up to a maximum of €2 million for a period of five years, in addition to a maximum of €1 million in additional start-up costs to move country, purchase major equipment or access large facilities. For Principal Investigators currently based in non-associated third countries relocating to the EU or an Associated Country to take up their ERC grant, the maximum additional funding may be up to €2 million.