Developing Competitive ERC Synergy Grant Proposals

GENERAL INFORMATION - Trained by Mette Skraastad, Yellow Research

How the ERC differs from other funding instruments: what makes ERC different than any type of other funding agency? How can you use this knowledge to tailor your application to speak to the mission of the funder?

Evaluation criteria: Scientific Excellence is the sole selection criterion. We will discuss what excellence can mean in the context of ERC Synergy Grant and how to balance ambition and the potential for a breakthrough against feasibility. We will cover the different terms used by the ERC to clarify what kind of research is funded.

Methodology & approach: Your ERC panel will assess the feasibility of your proposed by evaluating the methodology against the project's objectives, strategy and key intermediate stages and goals. We will discuss how to design & present an appropriate, robust and convincing scientific approach.

Implementation: We will discuss how to structure the scienfic proposal ('B2') element of your application and how to build a logical work and implementation plan in view of the risks taken to force a breakthrough in knowledge. We will also discuss how to put together your team to include the requisite expertise and appropriate working arrangements. We will cover the writing instructions for feasibility, key intermediate goals, intermediate stages and working arrangements.

Writing B1 and B2: Based on the B1 part the selected ERC panel will decide whether your proposal will progress to step 2. We will discuss how to summarise your project proposal in the abstract and the Extended Synopsis ('B1') and discuss how to decide what information to add to B1 and B2.

CVs & track records: We will discuss what panels are looking for in the PI part and how to present your CV and track record taking into account the evaluation criteria and your research field