European Research Council reveals its launch strategy

In its start up phase, the European Research Council will give priority to supporting careers of independent excellent researchers with around 300 million euro a year. 

The Scientific Council of the European Research Council (ERC) has published, on 28 April 2006, its outline strategy for the launch of the ERC and explained how it will support young researchers at its start-up phase. 

These notes state that two funding streams, operating on a ‘bottom up’ basis across all research fields will be the core of the ERC’s operations for the period of FP7, 2007-2013: 

• ERC Starting Independent Research Grant Scheme: in the start up phase of the ERC, priority will be given to independent researchers who are at the stage of establishing their first research team or doing their own independent research. A detailed note on this grant has been published. This grant will represent around a third of the ERC’s annual budget (300-350 million euro a year). Around 200 grants are expected to be made annually, each for up to 5 years. 
• Advanced Investigator research Grant Scheme will be established later on for projects lead by researchers at all career stages. A detailed note on this grant scheme will be published as soon as its parameters have been developed. 

“We are releasing these strategy notes today to give a clear indication of our thinking at an early stage, enabling the research community better to prepare for the launch of the ERC,” said the Chairman of the Scientific Council Professor Fotis Kafatos. 

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