Horizon Europe | ERC Advanced Grant 2026
The objective of the Advanced Grant is to support excellent Principal Investigators that are established research leaders. An ERC Advanced Grant Principal Investigator is expected to be an active researcher with a track record of significant research achievements.
ERC Advanced Grant calls are open to all topics and disciplines. Applications are evaluated exclusively on the basis of scientific excellence. The evaluation is carried out by around 12–16 reviewers (panel members), who currently work in 28 groups (evaluation panels). The panels are assigned to one of three scientific domains:
- Physical Sciences and Engineering
- Life Sciences
- Social Sciences and Humanities
All ERC applicants must assign their project to one or two of the evaluation panels.
The evaluation takes place in two stages. In the first stage, a short proposal is evaluated by the respective ERC panel according to the sub-criteria of excellence of the project and excellence of the principal investigator. In the second stage, the evaluation is based on the complete application and - new in Horizon Europe - also with the help of an interview with the panel.
The deadline for submissions is 27 August 2026, 17 h.
More information is available at the EU Funding Portal and the website of the FFG.