ERC Starting Grant Rules Explained: Eligibility Window, Part B1/B2 Limits and Evaluation Under the ERC Work Programme 2027

The European Research Council funds frontier research with scientific excellence as the sole criterion [2]. The ERC Starting Grant supports early-career researchers establishing an independent team: up to €1.5 million for five years [2]. Eligibility, proposal structure and page limits are set by the annual ERC Work Programme, and the 2026 and 2027 programmes changed several of them [3]. Older templates and summaries describe rules that no longer apply.

From the 2027 call, a principal investigator may apply as soon as they have defended their PhD and up to ten years afterwards [3]. The reference point is the certified date of the successful PhD defence, not the award date [2]. Calculate your ERC eligibility window against the cut-off in the current Work Programme [1].

Extensions apply only for documented circumstances (Table 2) [1]. Assemble the evidence before drafting, not in the final week.

Since 2026 the research proposal is split differently. Part B1 holds Part I of the Scientific Proposal, five pages on the idea, state of knowledge, objectives and research strategy, plus the CV and track record. Part B2 holds Part II, seven pages on methodology, work plan and risk mitigation [1, 3]. The old 14-page B2 belongs to calls up to 2025.

Feasibility is no longer assessed at Step 1 [3]. Part I should therefore set out a convincing strategy, and every feasibility detail belongs in Part II. Repeating Part I in Part II wastes pages the panel reads for methods.

The evaluation criteria are the ground-breaking nature and ambition of the project and the PI’s intellectual capacity and creativity [1]. At Step 1 panels read Part B1 only. Shortlisted applicants go to Step 2, where Part B2 is reviewed and the PI is interviewed by the panel [1]. Proposals above the quality threshold are ranked and funded down to the budget cut-off [2].

A poor score now costs future calls. Applicants scored C at Step 1 in the 2025 or 2026 call, or B at Step 1 in the 2026 call, cannot apply to the 2027 call [4]. Only one proposal per main call is allowed, and from the 2027 programme no researcher can hold more than one Starting Grant in their career [3, 5]. Stricter blocking rules announced in April 2026 were withdrawn on 29 April 2026 [4], which is why outdated summaries disagree.

1. Confirm eligibility, extensions and reapplication status for the call year.
2. Read the evaluation criteria and proposal template in the current Work Programme.
3. Shape one central, ambitious question.
4. Draft Part I for ambition and strategy; keep feasibility out of it.
5. Draft Part II: methods, milestones and alternatives for high-risk elements.
6. Align resources and the 50% time commitment with the work plan.
7. Obtain the host institution’s support letter and validation.
8. Check every portal field and annex, then rehearse the interview.

Ask an independent reader whether the idea is compelling without specialist explanation. For the wider workflow, see the grant writing process flowchart; for impact wording, see communicating research impact.

• Using a pre-2026 template with the 14-page B2 or the old synopsis headings.
• Counting the window from the PhD award date, or claiming an extension without evidence.
• Applying while blocked by a C or B score from an earlier call.
• Putting feasibility detail in Part I, where Step 1 no longer assesses it.
• Exceeding page limits, or leaving host-institution steps to the final day.