These are the preliminary data on submitted proposals:

• This year the ERC received 4,056 applications, a 24% increase compared to the previous Starting Grants call. 
• The highest number of applications was submitted in the domain of Physical Sciences and Engineering (1,754 - 43.2%), followed by Social Science and Humanities (1,185 - 29.2%), and Life Sciences (1,117 - 27.5%). 
• Nearly 40% of proposals were submitted by women, compared to 38% in the Starting Grants call 2020.

In the ERC Work Programme the ERC Scientific Council has earmarked €619 million for an estimated 413 Starting Grants in 2021. The ERC is now starting evaluation of the proposals. The projects selected for funding are planned to be announced at the end of 2021.

The call for ERC Consolidator Grants 2021 closed for applications on 20 April 2021.

These are the preliminary data on the submitted proposals:

• The ERC received 2,648 proposals, an increase of 5.6% compared to the 2020 call when 2,506 applications were submitted.
• Physical Sciences and Engineering attracted the highest number of applications (1,112), followed by Life Sciences (779), and Social Science and Humanities (757).
• Women submitted 33.5% proposals, which is about the same share as in the previous call (33.6%).

The ERC Work Programme earmarked €633 million for an estimated 317 Consolidator Grants in 2021.

The ERC is now starting evaluation of the proposals. The selected projects will be announced in March 2022.
 

ERC Consolidator Grants are designed to support excellent researchers at the career stage at which they may still be consolidating their own independent research team or programme. Applicants must demonstrate the ground-breaking nature, ambition and feasibility of their scientific proposals.

Tallinn Univeristy of Technology researchers submitted 8 Starting and 6 Consolidator grant proposals to the 2021 call. In 2020, TalTech researchers submitted only 2 Starting and 2 Consolidator grant proposals. The activity increase in 2021 is significant. Please get in touch with the Research Administration Office for support on the upcoming ERC calls and 2022 proposal development.

The next call for those grants will opening in spring 2022. Now is the good time to start preparing your application. If you need help, please let us know by sending an e-mail to taotlus@ttu.ee

All researchers, who are planning to apply for an ERC grant are welcome to the ERC potential applicants Team of TalTech in the link HERE.

We have already added all TalTech researchers who, by the date of obtaining a PhD, are eligible to apply for the ERC Starting (StG) or Consolidator (CoG) grant in 2021. Both groups have also a separate channel for conversations between yourself and for sharing call and proposal related experience and questions, comments. With any questions with regard the ERC call, please contact our Research Administration Office staff, eg. Marika Lunden (marika.lunden@taltech.ee) for call info or Siim Läänelaid (siim.laanelaid@taltech.ee) for proposal development.

ERC grant recipient’s bibliometric data is available in TalTech website