Objective
The aim is to provide support for a small group of two to four Principal Investigators to jointly address ambitious research problems that could not be addressed by the individual Principal Investigators and their teams working alone.
Synergy projects should enable substantial advances at the frontiers of knowledge, stemming, for example, from the cross-fertilization of scientific fields, from new productive lines of enquiry, or new methods and techniques, including unconventional approaches and investigations at the interface between established disciplines. The transformative research funded by Synergy Grants should have the potential of becoming a benchmark on a global scale.
Who can apply?
- A group of two to maximum four Principal Investigators (PIs) working together and bringing different skills and resources to tackle ambitious research problems. One will be designated as the corresponding PI (cPI). At any one time, one PI per Synergy Grant Group except the Corresponding one can be hosted or engaged by an institution outside of the EU or Associated Countries
- No specific eligibility criteria regarding the academic training are foreseen for ERC Synergy Grants.
- PIs must present a competitive track record as appropriate to their career stage.
- Proposals are evaluated on the sole criterion of scientific excellence which takes on the additional meaning of outstanding intrinsic synergetic effect.
Criteria
Applications can be made in any field of research.
The ERC's grants operate on a 'bottom-up' basis without predetermined priorities. In the case of the ERC Synergy Grants, applications must demonstrate that the proposed research cannot be carried out by a single PI working alone.
Budget
- Synergy Grants can be up to a maximum of € 10 million for a period of 6 years (pro rata for projects of shorter duration).
- However, an additional € 4 million can be requested in the proposal in total to cover eligible “start-up” costs for researchers moving from a third country to the EU or an associated country and/or the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities and/or other major experimental and field work costs.
- An ERC grant can cover up to 100% of the total eligible direct costs of the research plus a contribution of 25% of the total eligible costs towards indirect costs.
Deadline: 6 November 2024 - 17:00 Brussels time (CEST)
