established by the european commission erc: opportunities

Established by the European Commission

© Art & Build Architect / Montois Partners / credits: S. Brison│ 1

ERC: Opportunities for Frontier Science in Europe

Jean-Pierre BOURGUIGNON

ERC President ad interim

March 2021


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What is the ERC?

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A part of the EU framework programme to support research and innovation.

Its mission: To raise the level, dynamism and creativity of the whole European research system by:

➢ Supporting the emergence of research leaders;

➢ Improving the career prospects of early stage researchers;

➢ Providing a benchmark for all of Europe’s national research authorities and individual institutions.


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Strategy

• Scientific quality as the only criterion for selection• Support to the individual scientist – no consortia!• No predetermined subjects (bottom-up)• Support to Frontier Research in all fields of Science and Humanities• International peer-review

The ERC is Different

Scientific Governance

• Its independent Scientific Council with 22 members including the ERC

President has full authority over funding strategy and evaluation;

• Support by a Dedicated Implementation Structure (ERC Executive Agency).


Through the grants it provides researchers, the ERC offers independence, recognition & visibility:

• to work on a research topic of own choice, with a team of own choice;

• to gain true financial autonomy for 5 years;

• to negotiate with the host institution the best conditions of work;

• to attract top team members (EU and non-EU) and collaborators;

• to move with the grant to any place in Europe if necessary (portability of grants);

• to attract additional funding and gain recognition as the ERC has become a quality label.

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ERC’s Unique Features

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Scientists in the Driver’s Seat


After More 14 Years, a Success Story

➢ Highly recognised by the research community

➢ Over 10 000 top researchers funded during 2007-2020

➢ 67% are at an early-career stage

➢ 85 nationalities represented

➢ Highly competitive (overall success rate tending to 12%)

➢ Working in over 800 different institutions in 34 countries

➢ 50% of grantees in 50 institutions : “Excellence attracts excellence”

➢ Benchmarking effect: impact on national programmes and agencies; national funding for best "runners-up"

➢ Efficient and fast grant management

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Starting Grants

starters (2-7 years after PhD)

up to 1.5 M€ for 5 years

Advanced Grants track-record of

significant researchachievements in the

last 10 yearsup to 2.5 M€

for 5 years

Synergy Grants (re-launched 2018)

2 – 4 Principal Investigatorsup to 10 M€ for 6 years

1 PI can be based outside EU/AC

Proof-of-Concept bridging gap between research - earliest

stage of marketable innovation lump sum 150 k€ for ERC grant holders

ERC Grant Schemes

Consolidator Grants

consolidators (7-12 years after PhD)

up to 2 M€ for 5 years


Physical Sciences & Engineering (PE)▪ PE1 Mathematics▪ PE2 Fundamental Constituents of Matter▪ PE3 Condensed Matter Physics▪ PE4 Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences▪ PE5 Synthetic Chemistry and Materials ▪ PE6 Computer Science and Informatics▪ PE7 Systems and Communication Engineering▪ PE8 Products and Process Engineering▪ PE9 Universe Sciences▪ PE10 Earth System Science▪ PE11 Materials Engineering

Life Sciences (LS)▪ LS1 Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions▪ LS2 Integrative Biology: From Genes and Genomes to Systems ▪ LS3 Cellular, Developmental and Regenerative Biology▪ LS4 Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing▪ LS5 Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System▪ LS6 Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy▪ LS7 Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases▪ LS8 Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution▪ LS9 Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering

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Evaluation Panel Structure (2021-2022)

Social Sciences and Humanities (SH)▪ SH1 Individuals, Markets and Organisations ▪ SH2 Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems▪ SH3 The Social World and Its Diversity▪ SH4 The Human Mind and Its Complexity▪ SH5 Cultures and Cultural Production▪ SH6 The Study of the Human Past▪ SH7 Human Mobility, Environment, and Space


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Priority to Young Scientists

Two-thirds of ERC grants to early-stage Principal Investigators.

> 55 000 PhD and post-doc researchers working in ERC teams.


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ERC Grants by Country


• Excellence of the Research Proposal

✓ Ground breaking nature

✓ Ambition

✓ Feasibility

✓ Synergy Grants should go beyond what PIs could do alone? Combination of scientific elements crucial to address scope and complexity of the problem?

Evaluation of Proposals

• Excellence of the Principal Investigator

✓ Intellectual capacity

✓ Creativity

✓ Synergy Grants: Group brings together the necessary elements?

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Scientific quality is the only criterion for selection


Remote assessment by Panel members andCross Panel Reviewers of ONLY section 1 –

Synopsis and CV (Part B1)

Panel meeting

Proposals retained for step 2

STEP 1

Feedback toapplicants

CB

Remote assessment by Panel members and Remote Reviewers of full proposals

(Part B1+B2)

Panel meeting(with interview for StG + CoG)

Ranked list of proposals

STEP 2

BA

A

ERC Evaluation Process


ERC is Open to the World

• 8% of ERC grantees and 17% (1) of ERC team members are nationals of countries outside the European Union and the Associated Countries.

• Additional funding available to cover 'start-up' costs for scientists moving to Europe (up to € 1 million irrespective of the call).

• Dual affiliation is possible for ERC grantees as long as they spend at least 50% of their time in Europe.

• ERC Synergy scheme is open to researchers based in third countries.

(1) Estimate based on ERC 2014 survey data

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48 Nationalities outside the ERA *

Over 8% of all ERC grants to principal investigators of non-ERA nationality

* ERA = European Research Area (EU + Associated Countries)ERC calls 2007-2019 + StG and CoG 2020

10 Singapore nationalsholdan ERC grant


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ERC Implementing Arrangements

AUS10/1802/19

AUS10/1802/19

JPN06/1510/1811/20

IND10/1711/20

SGP08/19

• 16 December 2020 – Closure of the call for Expression of Interest for ERC Principal Investigators

• 2 new IAs signed in 2020:- Japan (AMED)- India (ICSSR)

• 16 IAs signed with fundingagencies from 12 differentcountries

• 450+ researchers visited an ERC project since 2012

COUNTRY

month/year

All signed IAs since 2012


Impl. Arrang.: ERC Grantees Interested to Host

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Number of ERC grantees expressed interest to host researchers funded by third country bodies

Country 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Total

USA 789 676 372 507 380 312 423 730 766 4955

Korea PI 492 351 358 319 256 341 570 658 3345

China 402 293 249 332 566 620 2462

Japan JSPS 453 345 287 377 634 697 2793

Argentina 378 296 245 322 542 617 2400

South Africa 358 279 240 312 539 612 2340

Brazil 303 249 329 545 616 2042

Mexico 294 242 316 534 601 1987

Canada 353 289 392 660 714 2408

India Early 224 301 514 569 1608

Japan JST 370 625 698 1693

Australia NHMRC 369 610 668 1647

Korea PhD 325 541 636 1502

India PhD 276 468 543 1287

Australia ARC 647 705 1352

Singapore 584 667 1251

Japan AMED 648 648

India ICSSR 569 569

Average 789 584 362 409 318 259 342 582 645


Impl. Arrang.: Research Visits to ERC Projects

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*Preliminary data for 2019 call, many visits will start on 2021 because of pandemics mobility limitations

Number of visiting researchers by year and by country

Country 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019* Total

Singapore 3 3

Australia ARC

Japan JST 6 2 8

Australia NHMRC

India 5 5

Canada 3 3 1 7

Mexico 5 4 9

Brazil 12 22 37 71

Argentina 5 5 10

China 11 12 7 8 22 60

Japan JSPS 3 13 2 11 13 42

South Africa 5 2 1 2 10

South Korea 31 28 30 30 35 32 186

USA 12 23 11 3 18 67

Total 12 54 28 65 82 79 100 58 478


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The ERC in Horizon Europe and Next Steps


Horizon Europe

Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area

Reforming and Enhancing the European R&I systemWidening Participation and Spreading Excellence

Pillar 1Excellent Science

European Research Council

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Infrastructures

Pillar 3Innovative Europe

European Innovation Council

European innovation ecosystems

European Institute of Innovation

and Technology

Pillar 2Global Challenges and

Industrial Competitiveness

• Health

• Culture, creativity and

inclusive society

• Civil Security for Society

• Digital, Industry and Space

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

• Food, Bioeconomy, Natural

Resources, Agriculture and

Environment

Joint Research Centre

Clu

ste

rs


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established by the european commission erc: opportunities

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