Established by the European Union in 2007, the ERC is Europe's leading funding organisation dedicated to supporting outstanding frontier research. Its mission is to promote the highest-quality research in Europe by providing competitive funding opportunities to creative researchers of all nationalities and career stages.
As part of the Horizon Europe programme, the ERC has been allocated a budget of over €16 billion for the period 2021–2027 — enabling it to support groundbreaking projects that push the boundaries of knowledge and drive innovation.
The ERC offers four core funding schemes, each tailored to a different stage of a researcher's career:
Starting Grants — for early-career researchers
Consolidator Grants — for researchers consolidating their independence
Advanced Grants — for established, leading researchers
Synergy Grants — for small groups of researchers tackling ambitious joint projects
New in 2026, the ERC has introduced ERC Plus, expanding its support for frontier research even further.
For further information, visit erc.europa.eu.
My services include the revision and editing of your ERC proposal. Key tasks involved in this process include:
Timeline planning — establishing a realistic working calendar and identifying the most appropriate ERC panel for your submission
Scientific question analysis — clarifying and sharpening the core research question and objectives at the heart of your proposal
Groundbreaking nature — identifying what makes your approach truly novel and ensuring that originality comes through clearly and compellingly
Impact and timeliness — assessing the broader significance of your research and articulating why now is the right moment for this work
Methodology and work plan — evaluating the clarity, feasibility, and presentation of your research design and timeline
Structural review — ensuring the proposal flows logically, reads cohesively, and meets ERC formatting and content requirements
Help with the CV section - reviewing and strengthening the narrative of your academic and professional achievements to ensure your profile is presented in the most compelling and relevant light for the ERC evaluation criteria
My services include proposal coordination and writing. There is a lot going on behind the scenes! Here is a list of some of the tasks involved in preparing a successful proposal:
- Meetings with the beneficiary(ies) to determine the concept behind the proposal.
- Analysis of the concept within the theme of the call (How does the concept fit into the call?
- Analysis of innovation - What stands out in the overall concept?
- Impact analysis - What are the implications of the potential outcomes of the proposed work? - Scientific, business, social and economic impact.
- Market analysis - if required by the call.
- Competitor analysis - an analysis of products already developed by competitors will be carried out if required by the call.
- Team analysis - highlighting aspects of the participants in the proposal.
- Budget preparation.
General coordination tasks: partnering, preparation of supporting material to be shared with partners, organisation of periodic meetings, preparation of a calendar of action points, etc.
Established as part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) under Horizon Europe, Doctoral Networks are one of the flagship funding schemes supporting the training and career development of doctoral candidates across Europe and beyond. Their mission is to foster excellence in research training by bringing together universities, research institutions, and private sector partners in collaborative, international consortia.
As part of the broader MSCA budget of over €6.6 billion allocated for 2021–2027, Doctoral Networks fund ambitious, cross-sectoral training programmes that equip the next generation of researchers with both the scientific expertise and transferable skills needed to thrive in academia and industry alike.
Doctoral Networks offer three main formats, each designed to address different research training needs and partnership models:
Doctoral Networks (DN)
Industrial Doctorates (DN-ID)
Joint Doctorates (DN-JD)
Doctoral candidates funded through these networks benefit from a competitive salary, international mobility, and exposure to a rich network of academic and non-academic partners — making this one of the most sought-after funding schemes for early-stage researchers.
For further information, visit marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu.