The Synergy Grants are designed to tackle truly bold scientific challenges by funding groups of up to 4 excellent Principal Investigators (PIs) who jointly address the frontier of knowledge with a ground-breaking research proposal. Any field of research is eligible.
Note that a Synergy Grant Group can include up to one Principal Investigator hosted or engaged in a third country, including in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico or in any other LAC country.
Who may apply?
A group of 2 to maximum 4 Principal Investigators (PIs) of any nationality – of which one will be designated as the corresponding PI (cPI) – working together and bringing different skills and resources to tackle ambitious research problems. No specific eligibility criteria regarding the academic training are foreseen for ERC Synergy Grants. PIs must present an early achievement track-record or a ten-year track-record, whichever is most appropriate.
Proposals will be evaluated on the sole criterion of scientific excellence which, in the case the ERC Synergy Grants, takes on the additional meaning of outstanding intrinsic synergetic effect.
Host institutions
Note that in the case of Synergy Grants, research must be conducted by all PIs in a public or private research organisation (known as a Host Institution, HI). It could be the HI where the applicant already works, or any other HI established in one of the EU Member States (see also eligibility of UK legal entities) or Associated Countries.
Principal Investigators may be hosted by more than one Host Institution. Up to one host institution may be a legal entity established outside of the EU or Associated Countries or an international organisation, for example in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico or any other LAC country.
What do the ERC Synergy Grants offer?
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 addition €4 million can be requested in the proposal in total to cover:
- eligible 'start-up' costs for Principal Investigators moving to the EU or an Associated Country from elsewhere as a consequence of receiving an ERC grant and/or
- the purchase of major equipment and/or
- access to large facilities.
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.
(ERC-2020-SyG)
Important information:
- Synergy Grants webpage: https://erc.europa.eu/node/2289
- Information for Applicants to the Synergy Grant 2020 Call
- Our Guide on the ERC and what's in it for Brazilian researchers: http://bit.ly/FocusERC
- The same ERC Guide, but for all LAC countries: http://bit.ly/FocusERC_LAC
- Contact the ERC national contact point Prof. Moacyr MARTUCCI Jr here in Brazil and find the ERC National Contact Points in other LAC countries here.
Recruitement of team members from all over the world:
ERC Synergy grants support projects carried out by 2 to 4 individual researchers who can employ researchers of any nationality as team members (PhD, postdoc, researcher levels). It is also possible to have one or more team members located in a non-European country if relevant. Vacancies for team members within an ERC project are usually published on the EURAXESS Jobs portal.
About the ERC
The European Research Council (ERC) selects and funds the very best, creative researchers of any nationality and age to run five-to-six year projects in a public or private research organisation based in any EU Member States and Associated Countries to the Framework Programme Horizon 2020. The ERC Synergy Grant is part of the main ERC frontier research grants funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.