Deadline: 05-Nov-2025
Entries are now open for the ERC Synergy Grant, which supports small groups of two to four Principal Investigators working together to tackle ambitious research problems. These are challenges that could not be solved by individual researchers and their teams alone. The program encourages collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches that push the boundaries of current knowledge.
Synergy projects are expected to drive major scientific breakthroughs through the blending of disciplines, innovative methods, and novel lines of inquiry. The research funded should be transformative and capable of setting global benchmarks. Applicants must show the ground-breaking nature, ambition, and feasibility of their proposal, and demonstrate that their team is uniquely equipped to address the complexity of the research.
Funding for Synergy Grants can reach up to EUR 10 million over six years. An additional EUR 4 million may be requested to cover major one-off costs such as relocation for researchers moving to the EU or an Associated Country, large equipment purchases, access to large research facilities, or extensive fieldwork. This extra funding does not apply to personnel costs and is evaluated during the review process.
Principal Investigators can reside in any country at the time of application. They can be of any age or nationality, and their teams must include a minimum of two and a maximum of four investigators. Each team member must be actively engaged in research and contribute significantly to the joint project.
Any public or private legal entity—including universities, research institutions, or businesses—can act as a host. The host must be based in an EU Member State, an Associated Country, or be an international research organisation like CERN or EMBL. In Synergy Grants, up to four different host institutions can be involved, and in some cases, institutions outside the EU or Associated Countries may participate if their role is essential to the project.
Institutions based outside the EU can receive ERC funding if they are designated host institutions, are deemed essential to the project, or are hosting team members with key scientific expertise. In contrast to other ERC grants, Synergy Grants allow multiple host institutions to be part of a single project, with one serving as the Corresponding Host Institution.
Applications must include several required documents: Part I and II of the scientific proposal (with up to ten pages for Synergy Grants), a detailed CV and track record for each investigator, and a section outlining resources and time commitments. Missing any of these elements may result in the proposal being deemed inadmissible.
For more information, visit European Commission.
