YBhg. Tan Sri / Dato' / Prof. / Assoc. Prof. / Dr. / Sir / Madam / Br. / Sr.,

The Research Management Centre (RMC) is thrilled to announce a brand-new, highly prestigious funding mechanism by the European Research Council (ERC): The ERC Plus Grant. Announced as part of the European Commission's 'Choose Europe' initiative, this groundbreaking scheme is specifically designed to fund bold, transformative, and high-risk research ideas that simply cannot be supported by regular grant structures.

If you are an established leader in your field with a vision to redefine scientific paradigms, we invite you to explore this monumental opportunity.

Key Features of the ERC Plus Grant:

• Funding Size: Up to €7,000,000 per project (awarded as a single lump-sum contribution).

• Project Duration: Between 4 to 7 years (48–84 months).

• Scientific Fields: Completely bottom-up; applications are welcomed across all fields of research and interdisciplinary areas.

• Target Audience: Open to outstanding Principal Investigators at all career stages who possess a proven, exemplary record of intellectual leadership and scientific achievement. Note: A researcher may only hold one ERC Plus Grant in their lifetime.

Critical Eligibility & Time Commitments:

• Global Openness: Open to researchers of any nationality and age. The project must be hosted by a public or private legal entity (Host Institution) based in an EU Member State or an Associated Country.

• Time Commitment: The successful Principal Investigator must commit to dedicating at least 30% of their total working time to the project and spend a minimum of 50% of their working time physically located within the EU or an Associated Country.

A Note on Competitiveness:

The ERC Plus Grant is designed for exceptional frontier science. To uphold the highest levels of excellence, the European Commission will only award approximately 30 ERC Plus Grants globally per year across all fields. This makes it one of the most competitive funding tracks in the world, and applications should strongly emphasize how the project significantly goes beyond the scope of a standard ERC grant.

Important Deadlines (2026 Cycle):

• Call Opened: 2 June 2026

• Submission Deadline: 2 September 2026 (17:00 Brussels time)

Next Steps:

Applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. For a complete list of requirements, evaluation criteria (which include a two-step review and an interview phase), and budget planning tools, please visit the official ERC Plus Grant Application Page.

Thank you.

RESEARCH MANAGEMENT CENTRE (RMC)