When starting their projects, ERC grantees often struggle to recruit their team members. Publishing vacancies in ERC teams on a truly pan-European platform can increase the chance to find the suitable candidate.
Several countries have also set-up Fellowship to visit ERC grantee’s team to help researchers developing their potential before applying for an ERC grant at no cost on the ERC grantee.
ERC grantees can recruit talent from around the world to their research teams. This is further encouraged through a set of international agreements with non-European counterparts of the ERC, promoting young researchers to come on research visits and temporarily join ERC teams in Europe.
Publish vacancies
EURAXESS - Researchers in Motion is a unique pan-European initiative providing access to a complete range of information and support services to researchers wishing to pursue their research careers in Europe or stay connected to it.
ERC Principal Investigators are encouraged to publish vacancies in their teams on the EURAXESS Jobs portal, tagging them with the ERC logo.
Researchers relocating to another country can get support about e.g. visa formalities, work permit, accommodation, social security, from the local or regional EURAXESS Service centre representative.
Visiting Research Fellowships for potential ERC applicants
The ERC Scientific Council and its Working Group on Widening European Participation believe that increasing the international exposure of researchers can help them to develop their full research potential. For this reason the ERC has invited relevant national and regional authorities in Europe to fund potential ERC candidates from the country or the region to visit the teams of existing ERC Principal Investigators. The purpose is to offer these potential candidates an opportunity to broaden and strengthen their research profile and vision in an internationally competitive research environment before applying for an ERC grant.
These programmes are open to researchers of all disciplines and the main evaluation criterion for the applicants is scientific excellence and their potential to be awarded an ERC grant. These programmes cover all costs pertaining to the research visit including salary, travel and subsistence costs, but require visiting fellows to apply for an ERC grant within a specified time after the end of the visit. It is expected that the visiting fellow, by participating and contributing to a cutting edge research project of the hosting team and receiving the advice of the ERC grantee, will be able to prepare a stronger proposal for the ERC.
National and/or regional authorities willing to set up such a scheme can consult the guidelines.
Check here to find out which programmes are currently in place
ERC teams open to the world
The European Research Council (ERC) has been continuously monitoring international participation through its Strengthening International Participation working group.
As a result, "Implementing Arrangements" have been signed with key funding bodies and science ministries around the world. These arrangements provide opportunities in Europe for early-career scientists supported by non-European funding agencies to temporarily join a research team run by an ERC grantee. The purpose of the arrangements is to encourage, develop and facilitate such opportunities.
Currently the following arrangements are in place:
- Argentina
Signed in March 2015 with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation
Read more: agreement ES|EN, press highlight
For the interested CONICET-funded scientists, see more here
- Australia
Signed in February 2019 with the Australian Research Council (ARC)
Read more: agreement, press release
Signed in October 2018 with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
Read more: agreement, press release
- Brazil
Signed in October 2016 with the Brazilian National Council of the State funding agencies (CONFAP)
Read more: agreement EN, press highlight, leaflet
- Canada
Signed in October 2016 with the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat
Read more: agreement, press highlight EN|FR
- China
Signed in June 2015 with the National Natural Science Foundation (NSFC)
Read more: agreement ZH|EN, press highlight
For interested NSFC-funded scientists, see more here
- India
Signed in October 2020 with the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)
Read more: agreement, press highlight
Signed in October 2017 with the Scientific Engineering Research Board (SERB)
Read more: agreement, press highlight
- Japan
Signed in November 2020 with the Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) of Japan
Read more: agreement EN, press release
For the interested JSPS-fellows, see more here
Signed in October 2018 with the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
Read more: agreement, press release
Signed in May 2015 with the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)
Read more: agreement EN, press release
- Korea
Signed in November 2013 with the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning
Read more: agreement, press highlight
- Mexico
Signed in November 2015 with the Mexican National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt)
Read more: agreement ES|EN, press highlight
- Singapore
Signed in October 2019 with the National Research Foundation Singapore (NRF)
Read more: agreement, press release
- South Africa
Signed in October 2015 with the National Research Foundation (NRF)
Read more: agreement EN
-
Thailand
Signed in September 2022 with the Programme Management Unit for Human Resources & Institutional Development, Research and Innovation (PMU-B)
Read more: agreement, press highlight - United States
Signed in July 2012 with the National Science Foundation (NSF), and renewed in October 2019
Read more: agreement, press release
Further arrangements of this kind will be added in the future.
Implementation:
Once a year, the ERC launches a Call for expression of interest amongst ERC grantees to inquire about their interest to host young non-European scientists in their research teams. Calls normally take place in October each year.
- ERC solicits expressions of interest from Principal Investigators (PIs) holding ERC grants in hosting non-European scientists (from the countries listed above).
Depending on the scientific coverage of each non-European agency, the interest in specific scientific domains may vary
- ERC sends each non-European funding agency a listing of interested PIs/teams, with a publishable description of the ERC projects
- Non-European funding agency informs the pre-selected non-European scientists of the collaborative opportunity
- Non-European scientist checks the list provided by ERC and contacts ERC grantee to check interest
- If both scientists agree on all the details, the Host Institution of the ERC grantee issues a "letter of intent" or "support letter", submitted by the non-European scientist to the non-European funding agency to apply for funding
- Non-European funding agency selects and funds the non-European scientist
Check also the timeline
Notes:
Main grants (StG, CoG and AdG) and SyG that have at least 18 months until the end of the project are eligible.
Selection of the non-European scientists is done by each non-European funding agency without any ERC intervention (neither in the selection criteria nor in the selection procedure)
It is expected that the above procedure will be repeated on an annual basis in October.
Any questions regarding the implementation of these arrangements may be sent to ERC Implementing arrangements.
Gender balance in research teams at all levels
By signing the grant agreement, beneficiaries have the obligation to aim for gender equality. They will commit to take all measures to promote equal opportunities between men and women. They must also aim, as far as possible, for gender balance at all levels of personnel, including at supervisory and managerial level.
Article 33 of the Model Grant Agreement relates to the issue of gender equality.