Frequently asked questions

For an ERC Synergy Grant (SyG), a minimum two and maximum four Principal Investigators (PIs) (and their teams) can apply. More information about the ERC-2022-SyG call is available in the ERC Work Programme 2022.

Yes, every Principal Investigator (PI) involved in a Synergy Grant (SyG) proposal must be engaged and hosted by a Host Institution. In general, the Host Institutions should be established in one of the EU Member States or Associated Countries for at least the full duration of the project. In the 2022 SyG call, with the exception of the corresponding Host Institution, it is possible to have one PI applying with a Host Institution outside of the EU or Associated Countries. The Principal Investigators (PIs) must also spend 50% of their time in Europe, except the PI who will be hosted in an institution outside of the EU or Associated Countries. Other institutions outside Europe may be involved, as additional beneficiaries to the grant, and may even receive funding provided that their participation is deemed essential for carrying out the action. In addition, their presence must be well justified in the proposal. More information about the ERC-2022-SyG call is available in the ERC Work Programme 2022.

Yes, for ERC SyG, a minimum of two and a maximum of 4 PIs form a group, in which each PI can work with a team and/or collaborators who are either at the same institution or at different entities. More information about the ERC-2022-SyG call is available in the ERC Work Programme 2022 and Information for Applicants to the Synergy Grant 2022 Call.

No, the concept of 'co-investigator' actually does not exist in the context of a Synergy Grant (SyG). All Principal Investigators (PIs) have equal status, although there is a 'Corresponding Principal Investigator' (cPI) designated to be the administrative contact with the ERCEA. More information about the ERC-2022-SyG call is available in the ERC Work Programme 2022 and Information for Applicants to the Synergy Grant 2022 Call.

Applications to a Synergy Grant (SyG) call should indicate only keywords, and not panels, because there are no predefined panels in the Synergy evaluation. Please see the ERC Work Programme 2022 and Information for Applicants to the Synergy Grant 2022 Call.

Yes, at submission stage each Host Institution (not only the Corresponding Host Institution) shall provide a support letter to PI(s) hosted by them for at least the duration of the grant. The conditions offered by the Host Institutions, including the 'portability' of the grant, are the subject of a supplementary agreement between the Principal Investigator(s) and their respective Host Institution(s). More information about the ERC-2022-SyG call is available in the ERC Work Programme 2022 and Information for Applicants to the Synergy Grant 2022 Call.

There are no specific requirements in this respect. The corresponding Host Institution is the one hosting the corresponding Principal Investigator (PI). This PI is the 'primus inter pares' for the project and the main administrative contact point on behalf of the group. Principal Investigators are considered equal regardless of their Host Institution. More information about the ERC-2022-SyG call is available in the ERC Work Programme 2022 and Information for Applicants to the Synergy Grant 2022 Call.

The ERC Synergy Grant (SyG) funding scheme imposes few eligibility constraints on applicants. There are no constraints regarding academic degrees, thus a PhD degree is not formally required. However, please be aware that this is an extremely competitive call. Although the Synergy group is evaluated as a whole, each applicant Principal Investigator ideally should be competitive at a level corresponding to their career stage in an individual grant. More information about the ERC-2022-SyG call and eligibility requirements is available in the ERC Work Programme 2022 and Information for Applicants to the Synergy Grant 2022 Call.

Yes, a Principal Investigator (PI) whose proposal was evaluated as category A or category B at Step 3 in the 2020 Synergy Grant (SyG) call may submit a proposal to the ERC-2022-SyG call. The only restrictions on scores are on those applicants who received a C score at step 1 of the evaluation in the ERC-2020-SyG call. For other restrictions please consult the ERC Work Programme 2022, section Restrictions on submission of proposals.

A Principal Investigator (PI) can submit a proposal to the SyG call if their existing ERC project ends no more than two years after the SyG call deadline (see ERC Work Programme 2022, section Restrictions on submission of proposals). For the 2022 SyG call, this means that the ongoing Grant has to end before 10 November 2023. A PI may hold only one ERC grant at any time. A new frontier research project can only start after the duration of the project fixed in a previous frontier research grant agreement has ended (see ERC Work Programme 2022).