1. Frontier Research in Europe with an ERC grant
The European Research Council
Frontier Research in Europe with an ERC grant
Theodore Papazoglou, PhD
ERCEA/A1: Support to the Scientific Council
Nanyang Technological University
30 November 2017
© Art & Build Architect / Montois Partners / credits: S. Brison

2. "….to reinforce the excellence, dynamism and creativity of European research"
FP7 & H2020 Legal Basis

3. ERC in the H2020 Structure The HORIZON 2020 main components:
Excellent Science
World class science is foundation of technologies, jobs, well-being
Europe needs to develop, attract, retain research talent
Researchers need access to the best infrastructures
Industrial leadership
Societal challenges
Excellent Science:
European Research Council (budget under H2020: € 13 billion)
Future and Emerging Technologies
Marie Skłodoswka Curie Actions
Research Infrastructures
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4. What is the ERC?
The ERC supports excellence in frontier research through a bottom-up, individual-based, pan-European competition
Support for the individual scientists – no networks!
Global peer-review
No predetermined subjects (bottom-up)
Support of frontier research in all fields of science and humanities
Strategy
Scientific governance: independent Scientific Council with 22 members including the ERC President; full authority over funding strategy and evaluation
Support by the ERC Executive Agency (autonomous)
Scientific quality as the only criterion aiming for excellence
Legislation
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5. ERC: a Radical Step Forward for Europe
To raise the level, dynamism and creativity of the whole European research system by:
Supporting the emergence of research leaders in Europe capable of opening new avenues in their disciplines and of training and inspiring others
Improving the career prospects of early stage researchers in Europe so as to reduce brain drain and promote institutional change
Providing a benchmark for all of Europe’s national research authorities and individual institutions encouraging further efforts, reforms and investments, thereby sustaining structural reforms across Europe.

6. Scientists in the Driver's Seat

7. Horizon 2020 Budget and ERC
ERC Budget billion €

8. ERC Grant Schemes Starting Grants Advanced Grants Consolidator Grants
starters
(2-7 years after PhD) up to € 1.5 Mio
for 5 years
Consolidator Grants
consolidators
(7-12 years after PhD) up to € 2 Mio
for 5 years
Advanced Grants
track-record of
significant research
achievements in the
last 10 years
up to € 2.5 Mio
for 5 years
Proof-of-Concept
bridging gap between research - earliest stage of marketable innovation up to €150,000 for ERC grant holders
Synergy Grants (re-launched 2018)
2 – 4 Principal Investigators
up to € 10.0 Mio for 6 years

9. Evaluation Panel Structure (WP2018)
Physical Sciences & Engineering
PE1 Mathematics
PE2 Fundamental Constituents of Matter
PE3 Condensed Matter Physics
PE4 Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences
PE5 Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
PE6 Computer Science and Informatics
PE7 Systems and Communication Engineering
PE8 Products and Process Engineering
PE9 Universe Sciences
PE10 Earth System Science
Life Sciences
LS1 Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
LS2 Genetics, ‘Omics’, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
LS3 Cellular and Developmental Biology
LS4 Physiology, Pathophysiology and Endocrinology
LS5 Neurosciences and Neural Disorders
LS6 Immunity and Infection
LS7 Applied Medical Technologies, Diagnostics, Therapies and Public Health
LS8 Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology
LS9 Applied Life Sciences, Biotechnology and Molecular and Biosystems Engineering
Social Sciences and Humanities
SH1 Individuals, Markets and Organisations
SH2 Institutions, Values, Environment and Space
SH3 The Social World, Diversity, Population
SH4 The Human Mind and Its Complexity
SH5 Cultures and Cultural Production
SH6 The Study of the Human Past
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10. ERC Panel Members by Country of HI and Gender
Averaged over % of the ERC panel members were women
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* Number of instances that experts of a certain country of origin are contributing to the ERC peer review

11. Evaluation of proposals: Review procedure for StG, CoG, AdG
STEP 1
STEP 2
Remote assessment by Panel members of section 1 – PI and synopsis (part B1)
Remote assessment by Panel members and reviewers of full proposal (B1+B2)
Panel meeting + interview (StG and CoG)
Panel meeting
Score:
B or C
Score: B
Proposals retained
for step 2:
Score A
Ranked list of proposals:
Score A
Feedback to
applicants

12. European Institutions Hosting ERC Grantees by Funding Schemes
Top
European Institutions
Hosting
ERC Grantees
by Funding
Schemes
ERC calls
and StG2017
Current signatories
of the grant agreement
Data as of 21/08/2017

13. ERC Funded Projects by Country of HI

14. Grantees at Home and Abroad

15. Priority to Young Scientists
PhD and post-doc researchers working in ERC teams.
Two-thirds of ERC grants to early-stage Principal Investigators.

16. 'ERC-Open to the World'

17. China, US, India, and Russia
Attracting Researchers to Europe
Nationality of ERC project teams (PIs not included)
Analysis of 1,901 Starting and Advanced Grants
EU: 71%
Assoc. Countries: 10%
non-ERA: 17%
unknown: 2%
In all ERC grants
+ 9,000 non-ERA team members
most from
China, US, India, and Russia

18. After 10 Years, a Success Story
7,500
50,000
€ 13 billion
90,000
738 72

19. 2016 Nobel Prize Laureate Chemistry Prof Bernard L. Feringa
The European Research Council awarded Professor Bernard Feringa, based at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, the prestigious ERC Advanced Grant in 2008 and 2015 for his projects exploring nano-machines and molecular motors.
Photo: ERCEA / Kacper Pempel
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20. INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION TO ERC

21. Attracting Researchers from Outside Europe
Flexibility
Additional “start-up” funding for scientists moving to Europe (EUR for Starting, EUR for Consolidator and
EUR 1 Million for Advanced grantees)
Grantee can keep affiliation with home institute outside Europe (“significant part” of work time in Europe, at least 50%)
Team members can be based outside Europe
Grantee can move within Europe with the grant
Accompanying measures
Several European countries/host institutions assist applicants and reward grantees with top-up funds

22. FP7 ERC
Evaluated Proposals from non-ERA Nationals

23. ERC Calls
Evaluated Proposals from non-EU/AC Nationals

24. 38 Non-EU/AC Nationalities
Almost 8% of all ERC grants to principal investigators of non-EU/AC nationality

25. Implementing arrangements signed with the following countries:
Key Facts
Opportunity for non-European researchers supported by foreign agencies to visit ERC research teams (unilateral approach)
The foreign researchers are supposed to be excellent ("national version" of the ERC grantee)
The foreign scientist is the one taking the initiative in the "matchmaking" (it is not the ERC/the ERC PI/the foreign agency…)
The ERC does not intervene in the selection of the foreign visitors
In general terms, costs of the visit are mostly covered by the foreign agency
Implementing arrangements signed with the following countries:
USA (2012)
Republic of Korea (2013)
Argentina (2015)
China (2015)
Japan (2015)
South Africa (2015)
Mexico (2015)
Brazil (2016)
Canada (2016)
India (2017)
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26. Implementing Arrangements The Process
ERC
launches a call for expression of interest
Principal Investigator
expresses interest in hosting one or more scientists supported by a non-EU funding agency
sends the list of interested PIs to the non-EU based funding agencies
Non-EU based funding agency
launches a call for proposals to their eligible scientists
Non-EU based scientist
contacts the Principal Investigators to seek agreement on a possible research visit
accepts or not the research visit; If accepted, the Principal Investigator and the Host Institution provide a letter of support
evaluates the proposals and funds the successful ones
plans an executes the research visit in agreement with the Principal Investigator

27. More Information ERC funding activities 2007 – 2013 Science
Behind The Projects
Ex-post evaluation
of FP7

28. The European Research Council
More information: erc.europa.eu
National Contact Point: erc.europa.eu/national-contact-points
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29. Thank you for your attention