This year, Södertörn University is setting up a unique initiative to increase the number and quality of grant applications to the European Research Council (ERC). Up to three researchers with promising project outlines will be granted four weeks of application writing time and an evaluation of their proposal by an external expert. Södertörn's Grants Office is organising an online seminar on 20 February 2024 to provide more information about this initiative.

What is the European Research Council?

The ERC is the largest funder of frontier research at the EU level. Their grants External link, opens in new window. are open to scholars in all areas of research and at all career stages (starting two years after completion of a doctorate) and provide up to five years of generous funding for project leaders and their teams. They diverge from most other research funding in that they require an innovative and ground-breaking project idea that is expected to provide high scientific returns despite involving some risk. ERC proposal writing can therefore be very different from what many researchers are used to and it can require a great deal of work to be successful. While the excellence of the project itself is the main evaluation criterion, the researcher is also expected to have a track record that suggests scientific creativity.

The ERC initiative at Södertörn University

In 2024, ERC applicants at Södertörn University have the opportunity to be granted support for writing their application. In addition to the internal funding for writing an application and the expert evaluation that will be provided to a few researchers, application-writing workshops will be held for all the university’s ERC applicants and external consultants will be invited to provide guidance.

Find out more! Sign up for the online seminar

Want to find out more about this initiative and how to apply for it? Are you curious about what characterises a good ERC project? Sign up now for Grants Office’s online seminar External link, opens in new window. on 20 February 2024, 12.00-13.00.

You can also sign up for Grants Office's newsletter External link, opens in new window. to stay informed about this initiative and other research funding information.