European Research Council Grants in H2020
Research Operations Office
8th May 2014
Presenter: Bethan Jones
Email: bethan.jones@admin.cam.ac.uk
Research Operations
The ERC ‘Ideology’
‘The ERC encourages in particular proposals that cross
disciplinary boundaries, pioneering ideas that address new
and emerging fields and applications that introduce
unconventional, innovative approaches’.
Think:

Ground-breaking nature

Potential impact

Intellectual excellence
Scientific Excellence shall be the sole criterion on which ERC grants
are awarded
Research Operations
Horizon 2020: Three priorities
FP7
1.People
Horizon 2020
1.Excellent
Science (ERC)
2.Ideas (ERC)
3.Cooperation
2.Competitive
Industries
4.Capacities
3.Better Society
Research Operations
ERC Indicative budgets
Starting
Grant
Consolidator
Grant
Advanced
Grant
Proof of
Concept
2014 Budget in €m
€485m
€713m
€450m
€15m
Estimated number of grants
370
400
200
100
2015 Budget in €m *
€411m
€603m
€640m
€15m
Estimated number of grants *
315
340
285
100
* estimated
Research Operations
ERC Call Deadlines
Starting
Grant
Consolidator
Grant
Advanced
Grant
Proof of
Concept
Publication date
11th Dec 13
11th Dec 2013
17th June
2014
11th Dec
2013
Deadlines
25 March
2014
20 May 2014
21 October
2014
1 Apr/1 Oct
2014
Planned dates to inform applicants
Step 1
21 July
2014
31 Oct 2014
10 March
2015
31 July
2014/13
January
2015
Planned dates to inform applicants
Step 2
21 Nov
2014
15 Jan 2015
28 April
2015
_
Indicative date for GA signature
21 March
2015
15 May 2015
28 August
2015
31 Nov
2014/13
May 2015
* Indicative 2015 calls information also available.
Research Operations
ERC Schemes
Financial Limit (*)
Starting
Consolidator
Advanced
€1 500 000
€2 000 000
€2 500 000
+ € 500 000
+ € 750 000
+ € 1 000 000
Duration
5 years
5 years
5 years
Purpose
Enable PIs to start own
independent research
team.
Help PIs to consolidate
own independent
research team.
Support established PIs
to deliver excellent,
ground-breaking
research.
PI profile
Potential for research
independence.
Experience of research
independence.
Significant research
achievements in past 10
years.
5 ‘representative
publications’ - at least
one important publication
without PhD Supervisor.
10 ‘representative
publications’ – several
without PhD Supervisor.
Major publications /
patents / presentations
etc in past 10 years
≥50%
≥50%
≥30%
PI time
commitment
(*) Pro-rata for shorter grants
Research Operations
ERC Schemes
Proof of Concept
Financial Limit
€150 000
+ € 500 000
Duration
18 months
Purpose
To verify the innovation
potential of ideas arising
from ERC funded
projects
Profile
Open to current ERC
grant holders.
Ideas must draw
substantially on the ERCreported research, but
can’t be an extension of
original research.
Research Operations
Eligibility Criteria – Which grant shall I apply?
Eligibility
Criteria
Starting Grant
Consolidator
Grant
Advanced
Grant
PI’s PhD would
have been
awarded
between
≥2 and ≤ 7
years*
PI’s PhD would
have been
awarded
between
≥ 7 and ≤ 12
years*
None
Be realistic! Am I ready to apply?
*Prior to the date of the call for proposals of the ERC Starting/Consolidator Grant
Research Operations
ERC Re-application restrictions
More restrictions on resubmissions at application stage in H2020:-
 Score A at step 1 = able to resubmit to a 2015 ERC call
 Score B at step 1 = not able to resubmit to a 2015 ERC call
 Score C at step 1 = not able to resubmit to a 2015 or 2016 ERC call
Research Operations
Structure of the Applications
Part A – Administrative and Summary Forms (completed directly onto system)

A1 Proposal & PI information & HI Legal Representative (including abstract)

A2 Host Institution(s) information & PIC (one A2 form per institution)

A3 Budget (summary financial information)
Part B1 – Proposal Details (template from Participant Portal, submitted as .pdf)

Cover page & proposal summary

Extended Synopsis (5 pages)

Curriculum Vitae including Funding ID (2 pages)

Track Record (2 pages)
Same
Part B2 – Research Proposal (template from PPSS, submitted as .pdf)
Section 2 - Research Proposal (15 pages, excluding ethical issues table and annex)
a) State-of-the-art and objectives
b) Methodology
c) Resources (including project costs)
d) Ethical and security sensitive issues (including ethics table)
Annexes
Commitment of the Host Institution (template from PPSS, submitted as .pdf)
PhD Certificate, and (if applicable) evidence of extensions (as .pdf)
Ethical Issues Annex (if applicable) (template on PPSS, 2 pages, excl. copies of authorisations
)
Research Operations
The Application Process
1- Applicant submits full
proposal in PPSS
STEP 1 - Evaluation
Interviews of PIs (StG
&CoG only)
Panel meetings and
ranking
Eligibility Check
Independent, remote
reviews by panel
members of full
proposal (parts B1 and
B2)
Proposal
selected!
Independent, remote
reviews by panel (part
B1 only)
STEP 2 - Evaluation
Panel meetings and
ranking
Proposal retained for
stage 2 (or not)
(Chooses Primary Panel
(and Secondary if
needed)
Research Operations
What are the reviewers asked to review? 1
PI’s Excellence (intellectual capacity), Creativity and Commitment are central
Intellectual Capacity and Creativity
• The PI demonstrates the ability to propose and conduct ground-breaking
research.
• The PI provides evidence of creative independent thinking.
• The PI’s achievements have typically gone beyond the state-of-the-art.
• The PI demonstrates sound leadership in the training and advancement of young
scientists (Advanced Grants)
Commitment
• The PI demonstrates the necessary level of commitment to the project’s
execution and willingness to devote a significant amount of time to the project:
≥50% PI time for Starters/Consolidators, ≥30% PI time for Advanced Grants.
• PI will work for minimum of 50% time in EU Member State or Associated Country
Research Operations
What are the reviewers asked to review? 2
The ground-breaking nature, ambition and feasibility of the project are central
Potential impact of the project
• The proposed project addresses important challenges and is high risk/high gain.
• The objectives are ambitious and beyond state of the art (e.g. novel concepts and
approaches or development across disciplines).
Scientific approach
• The outlined scientific approach is feasible and the methodology is appropriate to
achieve the goals of the project.
• The proposal involves the development of novel methodology
• The proposed timescales and resources are necessary and properly justified.
Ensure to clearly address every criteria!
Reviewers are asked to choose : Fully agree / Agree partially / Disagree partially/ Strongly disagree
Research Operations
Proposal Abstract – Part B1 cover & Part A1
What to consider?

Be enthusiastic, ambitious and demonstrate a clear vision (and language)

Abstract will be reviewed by generalist and specialists – make it readable to all

Start with the basics details (so that generalists can understand) …. Go in to more depth

Might consider writing the full description of the proposal (Part B2 Section 2) first!

If possible and appropriate, mention the contribution of the planned research to EU
policy objectives!

Be positive

Think of a catchy acronym!!
Research Operations
Abstract – Hints and Tips
Look at past
examples!
‘Readable’
by
generalists
Novel
methodology
Ask colleagues
from different
fields to review
it.
Be
ambitious
(but
feasible)
Ground
breaking
research
‘State of
the art’
My great idea
Multi
disciplinary
element
Make sure to
use ‘key’ words
Novelty
Risky
and path
breaking
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Abstract– some examples
 Hereditary cancer is an important cause of morbidity and mortality and over the last 20
years the majority of highly penetrant risk alleles such as xxxx in breast cancer and xxx in
colon cancer have been identified. However, there are many men and women who have a
strong family history of cancer for whom we cannot provide answers because no mutation is
found in known genes
 To overcome these challenges, we will focus on hereditary breast cancer (HBC) and apply an
innovative genome-wide approach which combines exome sequencing technology (EST) with
a highly sensitive platform that measures allele specific expression (ASE).
 The current project takes a novel approach, arguing that the economic newsroom should be
studied as a knowledge site.
 Paleomagnetism has played a pivotal role in developing our modern understanding of the
Earth, and remains one of the primary tools used to study the structure and dynamics of the
Earth and other planets…… Adopting cutting-edge techniques from physics and materials
science …
 Some of the most interesting and controversial periods of Earth’s history occur far beyond the
current limits of our confidence in the paleomagnetic signals used to study them. xxx will
solve this problem by
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CV – The format – Part B1.b
The format
CV : Maximum of 2 pages




Academic record
Research record
Fellowship and awards
Supervision of graduate students
 Details of current research grants and topics
 Also include ongoing applications for work relating to the ERC
proposal
 Remember: career breaks or unconventional gaps need to be clearly justified!
Research Operations
Presenting yourself / CV
What to consider?

Remember to address the full requirement of the track record and highlight your best
achievements

Include a wide range of research highlights, including extra activities (outreach work
and research symposia)

Explain national prizes and well-renowned fellowships…

Explain anything that is unique to your country

Highlight achievements which shows international standing and wider impact of
research

Website, scientific blog or podcasts? Add a link to it …. But remember to keep it UP TO
DATE
SELL YOURSELF!
Research Operations
Presenting yourself / CV

Avoid ‘British’ understatement – I am an excellent researcher! **

Remember it needs to be ground breaking research, so why YOU and why NOW?

Provide evidence of international cooperation and activities, if applicable

Can you lead a team?

Refer explicitly to the criteria used in the Grant Call documents

Have it reviewed by a colleague!
Research Operations
Strengthening your CV – with evidence
Research
Be very specific about
your outcomes!!
Teaching
Use it to demonstrate
your leadership
• Your Key outcomes
• New Knowledge you’ve
generated
• A creative approach you’ve
taken
• Technical difficulties you’ve
overcome
• Collaborations you’ve set
up/initiated
• Have you supervised
students/what types?
• Have you designed any
projects?
Be creative
(and daring)
but
be concise
(you only have 2
pages!)
Research Operations
CV – some examples
 My most important scientific contributions have been my work on the hereditary breast
cancer gene xxxx conducted while I was a tenured Assistant Professor at McGill University
where I led a research group comprising a research assistant, a research genetic counsellor
and a variable number of students.
 On the basis of this work I set up an international group of around 20 researchers who study
the xxx and I have arranged four meetings of this group since 2009 in the Netherlands, UK,
USA and Canada.
 As a clinician-scientist who is equally at home in the clinic and the laboratory, I feel that I am
especially well positioned to lead research projects on patient-based problems and deliver
translational benefits of research back to the clinic. I have both depth and breadth of
expertise in the field of hereditary cancer and I have obtained over $600K in grants for
hereditary breast cancer research over the last four years …, and I was the local lead
investigator for a national trial ….breast and ovarian cancer (Gelmon et al., Lancet Oncology,
2011).
 I completed my PhD in 2003 and have not taken any career breaks since then so I would
categorise myself as a “consolidator” for this application.
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‘Early achievements track record’ – Part B1.c
1. Publications in major international peer-reviewed multi-disciplinary scientific
journals and/or in the leading international peer-reviewed journals, peer-reviewed
conferences proceedings and/or monographs of their respective research fields,
highlighting five representative publications, those without the presence as coauthor of their PhD supervisor, and the number of citations (excluding self-citations)
they have attracted (if applicable).
2. Granted patent(s) (if applicable).
3.
Invited presentations to peer-reviewed, internationally established conferences
and/or international advanced schools (if applicable).
4. Prizes and Awards (if applicable).
Research Operations
Track record – some ideas
•
Try to make it interesting to read - think about including pictures
of journals relating to your work or relate it to current issues!
•
Find interesting angles on your achievements e.g. “I was the first
UK national invited to be editor of XYZ journal…” – it might be happenstance but use it
to your advantage!
•
You have limited space (2 pages) so be creative –
use graphs/images to convey information succinctly
Citations per year
Publications per year
Research Operations
Track Record – some examples
Publications
Total publications in peer-reviewed journals = 74
(first author =25, last author= 10);
Research/Clinical articles =562
Reviews = 12 (including 1 invited commentary)
Book chapters = 3
h-index = 23 (ISI)
Provide plenty of evidence…
of your best achievements.
Your ‘Excellence’ needs to
stand out, you are competing
against the best !
Cumulative citation index excluding self-citations (ISI) = 1,729
Average impact factor of first/corresponding publications
(excluding reviews) = 7.51
Research Operations
EU Team
Renata Schaeffer

Questions on: General queries, funding
opportunities and EU policy
Bethan Jones

Questions on: European Research Council
(ERC)
Catherine Hill

Questions on: Coordinator grants
Sarah Saemian

Questions on: General queries, Participant
Portal and EPSS
Research Operations
Structure of PoC Applications
Part A – Administrative and Summary Forms (completed directly onto system)

A1 General information about the Proposal (including abstract)

A2 Host Institution(s) information & PIC

A3 Budget (summary financial information)

A4 Ethics

A5 Call Specific Questions (eligibility and data-related questions)
Part B – Proposal Details (template from Participant Portal, submitted as .pdf)

B1 The Idea (1 page)
• Description of the idea to be taken to proof of concept
• Demonstration of the relationship between the idea and the ERC-funded project

B2 Early-stage innovation strategy (2 pages)
• Description of the innovation potential
• Economic/societal benefits
• Commercialisation process
• Plans for competitive analysis, testing, IPR strategy, industry/sector contacts
• Demonstration of the relationship between the idea and the ERC-funded project

B3 Proof of concept plan (2 pages)

B4 Budget tables and justification (1 page + costing table)
Annexes
Commitment of the Host Institution (template from PPSS, submitted as .pdf)
Ethical Issues Annex (if applicable) (template on PPSS, 2 pages, excl. copies of authorisations)
Research Operations
What are the reviewers asked to review? 1
The innovation potential and impact of the project are central
Excellence – innovation potential
•
The proposal moves the output of ERC research towards a new or significantly improved
product, process, form of organisation or methodology, new principle, legislation or social
innovation.
Impact
•
The idea is expected to generate economic and/or societal benefits.
•
Suitable process to generate economic and/or societal benefits outlined in proposal.
•
Sound plans for undertaking competitive analysis outlined in proposal.
•
Suitable plans for seeking confirmation of the technology/product/process identified.
•
Suitable plans to clarify the IPR position/strategy outlined in proposal
•
Suitable plans for industry sector contacts, ability to further the development of
technology/product/process.
Note: Activities aimed at attracting further funding from non-ERC sources may also be considered.
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What are the reviewers asked to review? 2
The quality of the proof of concept plan is central
Quality and efficiency of implementation
•
Sound approach for establishing technical and commercial feasibility.
•
Reasonable and acceptable plan against clearly identified technical and commercial
objectives.
•
Sound project-management plan presented, including appropriate risk and contingency
planning.
•
Proposal demonstrates that activities will be conducted by persons well qualified for the
purpose.
•
Requested budget is necessary for the implementation and is properly justified.
Ensure to clearly address every criteria!
Reviewers are asked to choose : Fully agree / Agree partially / Disagree partially/ Strongly disagree
Research Operations