Proof of Concept Grant

"> General conditions
1. Admissibility conditions: Proposal page limit and layout
The conditions specific to the ERC grants are described in the ERC Work Programme 2027 under the heading “ Admissibility, Eligibility, and Resubmission Restrictions” and in the ERC Rules for Submission and Evaluation . An overview is provided below:
Eligible Principal Investigator :
The ERC Proof of Concept Grant 2027 call is open to Principal Investigators whose ERC main frontier research grant is ongoing , or Principal Investigators whose ERC main frontier research grant ends on or after 1 January 2026 , subject to restrictions provided in Annex 3 of the ERC Work Programme 2027 .
Resubmission Restrictions :

• Principal Investigators may submit ONLY ONE proposal under this Work Programme Proof of Concept 2027 call. If an applicant submits several proposals on different cut-off dates within the same call year, only the first admissible and eligible proposal will be evaluated.

• A Principal Investigator whose proposal was rejected on the grounds of a breach of research integrity in the calls for proposals under Work Programmes 2025 or 2026 may not submit a proposal to the ERC-2027-PoC call.

• Synergy Grant Principal Investigators are eligible to apply to the Proof of Concept call only with the written consent of all Principal Investigators in the same Synergy Grant project. Principal Investigators in the same Synergy Grant project can submit one Proof of Concept application each under this Work Programme .

• A maximum of three Proof of Concept Grants may be awarded per main grant project, except for Synergy Grant, in which case a maximum of six Proof of Concept Grants may be awarded per ERC funded project.

• Proof of Concept Grants may run in parallel provided they comply with the eligibility conditions set out in the Work Programme under which they have been awarded.

Eligible Host Institution :
The Host Institution (Applicant Legal Entity) must engage the Principal Investigator for at least the duration of the Proof of Concept project, as defined in the Grant Agreement, and must be established in a Member State or an Associated Country as a legal entity created under applicable national law (see also "Eligible countries' below).
Any type of legal entity, public or private, including a university, a research organisation, or an undertaking can host a Principal Investigator and their team.
To participate in ERC frontier research actions the Host Institution must be established either in an EU Member State or in an Associated Country as a legal entity created under national law, or it may be an international European research organisation (such as the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), etc.), or any other entity created under EU law. International organisations with headquarters in an EU Member State or Associated Country shall be deemed to be established in that Member State or Associated Country.
Where they bring added scientific value to the project, additional team members may be hosted by other legal entities, which may be established anywhere, including outside the European Union or Associated Countries, or international organisations, subject to restrictions provided in Annex 3 of the ERC Work Programme 2027 .
Legal entities established outside the European Union or an Associated Country are eligible for funding in the following cases:
▪ their participation is deemed essential for carrying out the action,
▪ they host team members bringing added scientific value to the project,
provided that they are not excluded from participation or subject to restrictive measures set out in Annex 3 of the ERC Work Programme 2027 .
Gender Equality Plan : To be eligible, legal entities from a Member State or an Associated Country that are public bodies, research organisations, or higher education institutions (including private research organisations and private higher education…