Horizon Europe is the European Union (EU) funding programme for the period 2021 – 2027, which targets the sectors of research and innovation. The programme’s budget is around € 95.5 billion, of which € 5.4 billion is from NextGenerationEU to stimulate recovery and strengthen the EU’s resilience in the future, and € 4.5 billion is additional aid.

The ERC Proof of Concept Grants aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research and are therefore available only to Principal Investigators whose proposals draw substantially on their ERC funded research.

The financial contribution will be awarded as a lump sum of € 150.000 for a period of 18 months.

The ERC Proof of Concept Grant 2026 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 2025, subject to restrictions provided in Annex 3 of this ERC Work Programme 2026.

Resubmission Restriction: Principal Investigators may submit ONLY ONE proposal under this Work Programme Proof of Concept 2026 call. If an applicant also submits a proposal at the next cut-off date within the same year, only the first admissible and eligible proposal will be considered.

A Principal Investigator whose proposal was rejected on the grounds of a breach of research integrity in the calls for proposals under Work Programmes 2024 or 2025 may not submit a proposal to the ERC-2026-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.

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 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 2026.

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.

Gender Equality Plan :To be eligible, legal entities from a Member State or Associated Country that are public bodies, research organisations, or higher education institutions (including private research organisations and private higher education institutions) must have a gender equality plan or an equivalent strategic document in place for the duration of the project. The gender equality plan or equivalent must fulfil the mandatory requirements listed in Annex 5 to this ERC Work Programme 2026

The conditions specific to the ERC are described in the ERC Work Programme 2026. under the heading “Admissibility, Eligibility, and Resubmission Restrictions” and in Annex 3. An overview is provided below:

The ERC actions are open to researchers of any nationality who intend to conduct their research activity in any Member State or Associated Country. Principal Investigators may be of any age and nationality and may reside in any country in the world at the time of the application.

A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects.

• Education and training
• Research, Technological Development and Innovation

• Educational Institutions
• Legal Entities
• Other Beneficiaries
• Private Bodies
• Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions

Research and Innovation Foundation

29a Andrea Michalakopoulou, 1075 Nicosia,
P.B. 23422, 1683 Nicosia
Telephone: +357 22205000
Fax: +357 22205001
Email: support@research.org.cy
Website: https://www.research.org.cy/en/

Person to Contact:

Dr. Leda Skoufari – Themistou
Scientific Officer A’
Email: leda@research.org.cy

https://erc.europa.eu/about-erc/contact-us

• Funding & Tenders
• ERC Work Programme 2026