ERC Portugal Program of the FCT

ERC-Portugal is the FCT's new program to boost the various cycles of national participation in Calls European Research Council (ERC ) Calls , from the preparation and evaluation of applications to the training of future applicants and the attraction and retention of talent. The ERC-Portugal program already has three axes: ERC-PT , ERC-PT , and ERC-PT .

ERC-PT supports the national scientific community in preparing proposals to the ERC. It consists of a peer pre-assessment during the proposal preparation phase, following international best practices and according to the ERC's evaluation criteria. The process is conducted by a College of International Evaluators, appointed annually and covering all scientific areas, with profiles of high experience in evaluation processes, preferably with experience of several editions as panel members at the ERC. It culminates in suggestions for improving the proposal, which reflect the ERC's evaluation criteria and evaluator profiles. This axis supported national applications in three Calls . Although it is a very recent program, it already has applications selected for funding or that have reached the second phase of the evaluation process.

ERC-PT , the first axis launched under this program, is a FCT funding line for national applications with a top rating and recommendation for ERC funding, but which do not obtain funding due to budget constraints. Applications with an 'A' rating in the Starting, Consolidator, and Advanced grants categories are eligible for this funding, and, as of October 2024, Synergy grants will also be eligible. Synergy grants. This financial support, up to a maximum of €250,000 per application, aims to empower the institutions of the National Science and Technology System (SNCT) and their researchers for future applications to the ERC. The application period is open until December 31, 2025.

ERC-PT , launched in June 2024, promotes the attraction and retention of researchers with projects funded Calls , still ongoing or completed less than two years ago, for permanent positions in SNCT and Higher Education institutions. This axis consists of two types: (i) ATTRACT, with funding of up to €550,000, to host projects that are transferred from foreign institutions through open-ended contracts with their principal investigators; (ii) RETAIN, an incentive to recruit researchers already conducting research in Portugal and with an active ERC project or one completed less than two years ago, for permanent positions in SNCT or higher education institutions.

ERC-PT Projects and ERC-PT are funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), under the resilience dimension and the component “RE-C06-i06 – Science Plus Training.”

For more information and details about ERC-Portugal, please visit the program page.