Funding Calls under Pillar 1: Excellent Science
European Research Council (ERC)
The ERC funds ground-breaking, high-gain/high-risk research at the frontiers of science. Its funding is for an individual fellow with a team. Any fields/topics are eligible.
ERC schemes consist of:
- Starting Grants (StG)/ Consolidator Grants (CoG)/ Advanced Grants (AdG);
- Synergy Grants (SyG);
- Proof of Concept Grants (PoC).
From 2027 on, researchers will be eligible to apply for a Starting Grant immediately after successfully defending their PhD, and at any time within the following ten-year period. Consolidator Grant applicants will be eligible to apply between five and fifteen years after defending their PhD.
See the ERC Work Programme 2025 and the UKRO webpages on the ERCLink opens in a new window.
See all open and forthcoming ERC calls on the Funding & Tenders PortalLink opens in a new window.
Pillar 1 aims to promote scientific excellence and attract highly-skilled researchers and innovators to Europe. It aims to reinforce EU scientific leadership through:
- the European Research Council (ERC);
- Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA);
- Research Infrastructures programmes.
Pillar 1 is primarily bottom-up, with applicants able to define their own projects as pre-determined topic areas do not apply.
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Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MSC Actions support researcher training, career development and knowledge exchange, thereby helping researchers to establish a stable career path within Europe. All MSCA opportunities are bottom-up and open in all research and innovation areas.
MSC Actions consist of:
- Postdoctoral Fellowships (previously: Individual Fellowships IF);
The University is part of a EUTOPIA University Alliance initiative which matches Postdoctoral Fellowships researchers with prospective supervisors at the host institution for the purpose of a joint application. See the MSCA PF Partnering Tool.
- Doctoral Networks (previously: Innovative Training Networks ITN);
- Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes (COFUND);
- Staff Exchanges (previously: Research and Innovation Staff Exchange RISE)
- MSCA and Citizens (building on H2020 'Researchers' Night' activities)
See the MSCA Work Programme 2023-25Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window and the UKRO webpages on MSCALink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window.
See all open and forthcoming MSCA calls on the Funding & Tenders PortalLink opens in a new window.
Research Infrastructures
- associated human resources;
- major equipment or sets of instruments;
- knowledge-related facilities such as collections, archives or scientific data infrastructures;
- computing systems;
- communication networks;
- any other infrastructure essential to achieve excellence in R&I.
RI projects typically consist of large consortia of partners, from both academic and industrial backgrounds.
Please note: Some topics have specific eligibility criteria, such as a requirement to include legal entities established in the target country/ region. Please check the work programme (below) for details on the topic of interest.
See the RI Work Programme 2025 and the European Commission RI webpageLink opens in a new window. See all open and forthcoming RI calls on the Funding & Tenders PortalLink opens in a new window.