16 Sep 2025
ERC President explains changes in ERC evaluation procedures
The European Research Council (ERC) has announced a set of changes in its 2026 and 2027 calls for proposals and calls for feedback from stakeholders. The ERC Scientific Council continuously monitors the quality of the submission and evaluation processes, ensuring they are optimised to serve the needs of the European research community. Drawing on feedback from applicants, panel members, and the broader research community, the ERC Scientific Council has decided to introduce a set of improvements in the 2026 and 2027 calls for proposals.
The changes focus on three main areas:
- the format of the scientific proposal, including the assessment of feasibility,
- measures to streamline the workload of evaluation panels,
- adjustments to the eligibility windows for Starting and Consolidator Grants.
In a new document published on 15 September 2025, ERC President Maria Leptin explains the changes, the reasoning behind them, and how they are designed to strengthen the ERC evaluation process.
The Scientific Council would welcome comments from the research community on these changes; these can be sent via the ERC LinkedIn, Bluesky accounts or other social media.
For more information: