ERC Applicant Support
We work with colleagues in the College Research Support, RSD Researcher Development, and Overseas teams to curate a development programme for researchers interested in applying for European Research Council (ERC) grants. Whether you are interested in applying for a Starting, Consolidator or Advanced grant, we offer workshops and development opportunities to ensure candidates are supported to submit the strongest possible applications. Learn about the types of support we offer and how to engage in the sections below.
ERC Starting Grants
We recognize that applicants for ERC Starting Grants are still fairly early in their research journey and we offer a broad programme of support tailored to the ERC and with the dual function of providing useful information for other applications they develop.
All interested applicants are invited to attend a series of workshops designed to support them through all the stages of ERC bid development, from considering call alignment to early concept feedback to developing specific elements of their bid. Applicants are also encouraged to attend a Key 15 grant writing workshop.
A dedicated Teams channel is created each year for our cohort of applicants, where questions can be asked and information shared.
Applicants can receive more dedicated bid development support by notifying the SRI team of their interest in this option before the stated deadline to do so. Normally this deadline is approximately 3 months before the call deadline. Applicants who receive additional bid development support can receive feedback on their draft application from our Peer Review College.
Useful Links for ERC Starting Grant Applicants
Resources for Aspiring Fellows
Researcher Development at UofG
Ignite Fellowship Accelerator Programme
The Auditorium: a research culture and researcher development blog
ERC Consolidator Grants
We provide a pipeline of development support for applicants developing proposals for ERC Consolidator Grants.
Applicants are invited to a Key 15 grant writing workshop where they receive key advice on grant development. They can also register for a dual session where they are briefed on framing a proposal for ERC and receive feedback on their concept from peers and ERC award holders. All applicants are added to a dedicated Teams channel where questions can be asked and answered quickly by research development specialists.
Applicants can receive more dedicated bid development support by notifying the SRI team of their interest in this option before the stated deadline to do so. Applicants who receive additional bid development support can receive feedback on their draft application from our Peer Review College.
Useful Links for ERC Consolidator Grant Applicants
TalentLab: Developing Research Leadership
Ignite Fellowship Accelerator Programme
ERC Consolidator Grant Support Processes 2027
This section outlines what is required from you as an applicant if you wish to apply to the ERC Consolidator Grant with a deadline of 12 January 2027 and summarises what support is available. Please read the whole section carefully. Applicants may choose one of two routes to submission:
- Joining our ERC Consolidator Bid Development Cohort, who will receive a full suite of bid development support interventions, in addition to costing and submission support. Candidates interested in this joining the cohort must contact researchinitiatives@glasgow.ac.uk and rso-eufunding@glasgow.ac.uk by close of business on Monday, October 19th.
- Opting out of central bid development support and only confirming your intention to submit to guarantee access to costing and submission support. Candidates wishing to take this option should contact only rso-eufunding@glasgow.ac.uk as soon as possible but at the very latest by close of business on Tuesday, December 1st.
If we do not hear from you, we will assume that you have decided not to submit to this round and will remove you from the 2027 pipeline.
Option 1 – ERC Consolidator Bid Development Cohort
The success rate for the ERC Consolidator scheme in 2025 was 11.2%. To give your application the very best chance of success, the Strategic Research Initiatives team and Research Culture and Researcher Development team have put together a comprehensive offering of support and information to develop a competitive ERC Consolidator proposal. These sessions provide added value to any existing support available through your local research group/theme/division and School.
|
Mechanism |
Date |
Description |
|
ERC Consolidator Teams Channel |
Available immediately |
Collaborative Teams environment for shared Q&A with research professionals |
|
Mastering the Key 15 |
20th October |
Delivered by Dr Fiona Heatlie, SRI Senior Manager, this informative and hands-on introduction to The Key 15 approach to grant writing will get you thinking about how you might best structure your proposal to grab the positive attention of ERC reviewers. |
|
Framing and pitching your proposal for the ERC |
29th October |
Delivered by Mary Ryan, International Research Development Manager, this session will focus on how to frame your research proposal for the specifics of the ERC and provide an opportunity to receive high-level feedback from UofG researchers who already hold ERC grants. |
|
Writing your CV and Track Record |
5th November |
Delivered by Dr Rhoda Stefanatos, Fellowship Development Manager, this session will help you structure how you are presenting your CV and track record to maximise its effectiveness for the ERC. |
|
Formative review and feedback from the Peer Review College |
16th November |
Cohort members will have the opportunity to have their Part B1 reviewed by members of the University of Glasgow Peer Review College, for additional formative feedback. |
|
British Academy ERC Reading Day – Arts & Humanities & Social Science Researchers *ONLY* |
25th November |
Independently of UofG but beautifully timed for this cohort, the British Academy have organised a national tour of their ERC Reading Day events, which offer prospective SHAPE applicants to European Research Council Grants the opportunity to read successful ERC grant proposals in the Social Sciences and Humanities, gaining insight into how competitive proposals are structured, positioned, and articulated. Over 70 successful grant applications (Starting, Consolidator and Advanced grants) have been made available thanks to the generosity of current and former grant holders. The Glasgow event, which is run independently by the BA and is open to SHAPE researchers from all institutions, will take place on November 25th in the ARC; tickets for one of the multiple two-hour slots should be booked as soon as possible here to avoid disappointment. |
Option 2 – Costing & Submission Only
A costing request form can be downloaded from the Key Links section below and should be returned to rso-eufunding@glasgow.ac.uk as soon as possible but at the very latest by close of business 1st December 2026 to ensure support will be provided. One of the team (Joe Galloway, Lesley Arnold and Andrew Bruce) will then pick up your request and provide a first draft costing as soon as possible. If you are unsure how to complete the costing request form or would like to discuss your proposal and budget requirements before submitting it, please let us know. If you have already submitted a costing request form, thank you. No further information is currently required in relation to your costing request.
Please add the Overseas Research Support Office to your proposal within the EU Funding & Tenders Portal as soon as possible. The names and email addresses required to add the office to the portal can be found in the attached costing request form, and guidance on how to add people to the portal is also attached.
Please note that our aim is to have all ERC Consolidator Grant costings finalised, and at least the internal approvals process commenced, before the Christmas break. This is to allow School and College management sufficient time to review and, we hope, approve the costing. These approvals must be in place before we can issue the Host Institution Letter, which is a mandatory requirement of the ERC application process.
Key Links
CRF EU Funding Applications.xlsx
ERC Work Programme – we strongly encourage all applicants to review this document carefully.
UKRO ERC Consolidator Grant Event (September 2026) – a recording of this session is available online and we would recommend watching it. Please note that you may need to create a UKRO account to access the recording.
ERC Advanced Grants
We work closely with college Research Development Managers to provide bespoke support for Advanced Grant applicants. Applicants are invited to an early concept workshop where they can pitch their idea and receive tailored feedback from their peers, research development specialists and EU funding experts.
We aim to assign a named research development manager to each advanced grant applicant, bearing in mind this may not always be possible due to the volume of applicants. Applicants can also have a draft application reviewed by our Peer Review College.