The European Research Council (ERC) is a funding body of the European Union for thematically open cutting-edge research. The ERC has several funding lines open to outstanding researchers at all stages of their careers to carry out excellent projects together with their teams. All applications are assessed by independent panels of experts who are assigned to one of three scientific domains: Physical Sciences and Engineering, Life Sciences, and Social Sciences and Humanities,

In the European research framework programme Horizon Europe (2021–2027), the ERC has a total funding budget of 16 billion euros, which corresponds to about 17 percent of the total Horizon Europe budget. 

For further information and advice on the various funding opportunities within the framework of the different funding programmes, please visit the web sites of D7 / International Funding.

Current Starting Grants

Open to researchers between 2 and 7 years after PhD with a maxium funding of 2 million euros over up to 5 years.

Prof. Dr. Markus Stetter, Institut für Pflanzenwissenschaften und CEPLAS (2024)
ROSE – Reconstruction of Specialized Metabolite Evolution Through Molecular Switches

Dr. Gilles Storelli, CECAD (2023–2028)
METABIONT – Dissection of the host-microbe crosstalk that controls metabolism and physiology in intestinal symbiosis

Prof. Dr. Marcel Schubert, Institut für Licht und Materialien (2022–2027)
HYPERION – Optical Sequencing inside Live Cells with Biointegrated Nanolasers

Dr. Cedrick Ansorge, Institut für Geophysik und Meteorologie (2020–2025)
trainABL – Turbulence-Resolving Approaches to the Intermittently Turbulent Atmospheric Boundary Layer

Current Consolidator Grants

Open to researchers between 7 and 12 years after PhD with a maximum funding of 2 million euros over up to 5 years.

Prof'in Dr. Kathrin Bringmann, Abteilung Mathematik (2021–2026)
ModEv – (Mock) Modular Forms are Everywhere

Prof'in Dr. Ana García Sáez, Institut für Genetik, CECAD (2019–2025)
APOSITE – Apoptotic foci: composition, structure and dynamics

Current Advanced Grants

Open to established researchers with at least 10 years of significant research achievements with a maximum funding of 3.5 million euros over up to 5 years.

Prof. Dr. Thorsten Hoppe, Institut für Genetik, CECAD (2025–2029)
CellularPQCD – Cellular Strategies of Protein Quality Control-Degradation

Prof. Dr. Jens Brüning, CECAD, Doppelmitgliedschaft mit der Medizinischen Fakultät (2025–2029)
HYPOMETAB – Deconstructing Hypothalamic Neurocircuitry Architecture and Function in Metabolic Control during Health and Disease

Prof. Dr. Malte Gather, Institut für Licht und Materialien (2023–2028)
HyAngle – Challenging the fundamental limit of angular dispersion by hybridizing light and matter

Prof. Dr. Stephan Schlemmer, Institut für Astrophysik (2021–2026)
Missions – Molecular Spectra of Missing Ions in the Laboratory and in Space

Prof. Dr. Joachim Saur, Institut für Geophysik und Meteorologie (2020–2025)
Exo-Oceans – Searching and Characterizing Extraterrestrial Subsurface Oceans

Current Synergy Grants

Open to groups of 2 to 4 researchers and their teams with maxium funding of up to 10 million euros over up to 6 years.

Prof. Dr. Björn Schumacher, CECAD, Doppelmitgliedschaft mit der Medizinischen Fakultät (2023)
BATPROTECT

Current Proof of Concept Grants

For people who have already received an ERC grant and would like to transform the ideas arising from the project into innovations, with funding of 150,000 euros over 18 months.

Prof. Dr. Malte Gather, Institut für Licht und Materialien (2025–2026)
SPLiDAR – Stable Polariton LiDAR

Prof. Dr. Malte Gather, Institut für Licht und Materialien (2024–2025)
CELL-FORCE – Validation of a novel device for real-time, long-term measurement of cellular forces