EUROPEAN RESEARCH COUNCIL (ERC) STARTING INDEPENDENT RESEARCHER GRANTS

Background                                                                                     Max. Grant Amount: EUR 1.500.000

The European Research Council is a European funding initiative, designed to support the best scientists, engineers and scholars in Europe. The ERC's mandate is to encourage the highest quality research in Europe through competitive funding and to support investigator-initiated frontier research across all fields of research, on the basis of scientific excellence. Two types of ERC grants are currently available to support researchers in carrying out frontier research projects: ERC Starting Independent Researcher Grant and ERC Advanced Investigator Grant.
The objective is to provide appropriate and adequate support excellent researchers, whatever their nationality. The ERC is particularly keen to encourage excellent proposals which involve the establishment of a new research activity in the EU or the associated countries by a Principal Investigator who is moving from a third country into the EU or the associated countries.

Eligibility

     - Open to researchers of any nationality who intend to establish and conduct their research activity in any EU Member State or
       Associated Country.
     - Strongly committed to the project and devote a significant amount of time to it.
     - Applicant is expected to have already shown the potential for research independence and evidence of maturity including producing
       independently at least one important publication without the participation of their PhD supervisor.

Funding

 - Maximum grant amount: EUR 1 500 000 for a maximum period of 5 years.

Deadline: 12/10/2011 for Physical Sciences and Engineering, 9/11/2011 for Life Sciences, 24/11/2011 for Social Sciences and Humanities.

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