Proof of Concept
Forecasted
The European Research Council's Proof of Concept grant helps ERC grantees advance and validate their research for commercial or societal impact beyond the original project.
Funder: European Research Council
Due Dates (Anticipated): March 2027 (1st cut-off, projected) | September 2027 (2nd cut-off, projected)
Funding Amounts: €150,000 lump sum per project for up to 18 months; up to three grants per main grant (six for Synergy).
Summary: Supports ERC grantees in advancing the commercial or societal potential of ERC-funded research through further validation and development activities.
Key Information: Only ERC main grant holders (ongoing or ended after 1 Jan 2025) are eligible; strict one proposal per call rule.
Description
The ERC Proof of Concept (PoC) grant is designed to help Principal Investigators (PIs) who have already received an ERC main grant (Starting, Consolidator, Advanced, or Synergy) to bridge the gap between their frontier research and its potential commercial or societal applications. This competitive funding enables ERC grantees to validate, develop, and demonstrate innovative ideas emerging from their ERC-funded projects, with the aim of maximizing the impact of ERC research by supporting activities not covered by the original grant. Eligible activities include technical validation, market analysis, stakeholder engagement, and development of intellectual property strategies.
