RISE Europe
RISE Europe supports researchers at Austrian institutions with funding for innovative, highly rated but unfunded ERC projects, helping strengthen scientific independence and long-term academic careers.
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Funder: Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
Due Dates: October 15, 2026 (Opens) | November 19, 2026, 2:00 pm Vienna local time (Deadline) | March 2027 (Funding decisions)
Funding Amounts: Up to €1 million per project for 60 months (five years)
Summary: Supports excellent, unfunded ERC Starting Grant 2026 projects to be carried out at Austrian research institutions.
Key Information: Only ERC Starting Grant 2026 proposals submitted with an Austrian institution and rated “A – but not funded” qualify.
Description
RISE Europe—Researcher Independence & Scientific Excellence—is administered by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), with financing from the Fonds Zukunft Österreich. It provides a national funding route for innovative projects that received excellent ERC reviews but could not be funded because of budget constraints. The initiative covers all disciplines and supports research with concisely defined objectives and methodology.
The program aims to retain outstanding researchers and research potential in Austria, strengthen scientific independence, and help researchers at career level R3 establish long-term academic careers and qualify for leadership positions, particularly professorships. This limited-time initiative uses the ERC’s existing evaluation as the basis for funding decisions rather than initiating a new FWF review process.
