ERC Project Management

ERC Team Recruitment

The project team should finish being formed at the start of the project if not all members have already been found. Scientists can be recruited via the EURAXESS Portal in addition to other advertising possibilities.
Further recruiting possibilities can be found here.

ERC Project Communication

ERC grantees have a contractual obligation to communicate the content of their ERC project beyond the scientific community. The ERC is particularly supportive of those that address audiences outside their field of expertise.
Read more here

Eligible costs

ERC project funding rates are in line with the general rules for research activities in Horizon Europe.

Eligible costs are 100 percent of direct costs and indirect eligible project costs. These include, but are not limited to, personnel costs for the PI(s) and their research team, travel costs, costs for major equipment and materials, subcontracting as well as costs for public relations and publications.

Publications arising from the ERC project must be open access and count as eligible costs. Guidance, in particular on journals and repositories, can be found here (-> Horizon Europe(2021-2027) -> 3.Open acces cost in Horizon Europe).

Indirect Costs or overhead costs are funded at a flat rate of 25 percent of the direct costs. Costs for subcontracts as well as costs for grants to third parties may not be included in the calculation of this lump sum.
Budget shifts during the project period, for example unused personnel costs or the carrying forward of leftover budget into the second reporting period, are possible. If uncertain, please consult the responsible ERC Executive Agency Project Officer.

Certain adjustments, however, require a formal contractual amendment. These amendments include subcontracts not listed in the proposal and changes that impact the project’s scientific results and therefore represent significant changes to the project schedule.

Verification and Reporting Requirements

All costs must be verifiable. For this purpose, costs should be described in the project plan in addition to being recorded according to host institute’s standard accounting regulations and procedures.

The actual working hours of the project staff must also be documented for ERC projects. Employees who spend only part of their working time on the project must keep time sheets. Employees who work 100 percent on the ERC project can submit simplified declarations, so-called declarations of honour, instead of timesheets. (German Horizon Europe web portal).

In Horizon Europe, all reports are submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal. Reporting requirements are divided into the financial report and the scientific report. The host institution is generally responsible for complying with reporting requirements while PIs are responsible for scientific reporting.

Scientific Progress Report

For ERC Actions, the PI must submit a scientific mid-term report. This report describes, among other things, the progress of the project in terms of content, the results of the project to date, the publications achieved and changes over the course of the project. Additionally, a publishable summary of the project’s progress to date must be included. At the end of the project, a final scientific report must be submitted describing the final results of the project, listing all publications and, again, including a publishable summary of the project.

Link to:

• ERC Scientific Reporting Guidelines
• ERC Scientific Report

Financial Report

In addition to the PI's Scientific Progress Report, the host institution must submit Financial Reports. Unlike those in Horizon Europe collaborative projects, the deadlines for scientific progress reports and the financial reports are different in ERC projects. Generally, a financial report must be submitted once 18 months have concluded.

The financial report must contain a description including information on eligible costs. In addition, a detailed list of direct costs incurred by the institution during the reporting period and an updated overview of the budget planning for the upcoming reporting periods must be submitted. If other institutions are involved in the project in addition to the host institution (additional institutions or affiliated institutions), each additional institution must prepare its own financial statement (individual financial statement). A summary financial statement is then automatically generated on the basis of the individual reports in the participant portal.

Payments in the EU Project

The ERC grants are paid as pre-financing at the beginning of the project. The date of disbursement is agreed in advance in the Grant Agreement and can be paid within 30 days after concluding the agreement, 30 days after the start of the project or up to 45 days before the project’s start date. Further payments are made in each case after the periodic financial reports have been audited.

With the start of the Lump Sum Pilot for Advanced Grants (AdG), payment modalities and verification requirements will change for AdG (and only for AdG):

Financial reports as well as a Certificate on the Financial Statement (CFS) are not required for AdG 2024 projects. Interim and final reports on the technical and substantive progress made during the course of the project must still be submitted. The final report legitimizes the payment of the remaining grant.

The decisive factor for full payment of the approved grant is expressly not the success of a project, but proof that all planned or necessary steps have been carried out. Payment is divided into two instalments:

1. 80% of the total funding amount at the start of the project
2. 20% after completion of the whole project.

Special Rules for Proof of Concept

The ERC Proof of Concept funds are lump sums. This means that each successful proposal is granted 150,000 euro to conduct the project. No budget overview needs to be prepared during the submission phase. Even so, costs that will be incurred during the project must be described in the application. Only costs that would also be reimbursable in an ERC application based on actual costs can be funded by the lump sum. This may include personnel costs, subcontracts as well as other direct and indirect costs

for example

• costs may be related to work review steps,
• validation of results,
• clarification of IPR or knowledge transfer strategies,
• market analysis,
• etc.

Unlike other ERC applications, which are based on actual costs, Proof of Concept grants do not require cost reporting. There are no financial audits. However, the project must meet certain quality conditions and deliver the described results in order for the lump sum to be paid in full.

Changes to Advanced Grants - Lump Sum Pilot

The ERC pilot for lump sum funding will start with the Advanced Grant (AdG) call 2024. So far, lump sum funding in the ERC is limited to ERC AdG projects. The aim is to simplify and increase flexibility of application, project management and accounting. The most important points in brief:

Project scope and objectives:

Projects are expected to conduct groundbreaking research and make substantial contributions to scientific progress. The requirements for the scope of the project and the scientific objectives to be achieved remain unchanged.

Application:

The scientific part of the application (Part B) requires a convincing presentation of the pioneer research project, its groundbreaking objectives and implementation.

Applicants must plan their budget in detail as usual and submit reasonable and non-excessive cost estimates. All eligible costs can be included. The "Narrative Section" on the budget in Part A offers more space for explanations.

The new so-called "Equipment Depreciation Table" must always be submitted, even if no costs for equipment are requested, as otherwise the application will be considered incomplete.

In addition, applicants have to declare that they meet the following requirements by checking a tick box:

1. the grants applied for reflect the conscientiously forecast costs of the project,
2. the necessary budget has been calculated in accordance with the usual cost accounting rules of the host institution,
3. the funding conditions for EU grants at actual cost have been fulfilled,
4. no costs are included that are not eligible for funding under the programme,
5. material/equipment procurement and costs for subcontracts have been estimated taking into account the best price/performance ratio and are free of conflicts of interest.

Determination of personnel costs:

Personnel costs must be stated in person-months, broken down by personnel category. Personnel costs can be calculated using the (host) institutions usual practices and may include anticipated increases for the duration of the project. During the evaluation process, the ERC dashboard is used. It contains personnel costs from previous ERC projects, broken down by country and personnel category. The information in the dashboard is intended as a guide. It is possible to apply for deviating personnel costs. However, deviations must be plausibly justified, for example due to the application of the usual personnel rates at the host institution.

Evaluation:

Scientific excellence remains the sole criterion for awarding ERC (Advanced) Grants. This means that projects will continue to be selected on the basis of their scientific quality and potential for significant progress in their field of research. The eligible costs applied for are subject to a plausibility check.

Reporting:

Financial reports as well as a Certificate on the Financial Statement (CFS) are not required for AdG 2024 projects. Interim and final reports on the technical and substantive progress made during the course of the project must still be submitted, however. The final report legitimizes the payment of the remaining grant (see below).

Payment of the grant:

The decisive factor for full payment of the approved grant is expressly not the success of a project, but proof that all planned or necessary steps have been carried out. Payment is divided into two installments:

1. 80% of the total funding amount at the start of the project
2. 20% after completion of the whole project.

Advantages of lump sum funding in the ERC

Lump sum funding reduces the administrative burden and increases flexibility in the use of funds. This keeps the focus on achieving the scientific objectives. At the same time, the principle of scientific excellence and the high standards of the pioneer research projects remain unchanged.

Further information:

Q&A on lump sum funding

ERC personnel costs data for lump sum evaluations

ERCEA _Lump Sum_V3.3 - Average personnel costs per month- Utilize filters to segment by country, and type of personnel expenses

Webinar ERC Advanced Grants - Lump sums

Information for applicants

Annotated Grant Agreement (AGA)

How to manage your lump sum grants

Pauschale Finanzhilfebeträge (Lump Sum Grants) (only in German)