The Specific Programme “Ideas” is implemented by the ‎European Research Council (ERC) in order to support frontier research in Europe. ERC grants are awarded through open competition to individual scientists, irrespective of their origin or nationality, who are working or moving to work in Europe. The sole criterion for selection is scientific excellence.

The ERC's strategies as well as its funding and evaluation standards are under the responsibility of the ERC Scientific Council consisting of 22 high-ranking scientists. Since March 2010 Prof. Helga Nowotny is president of the ERC.

The ERC's funding schemes cover all scientific fields without regard for and across all established disciplinary boundaries. In particular, interdisciplinary or pioneering proposals addressing emerging fields and introducing unconventional approaches are encouraged.

The ERC offers two funding schemes:‎

• the Starting Independent Researcher Grants for promising young scientists
• the Advanced Investigator Grants for established outstanding scientists

Starting Independent Researcher Grants

The objective of the Starting Grants is to provide support to the independent careers of promising researchers, whatever their nationality, who are at the stage of starting or consolidating their own independent research team or, depending on the field, their independent research programme.

Advanced Investigator Grants

The objective of the Advanced Grants is to encourage and support excellent, innovative investigator-initiated research projects by leading advanced investigators. In the evaluation process a strong focus is given to research achievements in the 10 years before the submission of the proposal.

In 2011 the ERC will offer a new funding option (“proof of concept”) to finance the commercialisation/transfer of research results originating from ERC-projects.