The European Research Council (ERC) has opened its 2027 Consolidator Grant call (ERC-2027-CoG). It backs researchers who are building their own independent group, with up to €2 million over five years to pursue an ambitious idea at a host institution in Europe. Any field can apply, including dementia and neurodegeneration research. This is the last Consolidator Grant round under Horizon Europe, and the eligibility window has changed. You can now apply if you defended your PhD between five and fifteen years before 1 January 2027, far wider than the seven to twelve years used in previous rounds.
The UK is associated to Horizon Europe, so researchers at UK universities and institutes can apply and hold the grant here.
The deadline is 12 January 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time (16:00 UK time). The ERC expects to fund around 296 grants from a budget of €618 million.
Who can apply
ERC grants are open to researchers of any nationality, based anywhere in the world when they apply, as long as the research is carried out at a host institution in an EU Member State or associated country. To be eligible for a Consolidator Grant you must:
- Have defended your first PhD (or equivalent doctorate) between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2021
- Already have evidence of research independence
- Commit at least 40% of your working time to the project, and spend at least half your working time in the EU or an associated country
- Not have held an ERC Consolidator Grant before, as you can only ever hold one
Your eligibility window can be extended for documented time away, including 18 months per child for maternity leave, the actual time taken for paternity or parental leave, long-term illness (yours or a close family member’s), disability, national service, clinical training (up to four years), and time unable to work because of a major disaster, seeking asylum, or violence. If you have had career breaks, work out your own window before you rule yourself out. Clinicians: a medical degree on its own does not count as a PhD equivalent. If you hold both, your window is calculated from whichever makes you eligible first: your PhD defence date, or the date of your medical degree plus two years. Without a PhD, you will need proof of an appointment that requires doctoral equivalence, such as a postdoctoral fellowship, plus evidence of your research track record.
Restrictions to check first
- You can submit only one proposal across the ERC main grant calls in the 2027 Work Programme. The 2027 Starting Grant call (closing 14 October 2026) overlaps with this one for researchers five to ten years post-PhD, so pick one, as you cannot enter both
- If you applied to the 2026 Starting or Consolidator Grant call and were scored B or C at Step 1, you are not eligible for this call
- If you already hold an ERC grant, you can only apply if that project ends within two years of this call’s deadline
What the grant covers
Consolidator Grants provide up to €2 million over up to five years (reduced pro rata for shorter projects) and reimburse actual costs, so the budget can cover salaries for you and your team, equipment, consumables, travel and other project costs. Your team can include researchers of any nationality, and some members can be based outside Europe. You can request up to €1 million more for further eligible costs the project genuinely needs, such as major equipment. This has to be justified in the proposal and is assessed by the panel. Researchers based outside the EU and associated countries at the deadline, who will relocate to take up the grant, can request up to €2 million in additional funding. ERC grants are also portable. If you move institution during the project you can ask to take the grant with you, subject to the grant agreement (our guide on transferring a research grant between universities covers what that involves in practice).
What you need to submit
You submit the proposal yourself, on behalf of your host institution, through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The main parts are:
- Part B1: a half-page abstract, a five-page first section of the scientific proposal setting out the question, objectives and approach, and a CV and track record of up to four pages, including up to ten research outputs and examples of peer recognition
- Part B2: the second section of the scientific proposal, up to seven pages, covering methods, work plan, risks and how you will manage them
- Supporting documents: a detailed budget in the online form, a support letter from your host institution and your PhD certificate
Page limits are strictly applied, though references do not count towards them. The CV template lets you add context on career breaks, non-linear career paths and life events, which panels take into account when judging your record against your career stage.
How proposals are judged
Excellence is the only criterion, applied to both the project and you as the principal investigator. Evaluation runs in two steps. At Step 1, panels see Part B1 only, so your five-page summary and CV have to make the case on their own. Proposals that get through are then reviewed in full, and applicants are invited to an interview of around 30 minutes with the panel at Step 2. Most dementia research will sit in panel LS5 (Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System) or LS7 (Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases), while care, psychology and social research may fit one of the Social Sciences and Humanities panels. For a sense of what reviewers respond to, read our blog getting a grant funded: a view from the panel.
Key dates
- Call opened: 24 September 2026
- Deadline: 12 January 2027, 17:00 Brussels time
- Step 1 outcome: by 16 July 2027
- Final outcome: by 17 December 2027
- Grant agreements signed: around 8 April 2028
Dates after the deadline are provisional and may move.
Before you start
Speak to your research office now. Many host institutions run internal review and mock interviews for ERC applicants, and some set their own earlier deadlines. In the UK, UKRO is the National Contact Point for the ERC and offers free advice and recorded briefing events. Read the ERC Consolidator Grant pages, the Work Programme and the Information for Applicants in full, as several rules have changed for this round. A Consolidator Grant is about growing a group, so think early about who you want in your team and how you will lead them. Our pieces on building labs where it’s safe to fail and securing your first research fellowship are a useful starting point.
Visit funding web page
(https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/ERC-2027-COG)
