Grant
ERC Proof of Concept Grant
A €150,000, 18-month grant for current or recent ERC principal investigators to explore the commercial or societal potential of ERC-funded research.
About this opportunity
ERC Proof of Concept Grants help principal investigators from Starting, Consolidator, Advanced, or Synergy Grants test the innovation potential of ideas arising substantially from their ERC-funded research. Eligible applicants hold an ongoing main ERC grant or one that ended after January 1, 2025. Funding is a €150,000 lump sum for 18 months and can support testing, validation, market or societal-potential work, and other steps from frontier research toward innovation. The remaining 2026 cutoff is September 17, 2026.
Status history
2Accepting applications
The official ERC page lists the remaining 2026 Proof of Concept cutoff as September 17, 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time.
Accepting applications
The official ERC announcement says the next Proof of Concept funding round is open with a 17 September 2026 deadline.
Current application seasons
1Past seasons
0No past season is published yet.
Published recipients
0No recipients are published yet.