Description

The European Research Council (ERC) grants support projects carried out by an individual researcher - who acts as the principal beneficiary (the coordinator), and who can employ researchers of any nationality as team members. It is also possible to have one or more team members located in a non-European country. However, the research itself must be done in a public or private research organisation (known as a host institution/HI).

Applications for an ERC grant require a single Principal Investigator (PI) to submit the application on behalf of their host institution (the beneficiary). The main researcher (i.e. the PI) is named in the Grant Agreement (GA). 

Principal Investigators can be of any nationality, if they intend to conduct research in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe associated country and are hosted by a host institution that is based in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe associated country and is eligible to receive EU funding. Due to the key role of the Principal Investigator, s/he cannot be replaced by any other researcher during the implementation of the action. Requests for amendments to change the PI will be rejected.

Principal Investigators do not become party to the GA, but are key actors of ERC actions. This leads to an asymmetrical relationship (in which the Principal Investigator is the key actor in charge of innovative research, but it is the host institution that subscribes to the financial and legal obligations under the GA — since it is the beneficiary).

For example: A Principal Investigator can choose his/her own research team. This team is the research team of the Principal Investigator and thus different from that of a network or consortium of undertakings, universities, research centres or other legal entities. The engagement of the team follows the rules of the beneficiary and its country.

Principal Investigators must be supported by their host institution during the entire action duration.

For ERC Grants with more than one principal investigator, assignments must be ensured by each beneficiary towards their principal investigators and their teams (and by each principal investigator towards their beneficiary, the coordinator and the other principal investigators).
For more information on participation & funding and successful projects, you may check the the ERC website, ERC Work Programme and the call and topics pages of the ERC calls.

Principal Investigators & Progress Reporting Periods screens

These screens are available for all Horizon Europe - European Research Council (HE ERC) types of actions (i.e calls with ERC ToA, including ERC-PoC and ERC-SyG).

During the Grant Agreement Preparation life cycle, once the grant enters into force, there might be changes, such as:

• change of the Principal Investigators and their personal and projects related information
• change of the progress reporting periods

These changes will trigger the setting of amendment type 21 - Change of Annex 1. For more information about these articles, please consult the Annotated Grant Agreement.

Principal Investigators screen

How to modify the Principal Investigators data

Changes in the Principal Investigators screen are done at the partner level, as follows:

Progress Reporting Periods screen

Beneficiaries must submit their progress reports (scientific reports) according to the schedule and modalities set out in the Data Sheet (see Point 4.1). Reports must be prepared using the templates available in the Portal.

How to modify the Progress Reporting Periods information

Changes in the Progress Reporting Periods screen are done at the project level. 

• You can either modify an existing reporting period by changing the "Reporting Period Name" (the only editable field) or delete it :

• Or you can add a new one:

By adding a new Progress Reporting Period a new amendment type will be triggered: AT71- Change of the progress reporting schedule.

By clicking on Save the "Updated" status will be displayed on the top left corner. To remove the updates, click on the undo button  .

Transfer of the Grant Agreement (GA) portability 

The PIs have the right to request the transfer of their grant to a new host institution — provided that the objectives of the action remain achievable and that the new host institution meets the eligibility criteria set out in the ERC work programme/call conditions. This allows the PI to request the transfer of the entire grant or part of it. In ERC Synergy Grants (which may have several PIs), each PI has the right to transfer their part of the action. However, they must inform and consult the other PIs, to ensure that the action’s objectives can still be achieved.

ERC grants can thus be transferred to a new host institution (‘new beneficiary’) — at any time during the action. However, the former host institution remains fully responsible until the granting authority has approved the amendment.

To transfer a Grant Agreement (GA) the Principal Investigator needs to open an amendment: the AT4 (Beneficiary termination) is combined with the AT1 (Addition of a new beneficiary).

In case of a Beneficiary termination, an Opinion letter of the beneficiary whose participation is terminated (or proof that their opinion has been requested) may be requested. This needs to be uploaded in the "Documents" section, together with other supporting documents (if applicable).