It is a good idea to start with a visit to the National Information Day on ERC Grants, which takes place every autumn and is organized by the Technology Centre Prague in cooperation with Charles University.

It will give you an overview of the ERC scheme, and the evaluation method and ERC/ERC CZ project investigators will share their experiences with you. This will give you a more general insight into what the ERC is and how it works.

If you decide to apply for an ERC grant after the NID, please let us know as soon as possible (the ERC University Consultant is Veronika Syrovátková). We will let you know the next date of the workshop and how to apply for it.

Workshops in three parts usually take place in May, June and September. The condition for participation in them is to prepare a good quality project draft = abstract, CV and track record in the required quality and format. At the workshop, you are expected to know how the ERC works and to work with concrete project proposals.

In the meantime, you can consult with us about the project on an ongoing basis.

We encourage you to compare your text with an existing ERC application before sending it to us for comments. Feel free to approach any of the previous ERC applicants in the CU and use their application as a template for your text.

Abstracts of all successful ERC applications are also available online.

Submissions are governed by Rector´s Directive No. 9/2023, please be familiar with it.

RD in short:

Agree with the faculty/department on what will happen if you succeed in the ERC Call.

NO LATER THAN A MONTH before the call deadline, send us the FINAL VERSION of the project, together with a request for a HIL (Host Institution Letter = mandatory attachment of your application).

In the F&T portal, do not forget to give us access to your application (role "Coordinator Contact").

Remember that excellence is the only evaluation criterion (excellence of you as PI, excellence of your project, whether it is a "high risk, high gain" project, etc.).

Do not submit an ERC application if it is not perfect. This is because there are strict resubmission rules (depending on the evaluation grade, you cannot apply for 1-2 years in subsequent calls). And a bad evaluation will not benefit you in particular.

The CU also tries to financially motivate ERC applicants to submit high-quality applications through Rector's Directive No. 8/2023. So, once you have submitted your ERC application, do not hesitate to apply for this reward.

This Mock Interview is a special workshop prepared for those who proceed to the second round. In this workshop, you present your project within the time limit. The workshop tutors will correct any mistakes your presentation may have, give advice on how best to impress and ask questions you might get during the ERC Interview.

If you make it to the second round:

Check the composition of the panels in previous years (the composition changes every two years). This will give you a better idea of the nature of the questions based on the expertise of the panel members. However, do not contact them under any circumstances as this would be a conflict of interest and your project would have to be excluded!

Be prepared for a tough atmosphere and difficult questions.

Practice your presentation several times.

Make sure you are fully informed of developments in the field since the submission of your proposal.

You can also contact TC Prague - NCP for ERC.