IMPORTANT: Dates of the workshops for ERC applicants and conditions for participation in 2025

Technology Centre Prague and the Expert Group for Supporting ERC Applicants are preparing a series of activities for applicants for 2025. Based on the experience of last year, we have decided to make several changes in 2025 regarding both the timing of the preparatory workshops and the eligibility conditions.

As in the previous year, the workshops will focus only on the Starting and Consolidator categories. To be accepted, in addition to online registration, a CV and track record of the applicant and an abstract of the project under consideration must be submitted. Applicants will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. In contrast to last year, however, we are tightening the criteria for admitting participants to the support system. If the submitted materials are of low quality or if the applicant's profile does not comply with the ERC rules and does not use the full four pages of text, the organisers reserve the right to reject such applicants. Due to the high demand for participation, it will not be possible to provide individual feedback to unsuccessful candidates.

Please also note the change of workshop dates. The first two workshops, which were held in May and June in previous years, will now be moved to April and May. The most significant changes will be made to the third workshop, which will now be divided into two phases according to grant category. While the last workshop for Consolidator applicants will continue to be held in September, the final workshop for Starting applicants will take place in June. This is to give applicants sufficient time to finalise their grant application and incorporate expert feedback before the call closes.

Therefore, we would like to ask Starting applicants to keep in mind that to participate in the third workshop, submission of as finalised part B1 as possible will be requested already at the end of May 2025. We believe that this change will contribute to increasing the success rate of applications in the Starting category.

The anticipated schedule of workshops in 2025 is as follows:

• Opening of registration: 10 March 2025, 12:00
• Registration deadline: 30 March 2025, 23:59
  
  
• 1st workshop: 15, 16 and 17 April 2025
• 2nd workshop: week of 12-16 May 2025
• 3rd workshop for Starting applicants:
  • B1 submission: end of May 2025
  • Feedback: week 23-27 June 2025
• 3rd workshop for Consolidator applicants:
  • Submission B1: end of August 2025
  • Feedback: week 22-26 September 2025

We hereby ask both ERC applicants themselves and their host institutions to pay attention to these important updates.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact ERC NCP Lyudmyla Tysyachna (tysyachna@tc.cz).